Forget Me Not
by Reaper-of-Lost-Souls
Summary: Undertaker finally retires and starts a job in London's morgue where he comes across an interesting little maiden in the middle of a rainstorm. Just what will transpire between Undertaker and the little maiden? UndertakerXOC adult themes (INCOMPLETE: STOPPED WRITING: LOST INSPIRATION)
1. The Encounter

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I just got bored, plus I'm tired with writing about one story all the time, so I decided to write a quick short story on the Undertaker and an OC I made up on the spot. Hope you enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

A young girl, about the age of eight, giggled as she ran wildly through the smog engulfed streets of London. Causing many eyes to turn on her, she turned into an alley way and disappeared from sight. She smirked to herself, taking one of the flowers in her hand and putting it into her hair. "Those English fools," she said to no one in particular as she walked aimlessly in the streets_. 'Life it too precious to waste on a day like today,'_ she smiled to herself, feeling the raindrops beginning to start. She ran through the streets, not looking for shelter, but to reach her destination before it got too dark.

Coming across a cemetery she stopped, slowing looking at the gate and pushing it open. She smiled to herself, happy with her accomplishment. "Good you're not closed on me today," she giggled to herself. She slowly walked through the cemetery, careful to not trip on the now muddy ground. Once she got to the spot she was running to she stopped, kneeling down on the cold ground. She put a finger on the gravestone, tracing the letters with her index finger.

_Ellen Ioreta_

_February 14, 1826 – December 6, 1861_

_Loving mother and daughter_

"_Today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23: 33 – 43_

She smiled and set the flowers in front of the stone. Then she leaned against the gravestone, her wet-black clothes getting muddy. "Well guess what happened to me today," she giggled. "Oh come on mommy, I bet you can't figure it out." She waited, only hearing silence. "That man in your will, I can't seem to find him anywhere. I only have a day left to find papa before those mean relatives take our family's money, but guess what! I thought I saw him at St. James' Park, but it was just another stiff," she let out a sigh, moving her long auburn hair out of her eyes. "I don't think I can find him mommy. I guess it's to the gutters for me."

She chuckled to herself, "but at least I can come and visit! I wonder what's keeping papa. The last time we met was a few years ago. You remember? Actually I don't remember a lot from the visit. I just remember his eyes… so green. You told me that's where I get that little glint of green in my eyes, from papa. Even my hair, remember mommy? You say I get my red hair from daddy, but it's just a bit lighter because of your hair. Is that true mommy? I wish I could know…" she let out a sneeze. "Oh excuse me! Sorry mommy. It's starting to get cold again so I think I'll have to get going." She got up, attempting to wipe the mud off of her butt before she left.

"Oh my ~" She turned around confused, confronting a rather tall and frightening man. He wore a long black coat and had gray hair, which was so long that when he passed her it tickled her nose. He also had a big black top hat, causing her to giggle slightly. Other than that she couldn't see him well, for the fact that she was short for her age and he was immensely tall.

"Hello," she smiled happily.

"Now what's a young maiden like yourself doing out in this ungodly weather?" he asked, bending down so she could see him better.

She couldn't help but giggle again. She could see that a piece of his hair was braided and he grew out his bangs so she couldn't see his eyes. She figured it's just to scare anyone that crossed him, which amused her."Oh nothing really," she smiled innocently, "just visiting an old friend."

"I don't think you should be out at this time girl. It's almost nightfall."

"It is?" She looked up, noticing the sun going down on the horizon, "Hey I guess it is! And by the way," she looked up at him suspiciously, "you're a stranger aren't you?"

"Oh? And why would you say that?" he looked down at her with curiosity.

"Well mommy told me that a stranger is an unfamiliar person whom you just didn't introduce yourself to," she smiled.

If that's the case," he bowed, his smile widening, "my name is the Undertaker."

"_Undertaker_?" She questioned him, and then let out a laugh. "Oh I get it! So you must be the new mortician. Well hello then. My name is Sophia Ioreta, but you can just call me Sophie."

Sophie opened up her hand, her other hand behind her back. The Undertaker smiled, taking her hand and shaking it. Then she giggled, jumping around happily in the rain. He laughed, "You're such an enthusiastic little maiden," he commented to himself.

She tugged on his sleeve, causing him to bend down. Then she took the soaked flower in her hair and secured it on his hat. "There better!" she giggled.

"So where are your parents?" he smiled, figuring this girl should get home so they don't worry.

The smile on her face lightened up, causing her to sigh. "Well my mommy is right over there," she said pointing to the gravestone, "and papa… well I don't know," she shrugged.

"You don't know?"

"Well I only met him once. He left after that, but mommy said he'd come back… he never did," she looked at the ground, scuffing her shoes in the mud.

"Where do you live?"

"In a house somewhere over there," she pointed toward the city, "but… I'm going to lose the house tomorrow so I'll be living on the streets." Sophie looked back up at him, a smile on her face, "But don't worry about it! I thought you were listening on my conversation anyways," she pouted.

"I only heard the last tidbit and that horrid sneeze."

She giggled, "I guess it was a bit loud."

"If you need a place to warm up before you head home, you're welcome to come and rest at my house."

"You mean the morgue? Sure!" Sophie giggled, jumping up and down. "I've been there a few times so I know my way around."

He smiled, taking her by the hand and leading her down the muddy path. "You have?"

"Of course! Your predecessor used to let my mommy and me in to help with the bodies. Even chat! When I heard he had died though… well I stopped visiting every day and I just come by every Saturday. So I was wondering who they had replaced," she smiled.

He chuckled, "Just and old fool like me, I suppose." Sophie laughed, childish laughter in her voice.

!#$%^&*()

By the time they made it inside Sophie let out another sneeze, sniffling her nose on her sleeve. Her eyes drooped, her body growing weak and collapsing underneath her. The Undertaker quickly grabbed her, lifting her up and carrying her bridle style. When he finally laid her down on his bed she was almost asleep. He shook her away, causing her to jump with a startle. "You should get out of those wet clothes before you go to sleep," he smiled, sincerity in his voice.

"Now let me see…" he said to himself, rustling through his clothes. "Here we go ~" he sang to himself, throwing the clothing at Sophie.

She looked at it with curiosity, "This white shirt seems to be a bit fancy Undertaker. I-I can't possibly wear this."

"It's ok child. I don't use it much anyways so put it on," he smiled.

Sophie smirked, "Not until you leave to room."

"Of course ~" he bowed and kissing her hand, causing her to giggle.

Once he left the room she quickly took off her clothes, the dress dripping all over the floor. Throwing it to the side, she dried off her body before putting the white shirt on. Then she let out a yawn, quickly collapsing on the bed and falling asleep.

When the Undertaker walked back in, he couldn't help but smirk. "Someone couldn't stay awake ~" He walked over to the bed and tucked her into the covers. Once he did that he took her clothes and hung them up to dry. "I guess little old me won't be sleeping in a bed tonight ~" he sang to himself. He took the lit candle lying on the dresser, walking out of the room. He turned back, letting out a sigh. "I guess I won't be retiring **just** yet," he smiled to himself, before blowing out the only source of light in the room.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: I do hope you guys comment. I'd be nice hear some feedback! If I get some good responses I may write some more… though that's still up for debate. This is just a story I'm writing to get my creative juices flowing for my main story, but either way I hope you like it!**

Sophia – Greek – wisdom

Ellen – English – variant of Helen; light, most beautiful woman

Areta – Greek – beauty, virtuous, excellent

Iorwen – Welsh – Lord, beautiful

Ioreta – combination of "Areta" and "Iorwen"

Forget-me-nots – at a funeral this flower sends a message of faithful love and memories


	2. The Help

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: ****Wow! Already six people put this story in their alert/faved box. I am deeply honored, and because of people's interests I think I'll try to continue with the story. Though let me just say that if there's spelling error or punctuation errors than I'm sorry in advance (I'm horrible when it comes to punctuation ^^;). Once again this is just a story I'm writing when I'm bored and want my mind to wander to something else, so I'm not constantly checking for grammar errors every chapter. **

**Now I hope you guys like the story! I think this'll be a longer story then just a short story… it just sort of depends on how involved I get into this story**** (and what I come up with while I'm bored in class). I'll be making more OCs so you can understand where our little Sophie is coming from. Respond/comment if you like it or/and if you want to give me any ideas for the story. I have an idea on how the story will go, just not sure on how I'll get there X3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie smile to herself as she finished sewing up a body and was finally able to dress it again. It has been about two years since Undertaker let her stay at the morgue. For her, it was either here, on the streets, or an orphanage. In her opinion she wouldn't have minded ending up in the orphanage, but it seemed the Undertaker needed all the help he could get; since, at first, he didn't know where anything was placed and how to organize the place.

She giggled, washing her hands and walking into the kitchen. She wondered what was keeping the Undertaker. By now he'd be home. Sometimes during the day, sometimes at night, he would disappear without a trace for hours on end. At first he would come back looking tired and frustrated about something, but recently he would show up with an excessive amount of books, which he wouldn't let Sophie touch even when she was cleaning. She didn't seem to understand why; they seemed like old, dirty books to her, which excited her curiosity even more.

A timer beeped snapping her out of her thoughts. "Ooh they're done!" she giggled. Putting oven mitts on she opened the stove and took out two batches of chocolate chip cookies. Letting the cookies cool on the stovetop, she fiddled around in the cupboards and found what she was looking for, a circular tin container that was the perfect shape to fit her cookies in. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed long boney hands going for a cookie. She quickly swat it away, glaring at a shadowed figure in the corner. "Hey Undertaker that _**isn't**_ your batch," glaring at the shadow, "this one is," she smirked, pointing to the tray closer to her.

"Oh I'm sorry little maiden ~" chuckled the figure, quickly grabbing a cookie from the tray and placing it in his mouth in one big gulp. "As always a scrumptious batch, little maiden."

Sophie giggled, putting the cookies from the other tray into the tin container. "So what's been keeping you? I'd already sewn up three bodies that you told me **you** were going to do. Plus it's about time I head out," she frowned looking at her watch, "Geeze I'm going to be late…"

"Sorry to be keeping you. I just found this delicious book and couldn't help but take it," he chuckled.

"I don't see why you constantly go to this… _'library'_ of yours," she shrugged. "But I can't have you devouring books while I've made dinner for us," she giggled.

"You've made dinner again? I thought it was my turn today ~" he frowned, wandering back over to the stove and finding a pot of beef stew on top.

She smirked, watching as Undertaker took a taste test of her stew. "I figured I would make it today. I hate to be frank, but you seem to be a horrible cook! Are you used to someone cooking for you or something?"

He gasped, clutching his chest in pain. "Oh woe is me to be cursed with such a witty little maiden!" causing Sophie to giggle with glee. "Though to answer your question: yes I haven't cooked a lot in the past, but I was hoping to learn how."

"Wow what a surprise," she sarcastically rolled her eyes, smiling once the Undertaker began laughing his head off. Looking back at her watch she frowned. "Well I hate to laugh and run, but if I don't get going now I'll be late!"

"Well run along then," he smirked, shooing her away with his sleeves, "dinner will be ready when you get home."

"Thanks!" she waved, quickly running out the door and into the streets.

!#$%^&*()

"Oye look who's finally here!" laughed a young boy about her age. He was sitting a railing that led up it two large double-wide doors.

Sophie smirked, cradling the cookies tightly under her arm. "I was a bit held up at home. _Sorry!_" she grumbled, walking up the steps.

As soon as she got to the door it was opened for her. She looked over and saw the boy holding the door for her, gesturing her to walk in. "You're just being nice to me because I have goodies, right Haden?"

He laughed, "Of course! If it wasn't for the fact that your food is the best in the world, I wouldn't even bother."

She smirked, walking in to be greeted by a hoard of kids running over to her. "_Hello Miss!"_ they all shouted.

"Hi guys!" she smiled at them.

"W-what did you bring us today?" asked a little girl cuddling her teddy under her arm.

"I was only able to make chocolate chip cookies today," she beamed.

"Now sugar-skull-shaped cookies like last time?" came a quiet voice from the side.

"Oh not today Miss Robin!" Sophie laughed, "I didn't have time to get fancy today."

"Run along children. You'll be getting your cookies _after_ dinner." The children groaned letting out moans of distress, going their separate ways down the narrow hallways. Robin smiled as Sophie handed her the cookies. "You know the children look up to you."

"Oh really?" she chuckled, scratching the back of her head nervously. "Well I'm not the **best** role model, but thanks!"

Robin looked at Sophie, a soft tone in her voice. "How's living with the new mortician? I wasn't sure in letting you live there, but when he insisted you live with him for your own good I couldn't refuse."

Sophie smiled, "It's been great! I have the most fun cleaning up dead bodies and getting flowers for the funerals. Though…" she sighed, "I have missed coming here. At least I can visit!"

"Well that's good," she smiled. "You've always been a sporadic one, Sophia."

"S-sper_**a**_dic?" she questioned her.

"Oh no!" Robin giggled, "Sp_or_adic. It means random and irregular, but in a good way," she smiled.

Sophie nodded, letting the words sink in, "Sporadic… well ok!" she smiled. "Well I'd better get going. I told Undertaker that I'd be back in time for dinner."

"Thank you for showing up Sophie. Remember, if you need any help then our door is always open," she smiled.

"Ok!" Sophie smiled, pushing the doors open, "and same goes for you! We don't have many people visit… well except for the dead ones," she shrugged. "You guys can come by and show up whenever you want!" she waved to them, before running down the street so she can get home in time for dinner.

"You hear that Haden. You can go and visit her whenever you want."

"Yeah, yeah," he rolled his eyes as he walked down the hallway giving a slight wave with his hand.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a yawn, cuddling closer into Undertaker's arm. After eating a hearty dinner and filling up the rest of her belly with sweets, she was ready to go to bed. "U-undertaker?" she looked up rubbing her eyes.

"Yes?" he asked, setting the book he was reading down next to him.

"Could you read me a bedtime story?" she looked up, trying to look past his bangs and at his eyes.

He looked down into her, her blue/green eyes twinkling up at him. How her eyes could look so innocent but mystifying always held his interest. "Ok little maiden," he smiled sincerely at her, "What would you like me to read?"

"How about that book you're reading?" she smiled.

He frowned, "I told you I can't read these books to you –"

"I know!" She nuzzled into his sleeve," but _pleeeeeease_. Just this once?"

Undertaker paused, still unsure with her request. He let out a sigh in defeat causing Sophie to smile happily. "Oh all right."

"Yah!" she giggled. He adjusted how he was sitting so she could sit on his lap, and she cuddled up into his chest. "So what's the story?"

Once he took up the book so he could read it he said, "This is the story of Robin Hood, Sophie. I guess I'll have to go back to the beginning though; I was getting to a great part," he chuckled to himself.

"Don't you mean the **Tale** of Robin Hood?" she asked with a confused look on her face.

"No dear," he smirked, rustling up her hair, "I mean story."

Sophie shrugged, "Well whatever. He's that guy who _robbed from the rich and gave to the poor_, right?"

He chuckled, "Why yes he is! I believe you're heard his story before?"

"Just a little bit," she shrugged, "in the orphanage Miss Robin read a story about him once. I thought the story seemed highly unlikely that he existed."

"Well after I read you this story I think you'll come to believe he's as real as you and me," Undertaker smiled contently, beginning to read. Sophie smiled back, soon closing her eyes and cuddling closer into his thick trench coat. _"Our story begins with a young boy born in the medieval ages of Nottinghamshire, England. He grew up with his father who was a yeoman, which means he held a little piece of land for farming. His father taught him how to be a skilled archer and swordsman and he'd hunt and practice with his friends on the small property they owned,"_ he smiled to himself, putting a hand underneath Sophie's chin and the other held the book.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Now I don't know if I'll be submitting the other chapters as fast as I have been, but do continue with your comments! It's nice to get some feedback on the story (it's my fuel to keep writing it actually =3) For a heads up, the next chapter will have Sophie at the age she's now and then there'll be a time skip in chapter 4 (or at least that's what I plan on doing) Also, the Robin Hood stuff I found on wiki. I'm not sure if it's completely accurate, but I tried to make a quick short version of him that could make sense than him just being a robber _and_ be good for a bedtime story. So I'll stop ranting! Tell me if you enjoy it! XD**

Haden – English – valley with hay

Robin – Germanic – bright fame


	3. The Love

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Wow so many comments! I just love you guys X3 A few of your ****comments just made my day, **_**seriously**_**! For those bigger comments that some of you guys are writing me, I'll **_**definitely**_** answer them if you have a question or just a comment. Of course, comment to me! As I've said before it's my fuel for writing fanfics. If they suddenly stop I'll… well I wouldn't know how to continue with the story if I don't know how you think ^^. So I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie giggled, running zigzags in between the gravestones. Holding a shovel as tall as herself, she stopped once she reached the morgue. She smirked to herself as she leaned the shovel against the wall and started jumping up and down, a finger touching the door. "Hah beat you!" she laughed, a finger pointed up at the Undertaker.

He slowly walked down the hill, a large shovel in his hand, "I didn't know we were racing ~"

She giggled, picking her shovel back up, "Yes we are! I called it Undertaker! That means _**I**_ win!"

He chuckled, opening the door and letting her walk in first. "Ok fine _you_ win. So what's your plan with your new winnings?"

"Oh I don't know," she shrugged and leaned the shovel against a wall and walking into the bathroom, throwing her muddy scarf on the ground, "Can I go out for an hour?"

"An hour?" he questioned her, grabbing the shovels and putting them in a closet. "How about _half_ an hour?"

"Fifty?" she giggled.

"That isn't up for debate Sophie. Half an hour and **no** later."

She pouted, walking out of the bathroom in changed clothes. She closed the door, hiding the muddy clothes he had given her for work clothes, which was lying carelessly on the ground. "Fine," she frowned.

He chuckled, knocking the mud from his boots as he walked into the inner house. "And be a dear and clean up that mess you just made in the bathroom."

Her eyes widened, "What? How did you know that!"

He walked into the hallway and put a long black finger on her lips, startling her. "That's a secret ~" She grumbled, going back into the bathroom and slamming the door behind her. He could hear her cursing under her breath and he laughed again, until he heard the front door ring. "Coming ~" he said in a rather high-pitched voice, walking through the hallway that attached the living quarters with the morgue and walked to the front of the building.

Once he got there he saw little boy trembling from the cold or from noticing him, he couldn't tell. He seemed nervous, twisting a little brown cap between his hands as he began to speak, "I-is Sophie here?"

"Why yes she is," he smiled to him, gesturing for him to sit down, "but at the moment she's preoccupied. Please have a seat ~"

He glanced over, noticing he was pointing to the coffins that laid carelessly around the room. "O-ok," he timidly smiled, sitting down and looking down at the floor.

"Once you're done in there Sophie, be a dear and come to the front of the store. I have a surprise for you ~" he giggled to himself, causing the boy to look up and raise an eyebrow.

"Ok I'm almost done," she yelled from the back of the building, an annoyed tone in her voice.

"Would you like a cup of tea? ~"

"N-no…" he said, looking back at the floor.

"Well don't mind me then," Undertaker said with a shrug. The boy watched as the Undertaker opened a coffin, putting the final touches on a corpse. The boy shuddered, causing the Undertaker to smirk, and he set the lid of the coffin to the side as he began working on the corpse. The boy looked down at his hat, letting out a sneeze. "Gezuntheit," he said under his sleeve.

"Oh thank you," the boy said, looking over at the man as he hunched mysteriously over the coffin.

"Heh heh ~, you're welcome young one." The boy smiled, looking around the room.

The place looked very old and needed of some repaint, but perhaps this new mortician wasn't fond of housework. The place seemed disorganized from what he could remember. Random papers scattered on his desk and piles of books next to the bookshelf. _'Sophie must have a hard time keeping the place organized,'_ he smirked, _'must be driving her __**crazy**__. Oh well. I think he's just trying to keep out anyone who comes in. At least Sophie is around to keep the place from falling into ruin… I wonder how she's doing here anyways. She seems happy enough… but is she?'_

Hearing footsteps coming from the hallway he saw Sophie poke her head in the doorway. "Now I'm _finally_ done Undertaker," she huffed, crossing her arms, "what's this surprise that you –" Her eyes looked as if it'd pop right out of her head, "Haden! What are you doing here?"

He stood up, knowing that Sophie was going to run over to him and grab him in a hug, which she did. "Hi-yah."

"Oh that's all you can say?" she frowned, before giggling and hugging him again. "So what are you doing here? The orphanage didn't burn down did it?"

"Oh no!" he laughed, "nothing like that. Actually last time you visited you said something about _'__you guys can come by and show up whenever you want'_… or I think that's what you said. Either way I finished my chores early so I decided to stop by, u-unless you're busy. I don't want to intrude or anything."

She smiled, her blue eyes seeming to sparkle at his comment. "Of course you're welcome here! Right Undertaker?"

"Oh course he is," he chuckled creepily, causing Haden to frown. "We don't get many _live_ visitors around these parts ~"

"Yah I know," he mumbled under his breath. He cuffed his hand, making sure only Sophie could hear and the man looking over at them couldn't. "He's a bit creepy Sophie. Are you _sure_ you're ok here? I don't want him to… well I don't want anything bad happening to you here."

Sophie looked at him surprised, and then giggled. "Oh he's not as bad as you think! Don't worry about it Haden. He's been a father to me, you know, like Thomas was."

"Yeah, but Thomas wasn't as… weird as this guy is."

"I assure you young sir that I'm perfectly capable of taking care of Sophie," the Undertaker said from behind him, causing him to jump. She blinked at him confused, a serious tone in his voice. "And who is this Thomas you speak of?" he giggled, Sophie letting out a sigh of relief when he went back to being happy and carefree.

"Thomas was the mortician that I was telling you about Undertaker –"

"Yeah," Haden huffed and glared at the Undertaker, trying to reveal his act. "He was a _whole_ lot better than **you** can ever be."

"Haden!" Sophie frowned, causing him to flinch slightly.

"And why's that?" he asked with curiosity.

"For one thing he was very organized, _unlike you_. Last time I talked to him he was actually thinking of repainting the place, which you obviously don't plan on doing. He definitely isn't as creepy as you, and I can tell that you're just putting on an act."

"And what if he is?" she glared at Haden, causing him to shrink a little. Undertaker blinked in confusion as he watched Sophie's emotions unfold. "I don't care. I don't see why **you** have to. He's actually a very sweet and caring old man. Sure he's not like Thomas, but he likes to laugh. You don't find that many people around these parts who **like** to laugh," she started to tear up a bit. "I don't see what your problem is Haden. He let me into his home in the pouring rain and didn't even think twice about it. He even took the time to adopt me when my relatives _made sure_ I was stuck in an orphanage. Plus," she smirked, "he needs all the help he can get around here. Trust me Haden, I know what I'm doing."

He let out a sigh, "I'm sorry for not trusting you Sophie." He took her hand, staring intently into her eyes, "I'll trust you from now on, ok?" She smiled and gave him an approved nod. Then he looked up at the Undertaker, his hands still holding Sophie's, "and I'm sorry for saying you're a bad mortician. I guess I haven't seen you work so I shouldn't come to conclusions too quickly."

"You're welcome kid."

He glared, "My name isn't _kid_, it's Haden." He looked over at Sophie, who seemed to be giggling, then back up at the Undertaker, "and don't think you're off the hook! I'm not going to trust you with Sophie till you show me you can be an actual mortician _**and**_ her father. Unlike me she seems to cling to any male role model that comes by and I'm here to make sure you're a good one."

"Sorry Sir Haden," he smirked, giving him a slight bow, "I assure you I'm perfectly capable of taking care of Little Sophie. You can trust me ~"

He rolled his eyes. Sophie smiled and gave Haden a peck on the cheek, and then the Undertaker. Haden's eyes went wide, his hand going immediately to his cheek. "Well now that the formalities are over, can I go out now?"

The Undertaker laughed heartily, causing the room to rumble, "For half an hour."

"But –"

"_**Half an hour**_."

Sophie let out a groan, grabbing her coat off of a coat hanger, "Fine! Come on Haden," she smiled, grabbing hold of his hand and pulling him along.

"By the way, where are you going?"

"Oh I'm just going to stay around the cemetery, right Haden?"

"Sure," he shrugged, "besides I'd need to be back in half an hour anyways, so we have time."

She giggled, "Well come on then!" she laughed, watching him fumble around with the door before following her down the street.

!#$%^&*()

Haden and Sophie let out a sigh of content, leaning against a tree and looking up towards the sky. She was twirling a fat green ring in between her fingers. It hung around her neck and was hidden most of the time, but she knew that she could trust that Haden wouldn't steal it from her. Soon Sophie rested her head on Haden's shoulder, her eyes getting drowsy. "Have you been sleeping Sophie?" he asked, brushing his hands through her wavy auburn hair.

She smiled, "Well yes… I've been sleeping just as much as at the orphanage."

"So not a lot," he frowned.

"Yep!" she giggled. "It's not like its intentional Haden. I just keep having nightmares about my past, that's all… And how about yourself? Are you sleeping?"

He chuckled, "Just as much as I've always been."

"So not a lot," she giggled, mocking him.

"Yep, not a lot," he chuckled back. "Hey Sophie."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think would have happened to us if we didn't meet here?"

"Well," Sophie thought, scratching her head a bit. "You would still be angry about your parents dying and blaming yourself. Plus I don't think I'd be able to get you to crack a smile! That would be a travesty in itself," she smiled.

"And yourself?" he wondered, resting his head on top of hers.

"I think," she began, "that I would slowly fall into a deep depression and eventually want to end my life when I turn the tender age of twelve."

He widened his eyes, "Are you serious?" He looked down at her with confusion him his eyes, noticing she was completely serious.

"Yes I am," she said sternly. "Well I think you know the story: once my mommy died I wouldn't be able to come to the morgue anymore. The only couple times I was able to come was right before her funeral and just a little bit during. At the time I noticed Thomas was coughing too, like mommy did, so…" she let out a sigh, "so I just figured he would die next, and he did. Then I knew that I was going to be stuck on the streets or head to the orphanage. I knew none of my relatives was going to take care of me, and since Thomas died I knew he wasn't going to take care of me, so I had no one."

Haden frowned, holding Sophie closer to him. "Well, at least you ended up in the orphanage."

She chuckled, "Yes, but if we hadn't met earlier you wouldn't have opened up to me." He smiled, his hands wrapping around her waist and cuddling her. "That's why I said that as my answer," she giggled.

"I see…" he thought to himself. "Well sorry Sophie. I'll make sure I'm clearer in my questions."

She smirked triumphantly, "Of course you will," she smiled, leaning into Haden's chest.

"And by the way, you said there was another time you went to the morgue. When was that?"

"Oh it wasn't really the morgue, but the cemetery," she smiled. "It was a rainy night and I just wanted to see mommy before I was sent to god knows where. Then… the Undertaker showed up."

"He was there?"

She smiled to herself, "Yes… yes he was. That's why he made sure that I wasn't living in the orphanage, but with him. It took him a few months, with a lot of angry relatives, but he got me out of there and here I am! Sporadic as I've always been." She chuckled, causing Haden to laugh with her. "Yeah," she sighed, "I don't know what he heard from my conversation, but for some reason he wanted to make sure I was living with someone and just not some urchin on the streets. I don't know why really," she shrugged, "the hassle to sign the forms took a while, but at least… I'm in a better place now."

Haden smiled, "Well I guess I underestimated that old fool."

"_**Yes you did**_," Sophie giggled, looking up at him sternly. Then he let out a cough, then quickly another causing Sophie to look at him with concern. "Hey are you ok?"

"Y-yah. Trust me Sophie I'm fine, just choking on some air," he chuckled insecurely.

She frowned, "If you're _sure_… well ok," she giggled.

He smiled back, holding up her hand. "It's about time I head back."

"What! Already?" she frowned, letting Haden kiss her on the hand.

"Yep, sorry about that. If I don't get back in a few more minutes than Robin will have my ass again," he chuckled. She giggled back. They got up, both of them stretching a bit from sitting for too long. "Thank you for taking me back to your hiding spot."

"Oh it's not really a hiding spot," she smirked, "it just a very good view."

He grasped his hand with hers, looking out into the different colored fields below. "Yeah…" Then he pulled her close to himself, causing Sophie to let out a yelp in protest. "But it's not the best thing I've seen today," he smirked. He leaned down and kissed her lips, causing her to open her eyes in surprise. She looked up, noticing he had his eyes closed and a smile on his face.

Sophie smiled, closing her eyes and letting Haden deepen the kiss. "Sophie!" They quickly pulled away, hearing the Undertaker at the bottom of cemetery.

They both giggled shyly, looking at the ground. Then they looked back, their cheeks burning red. "W-well I'd better get going," Haden said with a smile.

"Yeah, same here," she blushed, a giggle escaping her lips. He squeezed her hand then letting go, running down the trail leading out to the gate and running off, hopeful of not arriving late. She smiled, looking over at the Undertaker who was taking his sweet time walking up the hill to join her. "I was just about to come done," she smiled happily.

He chuckled, "Oh I know. It's almost seven. How about we head inside and I'll warm you up some food?"

"Well ok," she shrugged. "I guess I'm a bit hungry anyways," she said clasping his hand and walking with him back towards the morgue. "I don't see why you only eat once a week though. Don't you get hungry?"

He laughed, causing her to look at him suspiciously, "I just prefer eating once a week. Is that a problem? ~"

"I-I guess not…" she thought to herself, then letting out a giggle. "Just as long as you don't faint on me from starvation or something."

"He chuckled, "Of course I won't. Now come along. It's time for dinner little maiden." She giggled, leaning into his arm as they walked into the old-stuffy morgue.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, watching the clouds roll by. She frowned, _'What is keeping him?'_

"Hey Sophie!" yelled Haden from down the road.

She looked over at him, quickly running down the gravel road and grabbing him in a hug. "Finally!" she giggled. "Took you long enough," she huffed at him.

"Sorry, but Robin was making me take care of a few kids while she went and got food," he chuckled sheepishly, "but I'm here now! So what is it that you needed?"

She grabbed hold of his hand, pulling him along, "There's no time to explain! Undertaker will be gone for a while and we only have a _few_ more hours before he gets back."

He let go, looking at her confused, "Sophie, what's going on?"

She smirked at him, before letting out a sigh, "I feel bad that I'm always sleeping in the only bed in the place. Since I found some extra wood, I was going to make him a coffin for him to sleep in."

"A _**coffin**_?" his eyes went wide.

She giggled, "Why yes. Don't you think he'll laugh hysterically when he finds out?"

Haden chuckled, causing her to smile, "I guess he will, won't he?" He let out a sigh, "Ok fine I'll help."

"Great!" she smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the road. "Now come on! I'd love to stay and chat, but we have business to attend to," she smirked.

)(*&^%$#!

Undertaker let out a sigh, bringing a donkey he borrowed from the nearby church back and bringing the wagon inside out of the rain. Letting out a yawn he walked inside, leaving his muddy boots at the door and replacing them with cleaner black boots. "Sophie I'm home!" he shouted, walking to the bedroom and quickly changing out of his clothes. "Sophie?" he looked around confused. '_Usually she answers by now… what's keeping her?' _He let out a tired sigh, "Sophie!" he yelled, starting to get worried. He ran to the front of the store, suddenly holding his side to stop from laughing. "Sophie, what are you doing?" he laughed, shaking the whole house.

Sophie smiled, looking up from her work. She was sitting next to a wooden coffin, the wood painted in blacks and grays. She was adding a light gray cross to the front. Different shades of gray, half on the coffin and half on her arms and face, had come from a tub of black and white paint sitting next to her. "Hi Undertaker! I wanted to surprise you before you got home, but the paint isn't dry yet."

"And **what**, little maiden, are you making there?" he chuckled, trying to contain his laughter.

"It's a bed! Well not really it's a coffin, but a place for you to sleep!" she smiled triumphantly. She got up, putting the brushes she used in a bucket of standing water and put the lids back on the paints. "I don't like finding you randomly sleeping on a coffin or on the desk, so I decided to make you a place for you to sleep! Also Haden came by and helped me! If he hadn't I wouldn't have been able to finish in time." Sophie looked up, seeing the big smile that was on the Undertaker's face. "You're not going to laugh again?"

"How can I," he began, picking up the paint and putting it away, "when you've made such a sincere gift for me."

Sophie smiled happily, wiping the paint from her face. "Well let me show you around then." She slowly pulled the lid of the coffin off, careful to not smudge the paint she just put on the front, and leaned the lid against the wall. He peered inside, his smile growing. "I added some carpet stuff, like how you make the coffins for our visitors," she smiled to herself. "We only had red left so I used that for the inside. Haden helped me build the coffin, paint it black, and add the inside fluff. He couldn't help me with the design on the outside, but that was probably the simplest part!" She looked up at him, a giant smile on her face, "Well go on and try it out!"

He smiled, sitting right in and crossing his hands. Sophie giggled as he acted like a corpse and laid there for a few minutes. "This is a bit big you know," he chuckled.

"Well I had a hard time trying to figure out how big to make it, plus I had to make room for your hat! I needed to extend it a bit just in case you roll around in your sleep or something, but I think I did a nifty job," she beamed triumphantly.

"But does it fit you? ~" he laughed, pulling her into the coffin with her.

"Undertaker!" she laughed, getting entangled in his robe. "Geeze!"

After a while she stopped trying to get free, resorting in wrapping her arms around his and leaning into his chest, hearing his heartbeat. "You know I love you, right."

"I know," she smiled happily. "I love you too."

He chuckled, closing his eyes for a while before opening them up again. "I think I'm obligated to make you a _bed_ too."

Sophie giggled, "Oh you don't have to do that! Besides, if you make one now then I'll just grow out of it."

He smiled, hugging her tightly before letting go, "Now I think it's time to take a bath."

"A bath?" she gasped.

"Yes a bath," he laughed, helping her out of the coffin, "you're covered in paint! I think a nice hot bath is in order."

She giggled, giving up arguing with him, "Oh fine."

He hugged her, "Now I'll come in to read you a bedtime story once you're done."

"You mean the Robin Hood story?" she gasped excitedly.

"Yes that one," he laughed. "Now run along."

She nodded happily and disappeared into the hallway, leaving the Undertaker with a content smile on his face.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

The Undertaker hummed to himself, setting a body into a coffin and putting on some makeup. "What a lovely shade of skin you have! Too bad it's all cut up ~" he smirked, adding some color on the stitches around her mouth. Suddenly the doorbell rang, causing Undertaker to look up with a smirk. "And why is there such a beautiful young maiden like yourself doing in my shop?"

The woman coughed, "Well I'm afraid we're going to need another child-sized coffin soon, Undertaker."

He chuckled, cleaning the makeup mixed with blood off of his hands. "Is that so? Where's the body? ~"

"At the orphanage," she bluntly said, causing him to frown.

"The orphanage?" they both turned to the doorway, watching as Sophie walked into the room and set a cup of tea down. "W-who's died this time Robin?" she whimpered.

"Oh Sophie, just the girl I wanted to see," she smiled. "It's…" she looked over at the Undertaker, not wanting to see her expression, "It's Haden."

"H-Haden?" she almost cried, running over to the Undertaker for comfort.

"N-now wait a second!" Robin quickly said, "he's not dead **yet**."

"Y-yet?..." she frowned, clutching to his clothes. He frowned, gently rubbing her head to comfort her.

"He still has some time. He started getting sick severely sick about a month ago, but I didn't want to worry you about it."

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, "I **knew** something was wrong with him… w-why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought Haden already had, seeing as he's always leaving the orphanage to go here," Robin said, walking over to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. "Look Sophie, it's not too late to see him if you want."

She nodded, looking up at the Undertaker, "C-can you come with me?"

"Sure," he smiled, setting the cloth down on a coffin and closing the coffin lid that was laying against the wall. "Let's go see him."

!#$%^&*()

Haden hissed, pushing the doctor away from him. "I'm just fine! Why can't you people see that?"

"You're running a fever Haden. You don't seem that fine to me," the doctor said, replacing a towel on Haden's forehead with a new one.

He closed his eyes, fading in and out of consciousness. "W-where's my mama?"

"She's dead?"

"Mama died?" his eyes began to water. "Then where's papa!"

He let out a sigh,"Ummm… he's dead too."

"What?" he cried out, trying to get out of the bed, "I want to see my mama! Where is she? Mama? Mama!"

"Haden!" Robin gasped, quickly running over to his side and holding him still. "Calm down Haden, you're just hallucinating again."

"M-miss Robin?" he frowned, wiping a tear from his eye. He looked over at the door and noticed Sophie and the Undertaker, Sophie clutching to his rob and hiding behind his back.

"Sorry for taking so long, but I brought some visitors for you Haden," Robin smiled.

Haden closed his eyes, tears running down his eyes. "N-no. I don't want Sophie to see me like this!" He looked up at her, pushing Robin away. "Her mother died from getting sick, you know! I didn't want her to relive that, ok?" he bit down on his bottom lip, another tear falling down his face.

Sophie rushed over to his side, giving him a swift smack in the face. "What do you mean by that!" she frowned, tears quickly falling down her face. "I-I'd rather have you tell me that you're sick then just hold it in all this time! If you were **really** concerned about me you would have told me ahead of time!"

"Sophie…" he touched her face.

She bit down on her bottom lip, causing him to frown. "D-don't… don't hide that stuff from me. I need to know too," she looked at him, a tear falling down her face.

"Sophie don't frown," he smiled, still touching her face, "that's not the last memory I want to see of you."

She gasped, quickly wiping her tears away and grabbing his hand. "Ok," she smiled, letting out sniffles, "ok whatever you want."

He chuckled, "Yo-u're so pretty Sophie. I-I was hoping to get you a beautiful ring l-like the one you have around your neck, you know, when we got older. I was going to help you with the m-morgue and grow old with you… but I guess that won't come true, huh."

"I guess not," she smiled.

"Sophie," he smiled, closing his eyes.

"Yes Haden?" she looked down on him, a tear rolling down her face.

"What do you think heaven is like?"

She smiled, "Well I always thought of it as a beautiful field, full of bright, colored flowers to pick and butterflies to catch. All our dead loved ones would be there to greet us, and we stayed and played all day long. A-and… no one is there to hurt us. It's just a nice, peaceful place," she giggled, coughing slightly on her tears. "And you know your old bunny Fluffster," she smiled, Haden slowly nodding, "y-yeah he'd be there too, waiting for you."

He cracked a smile, "That's what I **thought** you'd say, Sophia." She let out a gasp, her chest was getting tight and she couldn't stop crying, but a smile was still held on her face. She noticed out of the corner of her eye a dark being with a bright red scythe. She frowned, holding onto Haden's hand tightly. "He's there, i-isn't he?"

"Y-yeah he is," Sophie gasped, feeling death coming closer. She smiled down at him, "But it's ok. I **know** you'll end up in heaven."

He chuckled, "If _you_ say it, t-hen it **must** be true."

Sophie smiled, leaning in and giving him a kiss on the lips, "Good night Haden. Sweet dreams."

Then it seemed that time stopped right before Haden breathed his last breath. Sophie's eyes went wide, seeing pictures of Haden's life being revealed before her eyes. First she could see Haden making his first steps, falling into the arms of his father. Then him finding a little bunny he named Fluffster and bringing it him with him, but shortly after Fluffster died, the first exposure Haden had with death. As if his life couldn't get any worse, the next image showed his parents with his mother holding him in the air and a carriage riding towards them. Next was the funeral, with a little boy crying as the sky began to set.

"_D-dad I'm sorry! It's all my fault!" he sobbed, falling to his knees and crying over the freshly made graves. He sat there for a while, till the sky got dark and the moon appeared. He sniffled, standing up and walking back down the road. _

_Then he heard a voice of laughter at the top of the hill. Curiously he walked up the gravel road, coming across a beautiful woman sitting under a tree reading a book and a little girl running around and picking flowers. He gasped in awe, the two looking like angels in the pale moonlight. "Hi!" waved the girl, running over to him. "Wouldn't you like to play with me? No is usually here this late at night so…"_

"_Sophie…" the little girl looked up, hearing her name called. "What did I tell you about strangers?" _

"_Oh yeah!" she giggled, "sorry I didn't introduce myself. My name is __Sophia M.S. Ioreta, but you can call me Sophie! And what's your name?"_

"_H-Haden…" he frowned. She smiled back, "What's the __**M**__ and the __**S**__ stand for?" he asked with curiosity._

"_Oh mommy never told me what it means, but once I find out I'll tell you!" she giggled. "So do you want to play now or do you have to go?"_

_He looked behind him, seeing that everyone in the funeral service had left. "Y-yeah, sure I can play," he shrugged._

Then time sped up with Haden always by Sophie's side, making her tear up and cry. "Humph such a boring life," came a voice from behind her. "It's like a small version of Romeo and Juliet, but still nothing much."

Sophie growled, "It is **not** boring!" She yelled at the reaper, causing him to jump back slightly. "I thought you were a reaper! What's your place in deciding if the life is boring or not?"

He scuffed, flashing his white-sharp teeth, "After seeing as many lives as I have, these cinematic records get old and redundant."

She frowned as he wiped his bright-red hair out of his face. Sophie noticed that his hair was grown fairly long as he adjusted his red glasses. "You reapers are **all** the same," she hissed at him, "only seeing lives as a job without thinking of the people behind it. Life is a _beautiful_ thing. Everyone's lives are slightly different with their own faults and troubles. Perhaps you reapers are just molded from one model or something… you don't seem to get it. I guess it just takes a human to see that beauty, huh?"

The reaper hissed back, holding up a flashy red weapon. Sophie flinched a little, but held her ground. "I am **not** like those other shinigami! They don't see the beauty I see, something a little human like _you_ wouldn't understand."

"That may be so," Sophie smirked, "but you don't show it."

He let out a yell, a loud noise coming from the red weapon he was holding. Sophie's eyes widened as it came down on her, blinking confused when she noticed she wasn't cut in half. "Heh heh ~" she heard from above, the Undertaker holding the weapon in his hand and noticing the red-headed reaper was laying on the ground stunned. "Could you please stop causing trouble and carry on with your work? I wouldn't want to report you for disorderly conduct ~" he chuckled.

He huffed, "I don't know what's going on here, but _I'll_ be the one to report you!"

The reaper grabbed his weapon back, walking over to Haden's body and watching his records reel. The Undertaker looked over at Sophie, who was watching Haden's memories. They had finally come to the end.

'_I watched as the girl I'd met so long ago looked down on me, her eyes beaming with sadness. I sighed, my thoughts drifting back to the day we met. Oh how I wished she could come with me, but I knew Sophie would stay longer… I just knew it. I smiled, her bright blue eyes staring down at me. What confused me were her eyes. How could eyes be so simple but mystifying? I watched as a green hint in the middle of her eyes left, leaving bright-caring blue eyes to stare down at me with concern. Then I closed my eyes, letting my mind drift off to heaven with my mom and dad waiting for me and my little fluffy-white bunny jumping up and down to greet me…'_

Sophie watched as Haden's record was cut, his breath leaving him. Time seemed to be moving again, with Robin and the doctor confused on how she moved from being at Haden's side to the foot of the bed. She hissed at the reaper, who seemed to check something off in a book and began walking away. "Hey come back here! I'm not done with you!" she cried out, trying to run at the reaper. She whimpered as Undertaker held her close, not permitting her to leave his side. "You imposter! You fraud! You! y-ou…" she paused and stopped struggling, unsure what to say. "You pretender, pretending you understand our little lives and can judge them. I'm tired of watching you take my love one's lives from me. I-I'm… tired," she cried, wrapping her hands around Undertaker's and burying her face into his sleeves.

Robin came over to Sophie and the Undertaker, rubbing Sophie's back. "I'm sorry Undertaker," she frowned, trying to crack a smile, "I was told she'd burst out every time she saw someone die. I don't know why though…"

"It's ok," he smiled, "she's not hurting anyone. Now," he said, straightening up and walking over to the bed, leaving Sophie with Robin. After measuring the boy's body, he walked over and let out a sigh, "I would prefer that someone else works on his body," then he cracked a smile, "but I'll gladly work on the coffin for you."

"I understand," Robin smiled. "I'll make preparations for someone else to work on the body."

He gave her a nod, picking up Sophie up, who was still staring off blankly in the distance where the red-headed reaper left, and walked out the door, disappearing down the hallways of the orphanage.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a sigh, a bundle of flowers in her hand. She wore a black dress with black gloves, standing next to the Undertaker. She made sure her green ring was showing, the green gem matching the color or green slightly seen in the middle of her sad blue eyes. A few kids had joined them for the ceremony, with Robin there watching. The priest said over the rites before letting them drop flowers into the grave. Sophie was the last to do so, dropping her pile of assorted flowers. She held a forget-me-not flower in between her fingers, twirling it in her hand. "Requcescat in pacem, Haden Tenem," she smiled to herself, kissing the flower in her hand and letting it drift down into the grave.

Then she walked over to the rest of the spectators, watching as the Undertaker buried the wooden grave in the deep earth. Robin smiled, noticing that Sophie was smiling too. "I didn't know you know Latin."

"Of course I do," she giggled to herself, "Thomas taught me Latin and mommy taught me ancient Greek. She told me that a good solid foundation in the languages will get me far in life."

Robin smiled, "I think it will Sophia."

She winked, pulling out something from her bag. Robin looking at her confused, noticing the Undertaker was glancing over at Sophie also. She pulled a book from her bag, the outside seamed with gold with fancy writing. "This is a book Thomas gave me before he died. He told me, _'This is for being such a good student. It's one of the first original copies of the bible into Latin. I know that you'll take care of it as I have and read it frequently,' _so I have been," she smiled.

Robin nodded, looking at the Undertaker as he patted the ground with the end of his shovel. "Well it's about time we get going. Come on children," she said over her shoulder, ushering the children to walk back down the hill. "And Sophia," she said, looking back up.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up from the book.

"Remember, if you need someone to talk to or just a shoulder to cry on, I'm here for you."

Sophie smiled, giving her a nod, "I know." She giggled, "I'll make sure I come by then."

Robin nodded, walking down the hill and disappearing with the children beyond the rusty gate. Sophie let out a sigh, noticing it was just her and the Undertaker. She opened the book, running her hand down the front page. Undertaker walked over, noticing her reading the cover, and chuckled, leaning on the shovel. "What do you have there?"

"A bible," she smiled, reading over the title. "I've always wondered something about the front page though."

"Yes?" he asked.

He walked over to her side and looking over her shoulder. "The writing," she began, "these two words are different from the others."

"And what does it say? ~" he asked. She giggled slightly by his side comment.

"_Maurus Serbus_."

The Undertaker blinked, looking intently at the letters. "Maurus you say…"

"Yes," she smiled, closing the book. "What can that mean?"

He chuckled, rustling up her hair, "I don't know Sophie, but maybe you'll find out one day." She giggled, trying to pry his hands away. "Now come on. It's almost time for supper."

"Okay," she smiled, putting the book back in her bag and following down the path to the morgue.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Well I hope you've come to und****erstand Sophie's character now (this took me SUCH a long time to write! DX). The next chapter will begin with another time-lapse. Some of her own personality is actually pulled from a character I've made up for my story I'm writing (which **_**isn't**_** a fanfic). In that story I've pulled elements from Kuroshitsuji, but I'm hoping it's not enough to say that I'm using the creator's ideas. That would be horrible! So once again, this is just a story to keep my mind occupied (since I've planned out all the events in that story already). So… yah! That's what I've been doing instead of writing fanfics here. In reality this story and my other story have a lot of elements in common, but a bunch of differences. As an example, Sophie's past is different than my main character's past. I have an Undertaker as Kuroshitsuji does, but he's less… well I guess the word is **_**wacky**_** X3 Just a few examples. Also some things I'm not putting in Story A will be in this story. **

**I've noticed that Grell is on a few of your guys' minds when I gave a description of her… well that's for me to know and you to find out =3 Though in honestly, if I was going to put Grell as her father in the beginning of the story I would have added him as the 2****nd**** character in the description… but whatever! My thoughts change constantly. We'll just see how it goes. (though after reading this chapter I'm wondering how you guys think of Grell now) If that's something that MUST be a must then just comment. If you like surprises and don't want me to give that subject away, then tell me to be quiet! *zips lip and throws away the key* I hope you guys are excited for the next chapter! I'm definitely excited about writing it (I'm finally going to get further into Sophie's mind a bit =D)**

Thomas – Aramaic – twin

_Requcescat in pacem, Haden Tenem_ – Latin – _May he/she rest in peace, Young Haden_ (the last part is my own translation. I don't know if that's how it would go, but yeah! X3)

Marcus Serbus – **that will be revealed in a later chapter X3**


	4. The Dance

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: ****Geeze! Wasn't expecting to write so much for this chapter… but oh well! I got transfixed in the dancing part X3 And just a heads up that I won't be writing as fast as I have been. School is starting to gang up on me and I have a lot of assignments to get done. Other than that, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Yeah chapter 3 was a bit hard for me to write also. It was getting long and I **_**had**_** to add the reason why Undertaker sleeps in a coffin! =D I just noticed how close in time Sophie is with Ciel… it's getting on my nerves. Some of my ideas may not work now… oh well! Go ahead and comment if you like. X3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie yawned, sitting up in bed and stretching. She rubbed her eyes, noticing it was late in the day. "Oh I must have overslept again," she giggled to herself, jumping out of bed. She walked over to the bathroom and combed her hair, her natural waves of a color combination of light and dark auburn fell past her shoulders and stopping halfway down her spine. She smiled, her blue/green eyes matching her slightly pale skin perfectly. She touched the green ring that hanged around her neck, noticing how it seemed to match the green in her eyes._ 'I wonder why Undertaker didn't wake me up like he usually does,' _she sighed, taking off her white nightgown and replacing it with boyish looking clothes. She smirked, her femininity hidden behind a big gray collared shirt, dark green slacks, and black boots, which were just as stylish as the Undertaker's boots that disappeared underneath the slacks. She rolled her hair into a bun and pinned it up, adding a brown newsboy cap on top of her head. She giggled to herself, again checking herself in the mirror before walking out of the bathroom and into the front of the morgue. Sophie saw the Undertaker hunched over a coffin, obviously working on something. She shrugged, grabbing a black trench coat off of the coat hanger and tying the belt around her waist, which hid any type of accusation that she was a woman. "Hey dad," she smiled.

He looked up, holding a needle and thread in his hand, "Good evening little maiden," he smiled back, setting the tools in his hand down in the coffin.

She frowned, "Why didn't you wake me up sooner? I could have helped you with something."

"Oh I just didn't want to wake you up," he chuckled to himself.

"Why?" she looked at him sternly, her eyes showing from under her cap.

"You were sleeping like a little angel, and I couldn't **possibly** wake you up when you sleep like that ~" he laughed, her eyes growing wide.

"Undertaker!" she glared, her face turning bright red. "Don't do that!"

She huffed, plopping down on a coffin and crossing her arms and legs. She glanced over at him, but avoiding contact with his face. "Well now a days I never get to see you're beautiful figure," he chuckled, "so what do you expect your dear old father to do? ~"

Sophie quickly turned her head in a huff. "That's just creepy!" she frowned, rubbing the back of her head. "B-besides, I don't like walking around town in big poofy dresses. Those _**gentlemen**_, as they call themselves, always staring and gawking at me. EWwww!" she twitched.

The Undertaker chuckled, and then laughed heartedly causing Sophie to give him a death glare underneath her cap. "I guess people gawking at you can get annoying," he walked over, tilting her head up so she was looking up at his face, "but you shouldn't hide your beauty. It won't last forever."

She smirked, "I'll think about it." He chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek, before going back over to the coffin he was working at. Sophie sat there a while, in deep thought, before looking back at the Undertaker. "Dad?"

"Hmmm?" he hummed, his attention still at the corpse.

"I've always wondered what color are **your** eyes?"

He smirked, his mischievous grin yet, "You'll learn in due time."

Sophie let out a sigh, getting up from the coffin. "I'm going to make some cookies for be leaving in half an hour. Do you want me to have dinner at the orphanage or here?"

The Undertaker shrugged, closing up the coffin and wiping his hands of the blood, "It's up to you little maiden."

She shrugged, beginning to walk out of the room, "Then I think I'll stay longer this time," she smiled. "I heard there is a young couple staying there. I guess it's the church's hospitality policy or something like that," she shrugged.

"Oh that _church_. All talk and no –"

"Action? Yeah I know," she giggled, "but Miss Robin has helped me so much that I can't just turn away. I think you understand dad." She smirked, leaving the room and walking down the hallway.

He chuckled, "Sure I do little maiden. Sure I do…"

!#$%^&*()

Sophie smiled to herself, leaping up the steps leading up to the orphanage. She knocked on the door, breathing in the newly fallen rain. As the door opened her eyes widened, "Miss Robin!"

The elder woman laughed, "Sophia!" they laughed, Robin quickly inviting her out of the cold. "So how are you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"Well I've been stuck at home tending to the new residents that have been showing up because of the cold, but now that the weather is getting warmer dad and I aren't getting as many customers as we used to. So I was thinking a visit was in order!"

Robin chuckled, showing her down the hallways of the orphanage, "Is that so? Well that's great! So what did you make today?"

"Hmm?" she shrugged, handing over the tin can. Robin opened the lid, the fresh smell instantly roaming her nose, "Oh it smells yummy!"

"Well I had some leftover ginger so I made some gingerbread men!"

"Just gingerbread men?" Robin questioned her.

"And women! Of course I did that," she laughed, the building shaking from her loud laughter.

Robin giggled, "I can see why the rumors of Undertaker and you being father and son are true. You even laugh like him! Though I wish you'd wear more tasteful clothes so those rumors would be turned to _**daughter**_ instead of son."

Sophie shrugged, "Let the general public make their assumptions about me. I'm just happy the way I am and where I'm at. I don't want **anything** to change." She smiled happily, grabbing a cookie from the tin box.

Robin closed the tin roughly, to Sophie's dismay. "Are you staying for dinner?"

Sophie nodded, biting off a limb from the gingerbread man in her hand and eating it. "Yep. Hopefully I can get home before nightfall. I don't want to walk home by myself in the dark, even though I look a young boy."

Robin nodded, walking into the mess hall. "Just have a seat wherever you want and we'll start dinner shortly."

"Okay," Sophie nodded, looking around the room. She smiled, remembering when she was as young as the children seated around the tables. She looked around, her eye falling on a young man and woman in the corner. She smirked, walking over and seating next to them. "Hello," she smiled.

"Oh hello there," the woman greeted.

"I'm not intruding am I?" she said rather sheepishly.

"Not at all friend!" laughed the man, obviously full of energy. "This is the first time we've met someone your age here."

"Yeah," she chuckled slightly, scratching the back of her head.

"My name is Maria and this is my fiancé Ricardo," the woman smiled, gesturing over to the man.

"Yeah, but you can call me Rick," he smirked, shaking her hand.

"Well mine is Sophia, but you can call me Sophie," she smiled happily.

"Oh Sophie?" Maria smiled, nodding in disapproval.

"We thought you were a boy," Rick laughed, "Sorry about that."

"Oh that's all right!" Sophie laughed with them, "I get that a lot."

Maria smiled, "Well it's nice to meet you Sophie." She nodded, looking over at Robin. She was talking to the priest and she wondered what it was about. "So Sophie," she began, causing Sophie to turn her attention back to the happy couple, "do you live here at the orphanage?"

"Why no I don't," she smiled. "I actually live at the morgue, a few blocks east from here, but I used to live here! That's why I come by and visit every once in a while."

"The morgue?" Maria frowned, "That's not a very good place for a young lady like yourself to be living."

"Yeah…" she shrugged. "But I love it there! I wouldn't trade it for the world," she grinned happily.

Rick laughed, causing Maria and Sophie to look over at him. "We'll have to walk around and see it sometime, right Maria?"

She looked at him disgusted, "Perhaps…"

Sophie smiled, "Oh you don't have to do that. Actually it's less scary if you go during the day."

"Well we'll make sure we go at night then!" Rick laughed louder, eyes turning on them.

Maria rolled her eyes, "You have to excuse him. He tries to have too much fun."

"It's ok," she smiled, "I understand what you mean." She looked at them, their features bringing her to the conclusion that they were foreigners. Plus the accent, but she met a lot of people in London with different accents. "So why are you guys in town?"

"Well I'm looking for a job," Rick shrugged, "Once I find a good job with decent pay I'll get an apartment house for the two of us in the city."

Maria nodded in understanding, "but we're **really** here to dance."

"Dance?" Sophie asked, looking at them confused.

"Of course!" Rick laughed, beating his chest with his hand. "The flamenco, the dance of _passion_!" He jumped up, raising his hands up high, causing Sophie to giggle.

"Ricardo don't scare the girl," Maria smirked, making sure he was situated till she began talking again. "The flamenco is a type of dance that's started in our homeland, Spain, by the gypsies. You have three main players for the music: the _cante_, the singer, the _toque_, the guitar player, and the _palmas_, or handclaps. With these three elements you add dancers and the dance comes alive!"

"Oh really?" Sophie smiled, intrigued, "Sounds interesting… _flamenco_ you say?"

"Of course," Maria smiled. "We were hoping to introduce the art of flamenco here in Great Britain. Though…" she sighed, "I have my doubts anyone here will like it."

Sophie smiled, "Well that's okay. Just because of our climate the British are already in a crabby bunch of people, but perhaps this new style of dancing will thrive! Of course there's the ballet."

"Yes the _**ballet**_," Rick smirked, "we know how to dance ballet, even the waltz. We're primarily here to influence our homeland's dance, but we're here to study different styles of dancing too."

Sophie nodded, understanding their situation. "Well sounds like fun! Perhaps you'll teach me sometime."

"Of course!" Maria giggled, putting a hand on top of Sophie's. "We know other people here from Spain who have moved here for dancing. We're trying to get a group together to promote the flamenco. You're welcome to come by anytime and see us practice if you'd like."

"Oh really?" Sophie gasped.

"Yes really!" Rick laughed. "We'll have to get you a dress that fit, but you can come and dance with us whenever, _**wherever**_."

Sophie giggled, "Well that sounds fun then."

They heard a noise from the front of the room, causing them to hush up. "Oh and Sophie," Maria began.

"Yeah?" she whispered back.

"I'm happy we met you."

Sophie smiled, putting her free hand on top of Maria's. "So am I," she giggled, turning her attention back to the front of the room.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey dad!" Sophie yelled from the bedroom.

"Yes little maiden?" the Undertaker said, washing his hands.

"I'm going to go out now."

"Again?" he looked over, watching as Sophie walked hastily to the door. "W-woh hold it dear," he said, grabbing hold of her hand before she opened up the door, "dearest," he chuckled. Sophie let out a sigh, turning around to face him. "You've been leaving every day for the past week. What's going on?" he said with no smile on his face, but sternness in his tone of voice.

Sophie frowned, looking at him with worried eyes. "Okay…" she walked back into the room till he let go of her hand. "Well I've been hanging out with these dancers from Spain, and they're teaching me a dance, the _flamenco_," she smirked at him, raising her arm up and putting one on her hips, "a-and it's really fun!"

"You mean that couple who came by the night you came back from the orphanage?" he questioned her.

"If you mean Maria and Ricardo, then yes," she smiled. He chuckled, rubbing her head and taking her cap from her, making waves of auburn hair fall over her face. "Undertaker!" she giggled, moving the hair from her eyes and started jumping around to get her cap back.

He grabbed her around the waist, bringing her into his chest. She _grrrr-_ed trying to spin around to look him in the face. He nuzzled his face into her hair, causing Sophie to giggle. "Awe my little maiden is growing up!"

"Undertaker!" she giggled, trying to pry his hands off of her body, "Undertaker okay I told you! Can I have my cap back?"

He smirked his signature grin before letting go of her waist. "Here you go," he said, putting the cap on her chest so she immediately grabbed it. Sophie looked at him, her cheeks holding a tint of red. "I didn't want that to be a daily ritual for you, but if you must go then you can." She smiled at him, about to leave, "but –"

"But?" she frowned, not liking the tone of his voice.

"But can you stick around for just a few minutes. The Queen's newly acclaimed Watchdog, Earl of Phantomhive, will be arriving to get some valuable information from me. Seeing as you're always asleep when he comes by, I was hoping you'd at least stick around ~"

Sophie frowned, "That sounds more like a statement then a question."

"Indeed it does," he smiled. "W~ell…"

"How long will it take?" she asked, glaring at him.

"Just a few minutes. He doesn't tend on staying long," he chuckled to himself.

She let out a sigh, "Alright," she said in defeat, "but I won't stay for long. Okay? ~"

"That's all I can ask," he smiled, walking over to the other end of the store and scratching his head.

Sophie frowned, sitting down on a coffin in the corner. She rolled up her hair and pinned it back up, securing her cap back on her head. She sat there for a while, watching as the Undertaker fiddled around with the paperwork on his desk. _'Geeze I'm in here wasting time! Maria must be having a fit by now… well I'm sorry guys. I'll show up when I can, I guess,' _she grumbled to herself.

She heard a carriage stopping right in front of the store. "Oh," Sophie heard from the Undertaker, causing her to look over at him, "and do be a dear and try to make a **good** first impression."

"I'll only show him an impression that he's fit for," she glanced over at him, before looking back at the door.

The door ringed open and in stepped the Earl, almost the same age as herself, _almost_. He was obviously a few years younger, giving her a reason to smirk at him. He had short-dark matted hair and brown eyes. He took off his top hat, noticing the person he wanted to see. "Hello Undertaker," he said with a bow, "It's been a while since I've seen you."

"Ahh~ the Queen's newly acclaimed Watchdog ~" he chuckled, causing Sophie to roll her eyes.

She looked over and noticed a butler behind him, obviously older then the Earl. She smirked,_ 'Probably just became in charge of the Phantomhives or something.'_ She watched as the conversation unfolded, Sophie letting out a bored yawn. _'So you just fool around with them, give them the information, and let them be on their way. How __**booooooring**__,' _she groaned. She looked over at a spider on the wall, wandering how to end up there.

"Sophie ~" she heard her name be called.

She glanced over, sarcasm in her voice, "Yes father?"

"Do you think the joke Young Earl said was any good?"

She glanced over at them, noticing how frustrated the Earl looked. "Nope. Not at all," she snickered.

"Oh is this your daughter?" the Earl asked, finally noticing her.

She rolled her eyes, "Yes I am, **boy**. Thank you for actually noticing."

"Boy?" he looked at her confused.

She smirked, "Yes, _**boy**_. You're obviously younger than me, aren't you?"

"I guess…" he looked at her confused. "Shouldn't you teach your daughter manners?" he looked back at the Undertaker.

Sophie hissed at him, "He teaches me plenty," she said, venom in her voice.

"Now, now Sophie," the Undertaker interrupted, "let's not frighten the Earl _too much ~_" he glanced over at her. "Now," he smirked, "back to the joke." Sophie rolled her eyes, turning around so her back was to them and she was facing the wall.

She kept her stature tall and proud, and she waited till the door opened and closed shut. Her arms were crossed, her mood foul. She heard big boots clanking on the ground, walking to the coffin and then stopping. She glanced over to see the Undertaker sit next to her, Sophie grumbling to herself and moving away from him. "Now what was that?" he asked.

"He insulted you," she hissed, "I couldn't let that fly, _even_ if he's an Earl."

She moved away from him, noticing out of the corner of her eye that he was going to snag her cap. "He's a very good customer of mine, Sophie," he said, grabbing her cap and twisting it between his long black nails, "You didn't have to be rude to him."

She looked over at her cap, then at his eyes. She couldn't help but let out a sigh, "Sorry…" she frowned, "I just didn't like him, okay?" She turned around, looking at him straight in the eyes, "And why do you suddenly want me to show off my figure? Is it because you want men to notice me… because you don't want me around anymore?"

The Undertaker looked down at her. She looked hurt, and it was hard for him to keep staring at her. He smiled a sincere smile, wrapping his arms around her waist, "No," he simply said. Sophie still frowned, not sure if she wanted to believe him. "I'd never want you to leave, Sophie." He pulled her in a hug, her hands wrapping around his waist.

They sat there for a while, before Sophie broke it and pried his hands off of her. She stood up, walking to the door and putting her hand on the handle. She let out a sigh, and then looked over at the Undertaker. "Then don't act like you're trying to give me away," she frowned, her eyes full of sadness. Then she opened the door and closed it, leaving the Undertaker there as he looked down at her cap and scrunched it a bit.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie ran down the streets, almost colliding into Maria and Rick. "Oh Sophie!" Maria cried out, as Sophie slipped and almost fell on the pavement, being caught by Rick.

"Thanks Rick," she smiled, brushing herself off and combing her hair out.

Maria smirked, "You have your hair down today?"

"Well that's because dear old dad stole my cap from me," she frowned, slightly annoyed. "Sorry for almost being late!"

"Hey no problem kid," Rick chuckled, swinging an arm over her shoulder and leading her down the road. "It's good that you're joining us. A bunch of us are planning on gathering at the local tavern for a drink. Would you like to join us?"

"M-me?" Sophie replied timidly. "Sure… I guess," she shrugged.

"And we're going to have to get you into a dress!" Maria giggled, causing Sophie's eyes to look at her surprised.

"A _**dress**_? I-I don't want –"

"Oh don't say that!" Maria smirked. "We are going to get you into a dress if it's the last thing I do," she giggled.

Sophie let out a sigh, "O-ok… but I'll decide the dress, ok?"

"Sure," Maria shrugged, linking her arm with hers. "Besides we haven't seen you in a dress this whole time. Just that horrible outfit! You need to show off more class then that," she smirked happily. Sophie giggled at her comment, smiling and skipping down the street.

)(*&^%$#!

"Here how about this one?" Maria said, holding up a red gown. Sophie shook her head. Maria let out a sigh, "Well you have to pick something! We're running out of dresses."

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, looking around the room of clothes. Then she smiled, her eyes perking up. She picked up a dark cerulean dress with some emerald accents. The dress was long, but flowed so it wouldn't stick tightly to her body. "H-how about this?" she asked, shielding the dress in the face so she wouldn't see Maria's expression. "I-I know it's a bit distasteful, but I like that color –"

"Distasteful!" Maria laughed, "There's nothing distasteful about that! Actually…" she said, walking over to Sophie so she could get a better look. She took the dress from Sophie's hands and held it in front of her, measuring the dress and imagining how it would fit. "It may be too loose… but if we add a belt or something around your waist and tie off the back I think it'll look great on you."

"R-really?" Sophie looked at her confused, trying to see the dress through Maria's eyes and how I'd look on her.

"Sure! Now come on and put it on so we can get back to the festivities," Maria said, tossing the dress back at Sophie and walking out of the room. "And don't worry," she yelled though the door, "I'll be here so no one will walk in on you."

Sophie giggled, "Okay Maria." Quickly she slipped off her clothes, first her boots and coat, and then her shirt and slacks. She looked behind her, making sure no one was coming into the room, and slipped the dress over her head. The dress flowed down as she stood up, the dress almost touching the ground. She noticed that the dress didn't quite cover her bust, so she pulled on the back of the dress to keep them hidden.

"Hey Sophie are you done in there?" Maria yelled through the door.

"Y-yah…" she said unsure.

Maria opened the door and walked in, her eyes lighting up like candle lights. "Sophie that's beautiful on you!" she giggled.

Sophie put her arms down, lifting up the dress slightly, "Y-you think so?"

"Yeah," she smiled, closing the door behind her, "but let me help you with that dress a little." Sophie nodded, letting Maria fiddle around with the back of her dress. The dress had no sleeves, but had a tie in the back to tighten or loosen around the neck. Maria took the tie and untied the back of her dress, tightening it so the dress didn't sag on her too much. Then she turned Sophie around, looking at her from head to toe. "There we go," she smirked, causing Sophie to blush a little, "but I'm not quite done with you yet."

"Y-you're not?" Sophie frowned.

"Of course not, silly." Maria chuckled, grabbing a dress from the pile. "To look like a proper lady, you'll need some decent shoes. Also we'll need to find something to tie around you waist… Oh don't worry Sophie," Maria giggled, noticing her expression going vague, "you'll look **great** by the time I'm done with you!"

Sophie chuckled, cracking a worried smile, "Well all right. W-whatever you say."

"Good," Maria said, opening a closet to find different shoes and accessories. "You're luckily I'm already dressed Sophie, or else I wouldn't be able to help you with half of this."

Sophie smiled, watching as she went through the closet. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted a thick black ribbon. "Will this work?" she wondered, holding the ribbon in her hand.

"Perfect! Now for shoes… ah here we go!" Maria said triumphantly, grabbing low-heeled black shoes. "I noticed that those boots you have seem to be heeled a little, so these shoes should do nicely," she smiled.

Sophie tied the ribbon around her waist, then sat down on the bed and put the shoes on. She looked over to see Maria putting Sophie's clothes in a bag. Sophie stood up, looking at herself in the mirror. "W-wow…" she thought, noticing how the dress caused her eyes to pop out.

Maria wrapped her arms around Sophie's shoulders and giggled, "I know right? A whole new you! What do you think?"

She looked in the mirror sheepishly, her hand going to the ring around her neck. Then she nodded, "Yes I love it," she smiled.

She turned around to find Maria throwing a black shawl and fan at her, causing her to look at her with confusion. "You look every tasteful Sophie, but you don't want to give the men _too_ much to gawk at."

Sophie giggled, throwing the shawl over her shoulder. She flipped open the fan in one swift motion, hiding her face except her eyes from Maria. "So what do you think?"

"Perfect!" Maria giggled, taking out her red/black fan and imitating Sophie. "I've taught you well," she said, flipping her fan closed.

Sophie giggled, closing the fan closed. "I-I guess so…"

"Ok enough doddling! Let's head down." Sophie nodded, following Maria down the stairs.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie giggled, watching Rick and Maria dancing across the room. _'What a beautiful couple,'_ she smiled, taking a sip of the drink in her hand. To her knowledge, it was very hard for her to get drunk. What came so easily to others was hard for her. She swirled the drink in her hand, taking another sip. Looking at the table they've had a few pitchers of beer and some random glasses of liquor and rum.

Rick and Maria laughed loudly, sitting back at the table once the song was done. "Come on Sophie," Maria giggled, bumping her in the shoulder. "You haven't danced with _anyone_ tonight."

"Yeah," Sophie looked at her with a sigh, "but no one has asked me. Plus I don't really care so much about it."

"Oh but _Sophia_," Rick said, turning her head to his so he saw his expression, "we have taught you the _art_ of dance. Don't you have a lot of _love_ and _passion_ stored up just waiting to come out in one big explosion?"

"Plus you've had a lot of alcohol," Sophie chuckled, pushing him away from her face. "I just haven't found the challenge I'm looking for."

"Challenge?" Maria said, thinking deeply. She turned and looked at a rowdy group next to them, causing her to smirk. "Ricardo."

"Yes _amor_?" he said, his faced red and flushed.

"Go over there and ask Andrés and his group if uno de ellos quiere bailar con una mujer joven _**y bella aquí**_." Sophie raised an eyebrow as Rick gave her a wink and got up, walking over to the group.

Sophie let out a sigh, looking at the bottom of her glass and drinking the rest of the alcohol. Maria giggled, looking over at the group as they looked over and Maria gave them a wink, nudging at Sophie. She looked at Maria, then the group. Then she shrugged, looking back at her drink and filling it back up. Maria let out a sigh, until they say Rick coming back with a tall man. "Are you _Miss_ _Sophia_?"

Sophie looked up, putting her glass down, "Yes I am, but I prefer the name Sophie."

"Do you know how to flamenco?" he asked, taking her hand and kissing it.

She smirked, "Of course I do, but you don't seem like you'll be a challenge."

"A challenge you say," Sophie lifted her head, noticing a man walking over. He pushed the man aside, "If it's a challenge you want, then I'll _gladly_ deliver."

She smirked, taking his hand. "Okay," she said as he took her to the floor. As the music started to play, couples began to dance around the room.

Rick let out a hearty laugh, sitting down next to Maria and clapping to the beat of the music. "H-how did you get Andrés to come over? I wasn't expecting him to."

He chuckled, "He couldn't take no for an answer, once I gave him a desafío."

"Desafío? What was it?" she looked at him with curiosity.

"That he couldn't tame the young maiden over there," he pointed to Sophie, before letting out a laugh.

Sophie stared intently into Andrés' eyes, her mysterious blue/green eyes staring into his brown eyes. He smirked, grabbing her waist and spinning her around. She moved her hips, her moves clean and crisp. He laughed, clapping his hands to the beat and following her lead. "You're pretty good at the flamenco."

"Why thank you," she smirked, not taking her gaze from his face for a second. "I've had good teachers."

"I can see that," he said, grabbing her waist and turning her around again, "but what about other dances? The waltz? Have you been taught the waltz?"

Sophie shrugged, "Just whatever Rick and Maria feel like doing for the day. I usually just go along with it."

"Well you seem to be getting the steps down," he said, bringing her body close to his and startling her, "but have you found the _passion_ yet?"

She flipped around, pulling away from him, and she stomped her heels on the ground. "Perhaps," she said, her hip swaying at Andrés, "perhaps not, Ole!" She yelled at the flip of her dress as the song ended. She laughed, noticing Andrés still staring at her.

He walked over to their table, to Rick and Maria's surprise. "You know what _Andrés_ means right?"

"Warrior, correct?" she shrugged, taking a sip of beer.

"Oh you're a smart one," he chuckled, grabbing a glass from the table and filling it up with beer. "Which means," he began, drinking down the beer, "that I don't back away from a _challenge_."

Sophie smirked, "And what do you propose on doing? I've said that I don't care as much for dancing as you obviously do."

"Did I tell you that I used to be a fighter?" She raised an eyebrow, intrigued with his response. "I thought dancing was a joke like you do, but then I found my own way of dancing with passion.

"Well first off, let me say that I don't think dancing is a joke," she glared, drinking from the glass in her hand. "And second," she said, setting the drink down, "how did you find this passion, _fighter_?"

Andrés chuckled, setting the glass down, "I learned that dancing can be a form of fighting. When you fight, you use your strength to overwhelm your opponent. In dancing it's the same idea, except you're not trying to kill them." He smirked, staring intensely into her eyes, "And I see the same fire in your eyes as I see in my own when you dance. You just have to find that little trick for yourself."

"I see…" she chuckled, "and how do you suppose I do that?"

"Hmm…" he thought, "How about a challenge then?"

"All right," she smirked, "Name it."

"We'll dance like normal, but move to and from different styles of dancing. The first to stop dancing has to buy everyone here a round of beer!" he laughed, causing people to look over and cheer.

"And to make it more of a challenge," she smirked, causing him to look over at her, "how about we take the dancing outside?"

He chuckled, "Excellent! Come we will dance outside under the moonlight!"

Everyone seemed to get up, the musicians bringing their instruments and walking outside. They walked into the streets of London, the moon high in the sky and the smog drifting through the streets. The music began, everyone clapping to the sound of the beat. Sophie chuckled; the music was just a combination of notes with no real style to it. She looked over at Andrés, who had begun dancing. She followed pursuit, twirling around into a leap in the air. She dipped her hands, her body going with the flow of the music. She felt hands around her waist, Andrés grabbing her hand and turning her in a waltz. "Now close your eyes and listen to the beat of the music." Sophie closed her eyes, her body automatically dancing with him.

The music was beautiful, fast, but powerful. Her body began to speed up, her eyes opening up as she left go of his hand. She chuckled, "Yes I feel it, but the waltz doesn't seem like the appropriate dance right now." She began leaping around, gaining air and speed as she moved faster.

"The ballet?" He questioned her.

"Of course," she chuckled. She spun around, then leapt in the air and jumping back and forth, her legs moving on their own, "but just **more** than ballet."

"Then what is it?" he asked, dancing to the beat.

"I'm just winging it," she giggled, flapping her hands behind her. "Get it? _**Winging**_ it?"

She turned, her dress flowing freely in the wind. Andrés laughed, "Oh I get it!" he twirled in the air, flapping his arms behind him. She smirked, jumping to and fro into the air. All of the sudden Andrés grabbed hold of her waist, lifting her higher into the air. The moon cast a glow on her necklace, illuminating the crowd in a green haze. Everyone gasped in awe as he set her down.

They danced together for a while, Sophie spinning around the street and Andrés spotting her so she wouldn't fall on the cobblestones. Their dancing seemed almost magical, like a dream out of a fairytale. Then the music changed, to something darker and faster. Andrés chuckled, grabbing a broom from a nearby spectator and aiming it at Sophie. "Now I'll show you that dance also have a fighting style to it," he smirked, throwing a stick at Sophie.

She gasped in surprise, clutching the stick in her hand firmly. Andrés ran at her, using the broom to propel himself forward into a high kick. Sophie smirked, quickly dodging out of the way. "Hah I get it!" she smiled happily, flipping her stick forward and lunging it at him.

He jumped away, his body looking as if it was still dancing to the beat. "Remember to follow the beat, white swan," he laughed, noticing she looked mystified.

"Alright fighter," she laughed, lunging the stick at him again. This time she stayed close, spinning with the stick in her hand trying to find a place to strike. He kept evading her attacks, finding a weak spot and lifting his broom so she dropped the stick. He grabbed her waist, bringing his face close to hers and his hand with her hand. She glared slightly, flipping him away and spinning away from him, quickly grabbing hold of the stick. Frowning, he picked up the broom. "I don't go down **that** easily," she smirked.

She spun, both of them lunging at each other to get a hit. He swung at her feet, causing her to jump away, and then she took off towards his chest, pushing the broom away from his hands and poking him in the stomach. She giggled when he turned to her annoyed. Just then it started to rain, causing the spectators to head for shelter under the roofs. The music kept playing and Sophie smirked. "I don't see what the fuss is," Andrés shrugged.

"Yep," Sophie giggled, twirling in the rain. "Besides the streets always look better after it rains," she smirked. She spun around, her hair twirling in the rain and her feet splashing the water around her. The masses stopped retreating, noticing as Sophie and Andrés stayed out in the rain. She began leaping in the puddles, her clothes getting soaking from head to toe, but she didn't care. The music and dance kept her from stopping. Andrés slowly stopped dancing, watching as she kept dancing without fear or hesitation. The water twirled around her, entrapping her in its cold embrace. She jumped and leaped into the air, her hair and dress flowing behind her in the moonlight. As the rain stopped, she kept twirling. The water kept soaking her, but her soul kept telling her to move. She lifted her arms up to the sky, spinning faster and faster in the water. Then the music came to a close and she slowed down, coming to a halt as the musicians stopped playing and the rain stopped pouring. She stood there triumphantly, looking at the spectators. They all began clapping for her, cheers and applauds ringing through the crowd. She walked over to Andrés and gave him a nudge on the shoulder, "You stopped dancing. That means I win!" she giggled.

He let out a sigh, "I guess it does, huh." Then he chuckled, "Alright drinks are on me!" Everyone in the crowd cheered louder, leaving the streets and packing back into the pub. As Sophie began to walk in, Andrés slung his hand over her shoulder, startling her. "You did good out there white swan."

"Oh… t-thank you," she blushed.

"No I should be thanking you. You really taught me something today."

"Oh?" she asked, "and what was that?"

"That even little gutter rats can learn how to control their passion," he chuckled, her eyes going wide.

"Hey I'm no gutter rat!" she growled at him.

He laughed, "Sorry, gutter mouse!" She rolled her eyes, walking ahead of him into the pub.

"So I'm just a mouse to you?" she frowned, grabbing a beer off of the counter.

"Nope," he smirked.

She rolled her eyes, getting tired of his teasing, "Then what am I?"

"A white swan," he smirked, grabbing a beer and drinking it. "I thought you figured that out, white swan." Her face went bright red and he chuckled, rubbing her hair before heading back to his group of friends.

Sophie put a hand to her face and smirked, "White swan huh?" she laughed. _'If Undertaker finds out about that then he won't live it down,'_ she giggled, walking back to Rick and Maria as they jumped up and down in excitement.

)(*&^%$#!

"I still can't believe you took on _Andrés_, The Warrior of Dance!" Maria giggled, as they walked down the streets.

"Yeah," Sophie giggled back, clutching the black shawl tightly around her body and holding her bag of clothes in the other. "I didn't know he was famous."

"He's only one of the best in town!" Rick gleamed happily. "At least he was back in Spain. He probably has a high reputation here too."

"So what was up with is method of dancing?" Sophie asked, letting out a slight sneeze towards the end of her question.

"Well…" Rick thought for a second, "He used to be bull fighter before he got involved in dancing, and before that he was a sword fighter. I think he grew up as a sword fighter because that's what his father was… though people say his methods of dance are bizarre. So he hasn't found a good pupil, but it looks like he just did," he smirked, putting an arm around Sophie's shoulder.

"Y-yeah," she smiled, her mind drifting off a little. "You know, he called me the White Swan. Does he usually give people nicknames?"

"Nope," Maria giggled. "Only a select few! You should feel honored Sophie."

Sophie smirked to herself, "Y-yeah I guess…" She looked up, seeing the gates leading into the graveyard. "Thanks for escorting me here. I don't think I would have made the trip if you guys weren't going to bring me."

"Oh don't worry about it!" Maria smiled, "You're our amigo and amigos help each other."

"Hey while we're here, can we go into the graveyard?"

Sophie looked up at Rick suspiciously as Maria turned to him in fright. "Ricardo! Usted no va a entrar en la trampa mortal, estás?"

Sophie looked at them sheepishly, "It's ok if you guys want to come in, but you have to quiet. Though if you _really_ don't want to go in Maria, I understand," she smiled at them.

Maria looked into Sophie's eyes. They looked innocent with their crystal glow. She let out a sigh in defeat, "Well… fine I guess, but you two can't leave me behind!"

Rick chuckled, "Of course I won't amor! Now go ahead and give us the tour Sophie."

She smiled, opening the creaking gate and walking in. Maria hesitated, staying behind Rick. "If you don't want to go in then this is your chance to turn around." She looked at Sophie, then at Rick. She clung to his arm, letting in a breath and walking into the cemetery. Sophie smiled, her hands behind her back as she walked up the dirt-gravel road. "It's really not scary once you've lived here as long as I have. Actually," she chuckled, "my favorite times to come out is during the night, when it had just rained and the smog from the city had disappeared." She looked behind, noticing Rick and Maria slowing their pace. "Since we're here, I was going to show you a nice spot."

"There's a _nice spot_ in a cemetery?" Maria hesitated.

"Yeah!" Sophie giggled, "It's just at the top of the hill. Come on!"

Maria looked at Rick, and then giggled. "Race you to the top Ricardo!"

They laughed, running the rest of the length of the road to the top of the hill. Maria, finally catching up with Sophie, gasped in awe at what she saw. At the top was a massive tree, hidden until you walked over the top of the hill. As you stood there, you could see the outskirts of London and the rolling fields from far away. The moonlit glow cast a shadow on the hills, giving the night an eerie glow to it. Sophie turned to them and smiled, seeing the awestruck look on their faces. "This is where I go when I just want to be alone and think. It's actually a really nice place to sit down and enjoy the view."

"I…" Maria began, walking over to Sophie and wrapping her arm with hers. Maria leaned her head on Sophie's shoulder and let out a sigh, "didn't know there was something this beautiful here."

Sophie nodded, "Yep," noticing Rick joining them and wrapping his arms around Maria's waist. They stood like that, for what seemed like hours, just staring off into the distance and enjoying the night. Then Sophie heard rustling from behind them and she turned around, to find the Undertaker walking up the gravel path. "Oh hi," she smiled happily, causing Rick and Maria to turn around.

They flinched, watching as the creepy, black-robed man walked up the gravel path and joined them. "Little maiden, you didn't let me scare them ~" he frowned childishly.

"Sorry dad," she chuckled, waiting till he stood next to her before giving him a hug. He looked at the couple with a creepy grin, causing them to back away. Sophie looked over, letting out an annoyed sigh. "Stop scaring them, _seriously_," she glared, walking over to them. "If you scare them anymore then they won't come back!"

"Oh is that so? ~" he asked with a smile, walking over to them. "Hello there. You must be the couple from Spain that Sophie has been hanging out with."

Rick nodded, holding Maria tightly, "Yes that's us."

Sophie smiled, "Dad, this is Ricardo and Maria. Ricardo and Maria, this is the Undertaker."

"The Undertaker?" Maria asked, and then chuckled. "I've heard of you, though you're not as scary as I'd thought."

"So I'm gaining a reputation now?" He chuckled, "Well I'm glad it's daunting demeanor." He walked up to Maria, gently grabbing her hand with his long black nails and giving her a kiss on the hand. She blushed slightly as her other hand going to her face, and he chuckled. Then he looked at Rick, seeing Rick flinch. "And this must be your… fiancé?" He asked, holding out his hand.

Rick looked at the hand, then smiled and shook his hand, "Yes I'm Maria's fiancé. We were going to get married once we headed back home to Spain in a year or so."

"Is that so?" he chuckled into his sleeve, "Well it's nice to see a nice couple around, right Sophie?"

"Yep," she answered with a wide smile on her face.

"Well we've been out for a while. I think it's time we head back to the orphanage, right Maria?" Rick asked.

She nodded, "Yes I think so. Good night Sophie," she smiled, grabbing her in a hug.

"Good night Maria," she giggled, hugging her back. "Oh and I'll give you back the dress first thing tomorrow."

"Oh you don't have to do that!" Maria giggled, "Keep it. No one will mind if it's there or not."

"Y-you sure?" she questioned. Maria smiled happily, hugging her tightly before letting go. Sophie smiled at her, and then she looked up at Rick, "And good night to you Rick. Make sure you take care of Maria and the others," she chuckled.

He chuckled back, "Of course. Good night Sophie." Then he looked up at the Undertaker, "And good night Undertaker. Take care of our little Sophia, okay?"

"Of course," he chuckled, snaking his hands around her waist and pulling her to his side. "I **always** do ~" he smiled. They nodded, walking down the dirt path and walking out of the cemetery, vanishing from sight. The Undertaker chuckled to himself, looking at Sophie who was staring off after them, "Such a nice couple."

Sophie looked up at him and smiled, "Yep!" she giggled. She let out a sigh, resting her head on his arm, "A very nice couple."

"And I see you're in a dress?" he chuckled, causing Sophie to roll her eyes.

"Yeah we went to a pub and Maria made me dress up."

"A _**pub**_?" he said sternly, causing Sophie to flinch.

"It's not like that!" she frowned, "We were there for dancing! And I actually learned a lot, could you believe that?" she smiled happily.

The Undertaker looked down on her, no expression on his face. She looked at him and frowned, until he cracked a smile, "Sounds like you had a good time."

"Yep!" she laughed relieved. Then she let out a sigh, "but now I'm tired…"

"Well let me escort you back to the house," he smirked, linking his arm with hers and walking down the dirt road.

Sophie smiled and let out a yawn, her eyes getting droopy. "A-and I'm sorry about this evening," she said, nuzzling her face into his sleeve.

"You're sorry? About what little maiden?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

She groaned, "I think you know what I mean." She frowned, "I-it's just…" she let out a sigh, "you know I don't like nobles. They seem nice on the outside, but on the inside they're conniving swine that are only working for their own goals."

Undertaker hugged her close and kissed her on the head, tilting her head up. "I know," he smiled. She smiled back, liking the sincerity on his lips. "You don't have to like him, but just give him a chance. Besides, I know he'll invite us to his manor sooner or later. You might as well accept that you'll be encountering your fear soon."

"Y-yeah…" she thought, letting out a sigh. "Well," she said, tightening her grip on his coat, "as long as you're with me, I'll be fine," she looked up with a blissful smile on her face. He looked down, smiling contently. Then she closed her eyes, trusting that the Undertaker wouldn't let her fall or trip on the rocky road.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: You know, I've never written a chapter on dancing**** and this was my chance, so I took it! =D It was very fun to look up different styles of dancing and incorporate it into this chapter. I think I was able to portray **_**passion**_** in the chapter… or at least I hoped I did. I hope you guys enjoyed this latest chapter. Hopefully I'll be able to get the next chapter up this week, but if I don't then I'm sorry in advance! And as always, if you have any ideas then comment me!**

Ricardo – Spanish – strong power; hardy power

Andrés – Spanish – man, warrior

_uno de ellos quiere bailar con una mujer joven y bella aquí_ – Spanish – _one of them wants to dance with this beautiful young woman here_

_desafío_ – Spanish – _challenge_

_Usted__ no va a entrar en la trampa mortal, estás?_ – Spanish – _You are not going to let me into the death trap, are you?_


	5. The Party

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Yeah let me just say in advance that I'm using online translators so if the spelling/word is wrong then I apologize in advance. Hey guys! It's nice to see you again. Well in this chapter we go a little more in-depth into Sophie's past. As always, I added dancing because I just wanted to! I'm hoping in the next chapter or so I'll be able to move on from this ballroom scene stuff, but we'll see. Sorry for making so many OCs. I tried to add some characters from Kuroshitsuji, but there are not a lot of older characters I can work off of. I hoping to get back to introducing shinigami, but that'll come later. Now, enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a huff as she looked out the window, watching the scenery change from block to block. "I don't see why we're going," she grumbled to herself, looking over at the man sitting from across from her.

The Undertaker chuckled, wearing his usual mortician outfit with matching top hat. "It wouldn't be appropriate to show up at a dinner party without my dear little maiden." She stared back at him, her blue/green eyes glaring at him and piercing through his bangs, making him flinch slightly. Sophie crossed her arms, slouching in the poufy dress he was making her wear.

He chuckled, staring at her. She wore a combination of a dark blue and green dress with black rimming around. She had poufy sleeves, much to her disappointment, with a v-neck with no straps. The dress went past her legs and hid her shoes, which were the black high heels that Maria said she could keep. Her auburn hair was pinned up in a bun, though some fringes of her hair still fell to her side. She touched her green necklace with her long black gloves, which hanged around her neck. Sophie moved slightly, the corset feeling excruciatingly tight. "I just don't like it," she grumbled.

"That we are going to dear Earl Phantomhive's house? ~" he mused.

"No," she groaned, "That I have to wear this tight thing around my waist," she grumbled, sitting uncomfortably in the stagecoach. He laughed loudly, slamming his hand on the seat of the stagecoach and holding his side. Sophie rolled her eyes, "It's not **that** funny Undertaker," she grumbled. "Are you sure you didn't tighten it _too_ tightly?" she frowned, crossing her arms uncomfortably.

"Nope. That's how they're worn," he giggled, watching her wiggling around in distress, "though if it's too much for you to bear, I can loosen it for you if you'd like."

She looked at him, unsure. Letting out a sigh she settled down by crossing her legs and looking out the window, setting an elbow on the windowsill and placing her head on it. "No it's okay…" she sighed, "It's just… I hope I don't run into those _**relatives**_ of mine… Hey Undertaker," she asked, looking over at him.

"Hmmm?" he asked, glancing over at her.

"W-what would you do if they asked for me to go back with them?" she frowned, terror surging in her eyes.

He chuckled, "Is **that** what you're worried about? ~"

She nodded, a whimper escaping her lips. "I know I shouldn't be afraid of them, but… they've treated me so horribly. I've never understood why… Every now and again they'd treat my mom decently, but never me. Were they just disappointed that I wasn't a boy? I just don't understand it," she sighed, looking at the floor.

Suddenly Sophie felt arms wrapping around her body, scooting her over into the middle of the stagecoach. She flinched and looked up, looking at the white bangs that brushed her face. Her cheeks turned pink, feeling the Undertaker brushing a nail on her soft-pale skin. "Even if they try to force you to go with them, I'll be there to make sure they don't." She smiled from the sincere but serious tone in his voice. He set his head on top of hers. "Besides," he began, breathing in the scent of her hair, "You're mine Sophia. They threw you to the abyss and I saved you from the darkness. You're _mine_ ~" She gasped, wrapping her arms around his and gripping him tightly, "and no one will take that away from you, okay?"

Sophie looked up at him and giggled, "Okay Undertaker. I'm yours," she smiled happily, nuzzling her nose into his sleeve. "You don't have to be so serious about that."

"Oh is that so? ~" he snickered, causing her to giggle in response. "Well don't worry about it little maiden. I'll be there keeping an eye on you."

"Oh an _eye_ huh?" she giggled, "I don't think anyone will be able to see those eyes of yours on me." He chuckled, letting another giggle escape her lips. "Though I've wondered what color your eyes are… huh," she said to herself, "I've known you for years, but you never let me see your eyes…" she frowned.

He nuzzled into her hair, causing her to wiggle and giggle in response. "Don't worry about it. You may just get to see it, in due time ~" he whispered in her ear, causing her to flinch. Then he chuckled, leaning back in the seat. "Looks like we're here little maiden."

Sophie looked out the window, seeing the massive mansion. "I guess we are," she sighed, watching as the stagecoach winded around the hill before making it to the top.

!#$%^&*()

"Sorry I was mean to you when you can by the morgue," Sophie curtsied, looking up at the man she was talking to. "I'm just a _very_ testy person in front of people I first meet. I'd like to personally apologize, Earl Phantomhive, and thank you for inviting my dad and I to your mansion," she smiled, waiting for his response.

He chuckled, "Your apology is accepted, but you really don't have to apologize to me. I didn't even notice you till half way in the conversation, so you were allowed to be crossed with me. I hope you accept **my** apology," he smiled back.

"Of course," she smirked, "but it doesn't mean I'll be any different then I normally am. I'll still be testing you, okay boy?"

He smirked, "Okay Lady Sophie," he finished, taking her hand and kissing it. "I hope you enjoy the festivities here."

"Sure," she shrugged, wrapping her arm around Undertaker's arm. The three of them bowed and the Undertaker and she walked away, Sophie letting out a long-awaited sigh. "I hope his apology wasn't just an act," she grumbled under her breath.

"Don't worry about it little maiden," he said with a smirk, "the worst is over."

She let out a sigh, "I _do_ hope so," she finished, looking around the room. The place was big and glamorous; white painted the walls and paintings hanged to cover it up. There were live musicians playing music and a buffet table set up with little dishes of cuisine. Butlers walked by holding trays of bite-sized food and glasses of wine. In the middle of the floor people were dancing to the music and on the sides people watched and gossiped. Sophie let out a sigh, getting pulled by the Undertaker to the buffet table. She watched as he took a plate and grabbed some apple crumble. "So why are we here again?" she grumbled to herself.

"Because the Young Earl invited us, little maiden ~" he giggled, slurping down some semolina pudding and wiping his face with his sleeve.

"Oh there _has_ to be more to this then that," she grumbled, "you're not one to going to these types of parties or even going out at all! Why did you accept his invitation anyways?"

She crossed her arms, waiting for a reply. "Perhaps he just wanted to apologize," he said it bluntly, putting some goodies under his sleeves before walking over to Sophie from behind. "Phyllo?" he chuckled, Sophie frowning at him before grabbing the tiny phyllo from his hands and eating it slowly. "Besides I'm a nobleman and you're my daughter. I get invited to these shindigs all the time and never go. I just wanted to see what the fuss was all about." He grabbed her arm, moving her over to the side of the buffet as they watched the assembly dancing around the floor. "And perhaps I wanted to show off my little maiden," he chuckled under his breath, getting louder as her eyes went wide.

"Oh is that so?" she chuckled, grabbing a glass of wine and swirling it in her black gloved hands. "Well from the looks of it, I think everyone is wondering why I'm hanging out with such a creepy nobleman like you," she smirked, taking a drink of the red wine.

"Why don't you go over there and explain to them who you are?"

She looked at him with sarcasm escaping her lips. "I'd rather not. I don't like these things anyways so why participate in their gossip about me?" she shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. "Besides," she sighed, looking down at the half-full glass in her hands, "I'm shy."

"Then do you want me to go with you and introduce you? ~" he giggled under his sleeve, causing her to roll her eyes.

"You know what," she said, "I'd rather you don't. You'd just creep them out and give them a reason to shun me." She let out a sigh, setting the glass down on the buffet table, "I-I'll go," she walked away from him, giving him a soft glare when she heard him chuckling as she left.

"Have fun ~" he giggled, taking a small trifle out from underneath his sleeve and eating it in one bite.

Sophie quickly walked away from Undertaker towards the other side of the room. In her haste she accidently ran into a little girl, both of them falling down from the collision. "Oh I'm so sorry!" Sophie gasped, helping her off of the ground.

Her eyes went wide as she stared into big, vibrant red eyes. She had freckles on her nose and bright red hair that had been braided behind her head. "It's alright," she giggled, "You don't seem to be used to these things anyways."

"Y-yeah," Sophie chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "I haven't been to a party like this in ages."

"Ages huh?" she thought, brushing her dress till it was spotless. "So who are you? I saw you coming in with that… well…" she frowned, trying to come up with the best words to not insult her.

"Creepy man? Mortician? That guy over there who sneaked deserts under is sleeve and is currently eating them in that corner over there?"

The girl's eyes went wide, then she snickered, "Yes him. So you must know him?"

She smiled, "Why yes I do. He's my… well," she chuckled, scratching the back of her head, "His name is the Undertaker and I'm his daughter Sophia, but you can just call me Sophie."

She giggled, "Oh is that so? I didn't know the Undertaker had a daughter, though it was rumored that he had a son."

"Yeah I know," she said rather gruffly. "That would be me," she chuckled, giving her a slight bow. "I'm not used to wearing these stiff corsets," she whimpered slightly, moving the dress slightly and trying to adjust the corset around her waist.

The other girl giggled, "Well that explains it." She smiled, taking her hand so she wasn't fooling around with her dress, "My name is Angelina Durless by the way, but everyone usually calls me Anne."

Sophie nodded, and then smiled. "Well it's nice to meet you Anne."

She smiled, turning around to leave, "Hey wait!" Anne called out, grabbing her hand, "If you're new to these things, then I should show you around!"

She chuckled, waving her hand in front of her face, "Oh that's not necessary –"

"Yes it is!" she smiled happily. "Here I'll bring you over to my sister. She's a really nice girl and I think you'll feel right at home once you talk with her."

Sophie looked at her unsure, quickly pinning a smile on her face, "Okay. Why not?" she shrugged, her eyes widening as she was pulled through the crowded dance floor to the opposite side of the room.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, staring at the elder couple talking to her, or about her. She wasn't quite sure. "Sophia, dear little Sophia, what are you even doing here?" said the woman, a growl escaping her lips.

She gulped, trying to muster whatever courage she had stored in herself for this particular moment, "I'm here with my father –"

"Your father? Hah!" she commented, causing Sophie to frown. "That man has **never** shown up and he probably won't today."

"What father?" the man said, his arms crossed, "I thought we'd tied you up so tightly to that poor orphanage that you wouldn't be able to **get** adopted."

"Well I did," she said rather sternly. "Now you can just leave me alone. I've been adopted, and my father and I were just invited to this party. I don't see why we have to create any trouble –"

"Trouble?" the woman laughed. "The only one who is creating trouble here is **you** by showing your presence," she glared at her, causing Sophie to flinch.

"No I'm not!" she grumbled under her breath, "I was doing just fine until _you_ showed up and spotted me. I honestly don't see why you guys hate me so, my own relatives. I didn't do anything wrong –"

"You look like _him_. That's what's wrong," the man growled at her, Sophie backing away slightly.

"So what if I look like my father? Isn't that what happens when you have a child? You look like **both** of your parents –"

"And you're eyes are unnatural. Your eyes would be beautiful like your mothers if it wasn't for that eerie green color in the center of your eyes that crept out anyone who glances into them."

"Yeah so –"

"And you **act** just like him," he glared, causing Sophie to frown. "Not like your mother, but like _him_. You **are** him, _whatever you are_."

She bit down on her bottom lip, trying to not cry. "I'm not that different from _any_ of you. Besides I don't have to take this, because you left me in some god-forsaken orphanage to let me rot and die. Well you know what, I'm free from _**your**_ hell and I don't have to take any of this nonsense you throw at me. I'm not _yours_," she growled, glaring back at them. "I'm not your niece anymore and you don't own me. Now if you excuse me –"

"Why hello little maiden," said a creepy voice from behind the couple and they flinched in fright. He brushed past them and wrapped his sleeves protectively around Sophie, causing her to cling to his arms. "They're not bothering you, are they?"

"And just who do you think you are?" the woman hissed. "Coming out of nowhere and scaring the living daylights out of everyone!" She yelled, causing glances from the people around them from her sudden outburst.

"And I would prefer that you don't wrap your arms around our niece like that, you creepy old man."

"I stopped being your niece when you threw me away to the hounds of hell!" Sophie cried out, biting back the tears that began to form in her eyes as she struggled to get away from them.

"Now calm down Sophie," he said in a calm and nurturing voice, to the couple's frustration. "This young lady is my daughter, and if you have a problem with her and want to do harm to her then you'll have to go through **me** _first_," he glared from under his bangs, making them cringe. Then his creepy smile crept back on his face, causing them to flinch and back away.

"You disturbing old man," the woman hissed, "get your hands away from her –"

"I'm not yours!" Sophie growled, "I'm not! I'm not yours! I belong to the Undertaker now and that's where I want to stay! Now leave me alone!" she babbled, burying her head into his chest and clinging to him, as if her life depended on it.

"Is something wrong here?" said a fairly tall butler, coming up behind them with his arms crossed. "I'd like it if you could kindly take your argument outside. You're scaring the other guests here."

"Then talk to those two over there! They're the ones making a scene," the woman said, a smirk lingering on her lips as she pointed her sausage-like hands at Sophie.

Sophie glared, "It's okay." She looked up at the butler with a smile, having the Undertaker let go of her, "I'm already leaving," she huffed, her head held high and proud till she walked out the front door.

The Undertaker cracked a smile, bowing slightly to the butler, "Sorry for the sudden occurrence our hostility caused." The man nodded, walking away as the room began to get louder with the chatter increasing around them. Then he turned to the couple, a scary glare piercing through their eyes and into their souls, causing them to flinch in terror, "If you **ever** make my little girl cry again you'll be spending the rest of your lives in a coffin."

"Is that a threat?" the man growled, a hiss escaping his lips.

The Undertaker smiled, a Cheshire smile on his face, "It's however you interpret it ~" he giggled, walking away from them with a skip in his step.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie ran as fast as she could, biting down on her lips tightly causing them to bleed. She couldn't let the nobility see her like this, for she had to stay strong. In her haste she ran into someone, falling straight to her butt in frustration. "Woh there!" escaped the elder woman's lips, suddenly noticing the well-dressed girl lying in the dirt about to cry. Her eyes went down, kneeling down next to the girl, "Hey are you ok?"

"I-I…" she babbled, tears, for the first time, escaping down out of her eyes. "Sorry…" she said, putting her head in her hands.

"Oh no, don't be like that!" the woman said, patting the girl on the back. "Hey you can tell Karol what's wrong."

Sophie looked up at her, still hesitant. The woman had dark bronzed hair and light brown eyes. She seemed to be carrying a pile of clothes under her arms. She opened up her hand to her, and Sophie smiled, taking the hand to help her up. "I'm sorry… I just had to get away from those no-good aristocrats in there," Sophie glared back at the door she ran out of, and then looked at the woman with a smile on her face.

"Oh I can understand," she smiled, happy the woman she ran into was okay. "I've been the same situation myself!" she giggled, causing to let out a cough from suddenly crying and then giggled along with her.

"Hey do you need help with those?" Sophie asked, watching as she fumbled around with the large stack in her hands.

"I wouldn't want to intrude –"

"Don't worry you're not," she smiled, grabbing half of the stack from her hands. The woman smiled at her, walking along side her down the road back towards the mansion. "So you're name is… Karol?"

"That would be correct," she giggled, "I'm here with my sister to perform."

"Perform?" she questioned her, as they walked around the mansion to the back.

"Yes we're dancers," she smiled happily. "I'm the littlest of the group. We're your afternoon entertainment tonight."

Sophie smiled, giving her a nod. "So do you know Ricardo and Maria?"

She thought for a second, as Sophie opened the door to the servants' door for her. Sophie followed Karol as they walked up the stairs and through the empty halls of the mansion. "I think I've heard of them…" she thought, still can't putting a finger on the names.

"What about Andrés?" Sophie asked, following her to a door.

Karol looked at her as if she was crazy as a loud fit of laughter escaping her lips, causing Sophie to jump back in surprise. "Of course I know Andrés," she giggled, giving her a wink. She knocked on the door they were standing in front of, "Yoh Andrés open up!" she yelled, pounding her hand on the door loudly. She let out an annoyed sigh, hanging the rest of the clothes in her hand to Sophie as her pounding increased.

"Hey enough!" came a voice from the door, the door swinging open with a tall man staring at Karol with anger in his eyes. "You don't have to yell!" he yelled back, just as loudly as Karol was yelling.

Sophie rolled her eyes, walking past them and throwing the clothes on the nearest thing she could spot, a bed. "Well maybe you should open the door right when I call," Karol smirked, walking into the room as the man rolled his eyes.

Sophie let out a sigh, turning behind to see the man peck Karol's lips as he closed the door behind them. "So who's this young Schönheit?" the man asked, going over to inspect her. Sophie let out a nervous chuckle, his face to close to hers for comfort. "Very mysterious eyes…" he said, causing her to blush.

"That's… actually I didn't catch your name," Karol said, walking over to her to investigate her too. "I just knocked into her and all of the sudden she was bursting out in tears."

"Bösen fürsten," he hissed under his breath. "Well it's ok young lady. You can hang out with us until you have to go home."

Sophie smiled, sincerity in her eyes, "Thank you kindly."

Hearing the door open they turned to see two other men and women come in with food in their hand. "Look what we grabbed from the buffet table," one of them laughed, throwing a croissant at Karol. "Hey Fred Boy, why did you let a noble in here?" he said, walking over to Sophie and staring in her eyes. She flinched back, bumping into the bed. "They're not supposed to see us till our grand début!" he said, a laugh escaping his lips.

"Don't scare the poor girl," a woman said, wrapping an arm around Sophie's arm. "You can tell she's been through a rough night."

Sophie looked over at the man in the corner, who seemed to be thinking intently. She blinked in surprise, at the exact same time he did. He laughed, causing the others to look over at him in confusion. "It's nice to meet you here, white swan," he chuckled, walking over to her and pecking her hand. "Guys this is the girl from a few weeks ago, the White Swan."

They eyes widened in shock, before they let out fits of laughter. "Wow! I would have never believed that girl was the same woman you described!"

"Well let me introduce us," he said, wrapping an arm around Sophie's shoulder. "White Swan, over there is Charlotte and her younger sister Karol, next to Karol is Frédéric, that snotty boy over there is Marc, and this is Aurora," he smiled happily towards her, "and guys, this is _Miss Sophia_, who prefers the name Sophie as I recall," she smiled at the last comment. "So what's a young swan like you doing here?" Andrés asked, everyone staring at her intently.

"W-well…" she thought, trying to come up with the best words here to say. "Well my dad and I help the Earl who lives here with a few things from time to time. Because of that, my dad decided that we go to this party."

"So why did I find you crying?" Karol asked.

"What! You were crying?" Andrés asked, sympathy in his eyes.

"Oh it was nothing," Sophie shrugged. "Long story short I got fed up with a **couple** of the nobles in the room and had to leave. Then I accidently ran into Karol and yeah! That's it!" she smiled, scratching her red eyes.

Andrés smile, "Well you're welcome to hang out with us for the rest of the night if you'd like."

"Thank you," she smiled, "I'd love to," she chuckled.

"Hey and while you're here," Marc began saying, "would you like to dance with us?"

Sophie's eyes went wide in shock, her hands immediately going in front of her hands, "Oh no! I couldn't possibly," she shook her hands, causing him to frown. "I don't even know your guy's routine! I wouldn't want to intrude –"

"Well actually you wouldn't be. We need a third female dancer for the show because she got sick," Andrés said, much to Sophie's disappointment. "Besides it's not a hard job," he chuckled, "You'll be following Frédéric and Charlotte from behind as they dance around. We'll behind a curtain where no one will see our faces, if that's what you're worried about."

Sophie paused, "Wait _**us**_?"

"Why sure. It was **my** dane partner that couldn't come. Since I've danced with you before, I might as well dance with you now. Besides I wasn't going to dance tonight, but if you dance with me then I'll be able to."

Sophie looked at him unsure, looking around the room at the eyes staring at her. She let out a sigh of defeat, "Well okay," she smiled, to everyone's amusement, "but I really don't want to be seen."

"I promise none of those fürsten will be able recognize you," Frédéric said, causing Sophie to chuckle.

"Now to find you something to wear…" Aurora said in a huff, rustling through the clothes.

"Ehhh?" Sophie said in protest as dresses were being thrown at her from left and from right.

!#$%^&*()

Undertaker let an annoyed sigh escape his lips, frustration showing through his Cheshire smile. _'Where is that girl?' _he grumbled, popping a piece of mille-feuille into his mouth, _'If only I had gotten there sooner…. Ugh I've failed you little maiden,'_ he frowned.

"Hey Undertaker," he heard someone say. He looked over to see Earl Vincent Phantomhive walking over to him, "Did you find your daughter yet?"

He shook his head no, cracking a smile, "It's okay though."

"Oh?" he said, looking at him suspiciously, "Why's that?"

"I know that my little maiden is alright ~" he giggled, "I think she's just roaming around your mansion, probably lost."

He smiled, "Well I'll have someone go out and search for her." Vincent looked up to see the lights turn off, "Oh it must be that the entertainment will start soon. If you'll excuse me Undertaker," he bowed quickly, hastily walking to the front of the room.

The Undertaker raised his sleeve over his mouth, letting out a chuckle, "She's closer then you think, _Young Earl ~_" he mused, walking away from his spot so he could have a better spot.

"Noble ladies and gentlemen of the court," Andrés began, a rob hiding his outfit. "The Juvéniles of Dance would like to present you with a short interpretation of the White Swan. Maestro, if you'd please." He ran back behind a white curtain, the crowd politely clapping for them to begin.

!#$%^&*()

"I-I've never done this before Karol," Sophie said, letting out a nervous sigh.

"Don't worry about it," she giggled, fiddling around with the white tutu she was wearing, "this is my first time too."

"Really?" her eyes widened in disbelief.

Karol nodded, a smile planted on her face, "Yep! I'm just as nervous as you. I hope we break a leg!" she giggled, the two girls looking up as the ballroom went dark.

"Get to your place Sophie," Charlotte said with a gentle smile on her face, ushering her to run behind the white screen before Andrés stood in the center of the stage.

As soon as Andrés was done Sophie stood up, waiting patiently for him to run behind the screen. He chuckled, "Are you ready White Swan?" he whispered to her.

She nodded, "I'm still nervous though."

"Hey don't worry about it," he shrugged, "You're a born natural. Hey how do you like your outfit?"

She shrugged, "Can't complain. It could be worse, like wearing a corset," she shuddered. Sophie then smiled, looking down at her outfit. It was a dress, not a tutu or anything fancy, but just a simple white dress. A gold colored cord was tied around her waist and small plastic wings were sewed to the back. A thin gold headband laid on her head as waves of auburn hair laid on her shoulders as it fluttered in the breeze from the open door behind them.

Andrés smiled back at her, "Good," he chuckled, mentally preparing himself. They heard the music starting next to them, but it wasn't their time to begin dancing yet. Sophie stared at him. He wore a simple outfit, obviously an old sword fighter outfit. He attached a sword around his waist, before looking over at her. "Are you ready?"

"I-I guess so…" she smiled meekly.

He let a chuckle escape his lips, "It's okay to be nervous about this. Just remember what you've been taught about dance and just enjoy the moment," he smiled. He looked, noticing the music beginning to quiet down. "Okay come here and pose like Frédéric and Charlotte are doing."

Sophie nodded, wrapping her arms around his with her back in his chest. "Are the wings hurting you?"

He chuckled, "No, you're lucky they're very flexible. Okay pay attention now. It's beginning."

Sophie's eyes widened, a bright light shining on them from the front of the stage. She let out a sigh, looking at Charlotte as she posed with Frédéric exactly like Sophie had done with Andrés. She noticed out of the corner of her eyes that Karol and Marc were closer to the audience, making a pose from the sides of Frédéric and Charlotte. She smiled, her heart beating faster as the music began to play again.

Opening her arms Andrés spun her around, revealing the wings on her back. Following Charlotte's moves, Sophie fluttered around Andrés. As the climax came in the music, Sophie took a couple of steps before she jumped into Andrés' arms. The crowd let out awes and gasps as the music died back down, the light on the white screen fading away as they posed again. As the crowd clapped for them, Frédéric and Charlotte walked off stage and ran back to the room, to change for the next dance. Aurora called Andrés over as Sophie stayed behind the screen and waited. He let out an annoyed sigh as he came back around, "Apparently Karol and Marc aren't ready for the next dance! So we'll have to stall."

Sophie's eyes widened, "A-are you sure we have to?"

He looked at her worried, "Hey if you don't want to come out its okay –"

She put a finger on his lips, "I'll do it," she quickly said before Andrés could say anymore.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded, before planting a smile on her face, "Now what are we going to do?" Andrés whispered something in her ear before she let out a giggle. "Sure I can do that."

Andrés ran back to the musicians before running to the front. "Noble ladies and gentlemen of the court, sorry for the delay," he said with a bow towards the audience. "We are now ready for our next piece. Maestro," he glanced over his shoulder, standing in front of the stage waiting as the music began. Then he started dancing by himself, the music slow and dark. The music suddenly stopped, revealing a cloaked woman peering from behind the white sheet. Andrés chuckled, not expecting her to do that. Then Sophie walked in front of Andrés, turning to him and making eye contact once the music began to play, this time soft and delightful.

Andrés took her hand, Sophie quickly refusing it and running off to the corner. She looked up to the ceiling, her hand reaching out. Andrés grabbed her hand softly, causing her to look down and take a couple of steps before leaping up into the air. She played a game with Andrés, trying to keep away from him as the music continued. Then the music became to speed up; Sophie spinning faster and faster around Andrés. He grabbed her hand and she let a soft smile escape her lips. Then they danced across the stage, Sophie grabbing for her cloak. In one big swoosh Sophie took off her cloak as she leapt into the air, throwing her cloak to the audience. They let out a gasp, Sophie leaping a few more times before running back to Andrés. He grabbed her waist and lifted her higher into the air, her white dress and auburn hair flowing behind her. Then the music began to die down, causing Andrés and Sophie's steps to be slower. Eventually they stopped dancing right when the musicians stopped playing, posing in the style they had began behind the screen.

The silence in the room was unsettling, causing Sophie's heart to beat faster and faster. Then they heard clapping, causing Andrés and Sophie to look up. The audience was clapping wildly, some of them even going as far as bawling. Sophie looked over at her aunt and uncle in the audience, their mouths open in surprise. She chuckled, taking a curtsy as Andrés bowed. "So are you feeling better now?" Andrés asked, looking over at her with a smirk.

She looked at him dumfounded, before giving him a smile back, "A **lot** better. Thank you."

He chuckled, "Good. I don't want a little white swan to be crying."

She giggled, the two of them curtsying/bowing to the audience. Sophie looked back out to the audience, spotting the Undertaker in the corner. She smiled at him happily, before being escorted off stage by Andrés. She watched as the other 4 dancers ran on stage, in flamingo outfits. "The flamingo?" she asked.

"Yep," he smirked, "would you like to change quickly?"

She looked up at him, and then flicked his forehead, "Of course," she giggled, before Andrés and Sophie disappeared into the hallways.

!#$%^&*()

As the music stopped, Karol let out a deep sigh as Marc had his hand around her waist. "I wonder if this is the last one," she said quietly to Marc, as the audience clapped for them.

He chuckled, "Oh I don't think so. See," he said looking off to the crowd. Karol looked up and smirked as she walked off stage. Marc ran back on as the crowd began dispersing, "Noble ladies and gentlemen of the court, we have **one** more dance for you tonight. This will have audience participation so please remain where you are standing." The audience looked at each other, talking amongst each other. "Now may I present you with, the Dance of _Passion_," he chuckled to himself, quickly running off stage before the lights went completely out.

After a few seconds the music began again. The music began dramatically, a thud stopped the music and a spotlight shown in the area, revealing Andrés standing tall and proud. He wore a typical suit, the fabric light so he could dance. He also had his sword secured tightly around his waist. He looked over at the closest woman next to him, gently grabbing her hand and giving a little kiss on her hand. "May I have the pleasure of having this dance?" Her face went red with embarrassment, "O-of course, good sir," she curtsied with Andrés giving her a quick bow. He grabbed her hand, and, as soon as the music began, they started dancing the waltz, the spectators making room for them as they danced. They whispered amongst each other what was going on; even the Young Earl Phantomhive didn't know what was going on. Then Frédéric, Marc, Charlotte, and Karol came out of nowhere, taking dance partners and joining Andrés on the dance floor. The lights were still out, except for the one spotlight on Andrés and his partner. The nobles seem to loosen up, taking each other's hands and dancing with them on the dance floor. Everyone was happy and gay, with the waltz being played for a couple of minutes.

Then the music dramatically changed, going from the light music of the waltz to the dramatic start of the flamenco. The five dancers looked over to an opened door, everyone following them. Then a black fan flew open, flapping to the person hiding behind the door. Then the music paused again, the woman spinning out into the room in a black and red dress, the fan only showing the eyes of her eyes. "Miradas a ser un aburrido poco partido de la danza," Sophie smirked as the music began, walking confidently onto the dance floor. Everyone looked in her in awe. Her dress was mostly black, but had tasteful amounts of red fabric. Her wavy auburn hair flowed behind her, a black rose attached to the right side of her head, which had a silver skull attached just underneath the rose with two black ribbons underneath that. Her bangs showed through, the bangs on the left side of her face slightly longer then on the right side. She had her green ring around her neck on a silver chain, which flowed freely with her steps.

Then the music began again, this time it was flamenco music. She raised the black fan up in the air, "I wonder, en un pequeño lugar apropiado tenga gusto de esto, if there are any decent dancers here." She smirked, waiting for a reply. "I guess no one wants to dance with little me?" she chuckled, flirting with a random man from across the room as she fanned her face.

"I'll dance with you Miss Sophia," came Marc to the rescue, taking Sophie's hand and began dancing with her.

She rolled her eyes, the boredom with Marc dancing the waltz with her to the music of flamenco. Sophie pushed his hands down in a huff, flipping the fan in front of his face. "Un pequeño muchacho tan aburrido." She frowned, "You don't have the _passion_ I seek." Then she walked away, leaving Marc stunned. "Does anyone else have the valor to dance with me?" She sighed, fanning her fan in front of her face.

"I'll dance with you, _White Swan_," Andrés smirked.

Sophie rolled her eyes, "How bothersome."

She began walking away as Andrés grabbed her hand, spinning her around to meet his eyes. She gasped, pushing away as he spun her around. They playfully fought each other, Andrés trying to get her to dance with him and Sophie trying to get away. Then they stopped, staring intently into each other's eyes. "You have mysterious eyes White Swan." She chuckled, pushing on his chest as he spun her around into a dip.

"Perhaps there are some passionate men here," she smirked, dancing with him across the dance floor. Going with the beat of the music they danced, dancing fast and quickly. Everything Sophie did was hit with such precision and power that caused the audience to gasp in awe. As the music came to a close Andrés spun Sophie towards him. He wrapped his arms around her waist in a dip, right when the music ended. Then Karol began clapping excitedly, followed by everyone else in the crowd.

Andrés chuckled with their applause and Sophie smile happily, giving the crowd a bow/curtsy as they clapped. "I would like to thank everyone's cooperation in our last piece. Please give a round of applause to Karol and Sophia, which was their first time dancing in front of a crowd." Sophie walked over to Karol and they both curtsied, Karol giggling happily at the applause, "and a special thank you to Earl Vincent Phantomhive for inviting us as your entertainment for the evening." He raised his hand toward the Earl, Vincent giving the crowd a bow as they clapped, "and of course, everyone who made this night memorable. The Maestro," he pointed to the musicians, "our lovely dancers," he smirked, pointing over at Frédéric, Marc, Charlotte, Karol, and Sophie, "and Aurora, who helped me put everything together," he smiled, waiting for Aurora to come out of hiding from behind the scenes. Andrés took Aurora's hand, the both of them bowing/curtsying to the applauding audience. "Now enjoy the rest of your evening!" he smiled, walking with Aurora and walking out of the room.

Karol took Sophie's hand, giggling as she did so. "Would you like to come with us? We're going to go celebrate for our new success!"

Sophie smiled, "I'd love to, but I have to stay here until the party's over. Thank you **so** **much** for making me feel better!"

"Oh that's no problem," Karol giggled, pulling Sophie out of the room towards the room with their stuff inside, "It was a pleasure meeting you."

"Same here," Sophie smiled. "We'll have to meet up sometime."

"Of course!" Karol giggled, "but I didn't know you knew Spanish."

She smirked, "Of course I do. I also know French."

"You do!" she gasped, "C'est si frais! Quelqu'un qui sait tant de langues!" she giggled.

"Oui. On m'a enseigné que le Latin antique, ainsi les langues romanes viennent facile pour moi," she smiled. "Now I'd better get changed and go back to the party. Thank you for letting me borrow your cloths."

"Hey no problem!" Karol giggled, "Any ami of Andrés is an ami of mine."

Sophie nodded, grabbing her dress and heading back to the changing area, "Same here Karol. You're my ami too." Karol blushed, giggling to her comment.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie walked out of the room; the blue/green dress she was wearing earlier was now back on her body. Only Karol insisted on ripping off the poufy sleeves, which Sophie was grateful for. Karol also let Sophie keep the rose/skull accessory in her hair, saying it would fit Sophie a lot better than herself. Sophie smiled, playing with her hair. She decided to keep her hair down, since it took a long time to get it up in the first place. She let out a sigh as she walked down the halls, wondering what the Undertaker would think of her now.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Andrés walking up to her, wearing a suit and tie with the sword tied around his waist. "Hey white swan," he smirked, putting his hands behind his back as he walked next to her.

"Hello," she smiled, playing with a piece of her hair. "Why are you heading back to the party?"

He chuckled, "Well I need to keep up The Juvéniles of Dance's image and perhaps some more customers. Besides, I'm used to going to these sorts of parties anyways."

Sophie paused, looking up at him questionably, "You mean you were a noble in Spain or something?"

He shrugged, "Something around those lines. You can say my dad dragged me to these parties _all_ the time," he chuckled.

"Oh I see…" she smiled, looking towards the ground. "Hey Andrés."

"Hmmm?" he replied.

"Why do you call me the _white swan_?" she asked, causing him to look over at her with curiosity, "because I'm more of a **black** swan, you know."

He chuckled, "Well it's very simple if you think about it."

She glared, "Oh yeah, like how?"

"Well…" he thought, "have you heard of the Ugly Duckling?"

She looked at him curiously, "Yeah…"

"Well the ugly duckling is a little bird that couldn't fit in, but once the duckling grew up, he began a graceful white swan. You see what I'm getting at?" he asked.

"I think…" she thought. "So you're trying to say that I just need to spread my wings more? Or I've already done that?"

He chuckled, "It's however you interpret it." She glared at his last comment, causing him to chuckle. As soon as their conversation ended they walked into the ballroom, Sophie immediately leaving Andrés' side. He chuckled to himself, walking in the opposite direction to find someone to talk to.

Sophie let out an annoyed sigh, her eyes cast down at the ground. Out of nowhere a red glove grabbed her and pulled her into a group of gossiping women. "Wow Sophie I didn't know you could dance!" Anne giggled with her grip on Sophie's hand surprisingly strong.

"Y-yes…" she smiled weakly, feeling uncomfortable with the eyes staring at her. "Well I just know a group of dancers and they **insist** they teach me all they know. That's all," she shrugged.

"Still Sophie, tell us _all_ about it," said a woman in the circle.

She shrugged, "What's there to say? I met Andrés in a pub and then I met him here. He insisted that I dance along with the group. That's all."

"Wow!" some of them gasped. Sophie felt the urge to roll her eyes, but instead she grabbed a glass of wine and gulped it down in one sip.

"So are you with Andrés?" one of them asked.

Sophie blinked at her in surprise, one of them going straight to the point. "Well…" she said, looking over at Andrés, "**I'm** not."

"Oh so there's a someone else?" one of them groaned.

Sophie smirked, "Yes there is."

"What's her name?"

"… She doesn't want me to disclose that information if she's not here in person," Sophie said, giving them a fake smile.

"Oh well," one of them said, the group letting out a sigh.

Sophie frowned, quickly grabbing a glass of wine and gulping it down. "So," she began with a smile, "how are you guys? Anything good happening to any of you?"

Some of them chuckled at her comment, causing her to frown again. "Oh Miss Sophie," one of them giggled.

"Well is there anything you want me to say before I leave?" she asked, starting to get slightly irritated.

"Sure," another one of the clucking women said, "If you're not going out with Andrés then _who_ are you going out with?"

Sophie shrugged, "No one right now –"

The women gasped, "Then you must meet my cousin! He'd love to meet a lovely young lady like yourself," one of them said, putting a hand on top of hers.

Sophie quickly pulled her hand away, taking a step back. "It's a nice offer, but I'm not currently looking."

"Pish-posh," another one said, waving her hand in front of her face, "_Every_ little girl is looking for their prince charming."

"I'll have you know that I'm just fine right now," she frowned. "Now if you can excuse me, I need to get some fresh air." She smiled at them, quickly leaving before they could talk to her again. Sophie walked right out the door, having grabbed a glass of wine on her way out. She leaned over a balcony overlooking the back of the mansion, seeing how large and vast the place really was. Then she quickly gulped down the glass of wine, putting it on a table next to her. She let out a distressed sigh, noticing the door open. She smirked, seeing Andrés walk up behind her. "Oh hi," she frowned.

"Hey white swan, what's with the frown?" he asked, seeming to sulk.

"Just tired," she sighed. "Too many questions and mostly about you too."

"About me?" he gasped.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "They asked if you were married or had a girlfriend. I said you were taken."

He chuckled, "and why would you say that?" He put his hands on her shoulders, leaning into her as he whispered into her ear, "Do you want me?" She rolled her eyes, punching him in the gut and walking away. He gasped, "Geeze, what a punch…" he chuckled, rubbing his stomach as he straightened up.

"Actually I know of someone who would like to spend some time with you," Sophie said, looking back at the dancing through the glass.

"Oh really," Andrés responded, "Who?" Sophie hesitated, wanting to keep the secret a secret. "Well?" he said, "Who?"

"Ummm…" she bit down on her bottom lip, "Aurora."

"Aurora?" his eyes widened, his cheeks turning lightly red.

She smiled sweetly, walking up to him and brushing his cheek, "Yes Aurora. She actually threatened me to stay away from you _or else_." She chuckled, seeing the stunned expression on his face, "You're so clueless. Even when I walked into the room and met everyone I could tell she was jealous that I'd known you. Don't be so surprised."

Andrés looked at the ground, and then chuckled, "I should have known." He let out a sigh, looking towards the sky. "I've just been hesitant about it."

"Hmm?" she questioned him, "Why?"

"My parents…" he said bluntly, "They wouldn't approve of me marrying someone of lower class then us. My parents are like that."

Sophie giggled, causing Andrés to look over at her confused. She jumped onto the railing, sitting her butt down on it as she quickly crossed her legs and pushed her dress down. "That's the thing with being a noble," she sighed, "parents forcing you to marry; having to marry a person whom you may not like, but can take care of you in the future. That's why I don't like the idea. I'd rather just fall in love with someone and not have to think about the consequences. Is that too much to ask?"

She let out a sigh, looking over at Andrés seeking an answer. "I think it is," he smiled, leaning against the railing next to Sophie. "So you love someone?"

"Used to," she shrugged, "but that was a long time ago… though I don't really feel like dating right now." She chuckled, "Not unless the right guy comes along." She smiled over at him and he smiled back, both of them letting out a sigh. "You should probably bring Aurora to one of these things."

"Why?" he asked, looking at her confused.

"So she can experience how irritating nobles can be, and be able to say _**this boy is mine**_." she giggled, with Andrés chuckling back.

"Wow what's so funny? ~" came a voice from the shadows. They looked over to see the Undertaker pop out from the side of a pillar, startling Andrés.

Sophie smiled happily, "Hi dad. I thought I was alone out here."

"I _was_ alone until you walked out. I just didn't want to reveal my hiding spot **just** yet ~" he chuckled under his sleeve.

Andrés looked at her confused, "H-how… w-w-ho?..."

She smiled and the Undertaker giggled with glee at his confusion. "Andrés this is the Undertaker. Dad this is Andrés," she said briefly.

"Nice to meet you young man," he chuckled, opening his right hand to him.

Andrés flinched, before cautiously grasping his hand and shaking it. "It's nice to meet you too, sir."

"Just Undertaker is fine," he smiled a Cheshire grin on his face.

"Ok…" he looked at him questionably, "_Undertaker_…" Andrés looked over at Sophie, a worried look on his face.

She giggled, "Don't worry about him, Andrés. Yes, with the name Undertaker that means he works at a morgue, but he's been taking care of me since I was little. I trust him with my life, so I'm hoping you can trust him too?"

He looked over at the Undertaker, who was close to laughing, and Sophie, an innocent smile on her face. "Alright," he sighed, "I'll trust you." Sophie smiled at him, her smile beaming more than the Undertaker's.

"If we're done here," the Undertaker began, "it's time for us to depart."

Sophie smiled, "Not unless you help me off of the railing," she said, holding out her hands to him.

He chuckled, "If you can get your lovely little self up there, then I think you can get yourself off."

"But it wouldn't be _ladylike_," she rolled her eyes, crossing her arms.

He laughed, taking Sophie's waist and helping her down. She stumbled a little, Andrés putting a hand on her back to steady herself. "Thanks," she smiled at him.

"No problem," he smiled back, looking over at the Undertaker. Andrés gulped, looking back over at Sophie. "I'll be seeing you?"

"Of course," she smiled. "We'll probably meet up sometime." Then she looked up at the Undertaker as he lifted up his arm to her. She giggled, wrapping her arm around his, "Let's get going now. I'm very tired."

"Yes it'll be a _long_ drive home ~" he giggled under his sleeve, causing Sophie to groan in protest.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Geeze I have a LOT of sayings and names that are introduced in this chapter. Sorry about that. ^^; Even my chapters are getting longer… why do I keep coming up with stuff! Anyways I hope you guys have been enjoying the story. I pretty much have Sophie's life planned out, just the stuff that will come later then that is still up for thought. I'm hoping it'll be… 3 more chapters? 4? I don't know. At least that much has been planned, with a lot of mystery for Sophie and you guys to solve! You'll see what I mean when I write it down and post it. I don't want to give the story away ;D Toddles!**

Karol – French – free man

Charlotte – French – free man

Aurora – Latin – dawn

Frédéric – German – peaceful ruler, peace keeper

Marc – Latin – from the god Mars

_Schönheit_ – German – _beauty_

_Bösen fürsten_ – German – _evil nobles_

_Juvéniles_ – French – _young_

_miradas a ser un aburrido poco partido de la danza_ – Spanish – _looks to be a boring little dance party_

_en un pequeño lugar apropiado tenga gusto de esto_ – Spanish – _at a proper little place like this_

_Un pequeño muchacho tan aburrido_ – Spanish – _Such a boring little boy_

_Valor_ – Spanish – _courage_

_C'est si frais! Quelqu'un qui sait tant de langues! _– French – _That's so cool! Someone who knows so many languages!_

_Oui. On m'a enseigné que le Latin antique, ainsi les langues romanes viennent facile pour moi_ – French – _Yes. I was taught ancient Latin, so the romance languages come easy for me_

_Ami_ – French – _friend_


	6. The Shadow

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Ok this will be the last "filler" chapter, as I'd call it. I think I've introduced enough people that I can get ****a real story going! X3 Well I shouldn't call this chapter, and chapters previous, fillers, but I think it's an appropriate word for them. Besides, with all the ideas I've come up it'll be a while before I'll be able to call this **_**complete**_**. **

**Now I hope I can continue writing these stories like I have been. I've been falling behind in school writing these chapters, so I may take a break to catch up on work. At least I've finished these big assignments that are 15% of my grade! If I hadn't then this chapter wouldn't have turned up as quickly as it did. As always, I hope you like the story. Keep me posted on how you feel about this story and if you like it! Enjoy! =D**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie walking into a pub as Rick and Maria sat down at a table towards the corner. She smiled, sitting down at a table and ordering some rum. "So how was the party?" Maria asked, taking a drink.

"Oh it wasn't bad," she shrugged, "Could have been better though. I just don't like parties like that. It's more fun to hang out with you guys then at some plush place any day," she giggled, sipping the rum that was placed in front of her.

"I see you're wearing a dress today?" Rick commented, sipping some beer. "It's very pretty on you."

"Thank you," she giggled, "I just felt like wearing a dress today. That's all."

Maria giggled, wrapping her arms around Sophie's shoulders. "Oh my little belleza is growing up!" Sophie giggled back, wiggling back and forth playfully.

"Hey White Swan!" someone said from across the room, causing the trio to look up. Sophie smirked, it was Andrés.

"Hey!" she smiled, waving at him. He gestured them over, signaling them to join him at the table. "Do you want to go over there?" she asked meekly.

Ricardo and Maria's eyes widen in surprise, "Of course!" they said at once, causing Sophie to chuckle.

She stood up, walking over to the table and sitting down. Rick and Maria ran over and sat next to her, curiosity in their eyes. "Hey Sophie!" giggled Karol next to her.

"Hi Karol!" Sophie giggled, grabbing her in a hug. "How are things?"

"Just great! The Juvéniles of Dance have been invited to entertain at several events already. It's probably because of the dancing we did at the Phantomhive mansion, right Charlotte?"

"Right," she smiled at her little sister, taking a sip from the drink in her hand. "I think we can thank you for that."

Sophie nodded, to Rick and Maria's confusion. "Yeah, at the party they invited me to dance with them, so I did," she smiled.

"But that's because you were crying!" Karol whimpered, "If it wasn't for that I don't think we would have met."

"I guess," she shrugged.

"Oh Aurora!" Karol said, causing Aurora to look up from her drink.

"Y-yeah?" she slurred her words as they slightly coming out in babble.

"Tell Sophie what Andrés did yesterday."

"O-oh yeah," she giggled to herself, taking a drink from the beer in her hand. "Andrés asked me to go with him to the party being held at Lord Chamber's estate. Are you going to go to that party? It's this weekend ~" she giggled, the drink slightly spilling on the table.

"Actually I wasn't planning on going, but if you'd like me to go then I'll stay for a few hours," she smiled, "but not a moment more," Sophie finished.

"Great! Then you can come with me and shop tomorrow. Where's your house?"

Sophie looked over at Rick and Maria, before looking back at them with a smirk. "The morgue."

"The morgue?" they gasped.

"A beautiful young lady like yourself is living in a morgue?" Frédéric frowned.

Sophie nodded, "Y-yes I do. My father is the Undertaker after all."

Aurora began laughing hysterically, her fits of laughter ringing through the room, "That's so funny! I would never have believed that… well that's okay by me. I'll see you there tomorrow then," she smiled. "How about 2pm?"

"Sure," Sophie shrugged, "Sounds like a good time."

"Good!" she giggled, her beer being thrown everywhere.

"Sorry for Aurora," Andrés sighed, "she gets this way when she's drunk."

"Oh its okay," Sophie smiled, "I don't mind. Just tell her tomorrow that she's to meet me at 2pm at the morgue to go shopping."Andrés nodded, taking a sip of his beer as the night progressed.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey dad can you help me get my corset on?" Sophie asked, putting her hand on her chest to keep the corset and her dress from slipping.

"Sure," he smiled, putting the book he was reading on a coffin and walking over to her as she stood straight. "You're not going to run away like last time? ~" he chuckled, taking the strings in his hands.

"No," she frowned, squinting her eyes as she waited from him to pull on the strings. She sucked in her gut as the Undertaker pulled with all his might, Sophie starting to feel faint, "Okay it's too tight… It's too tight! Ack!" He giggled hysterically as Sophie dug her hands into his arms to make him stop. Then he stopped laughing, causing Sophie to turn to him confused. She looked at his arms and saw trickles of blood coming from the punctures she made just a second ago. "I-I'm sorry…" she frowned, trying to turn around to inspect them better.

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, pulling tightly on the corset, causing Sophie to let out a gasp of unexpected air. She gasped for air as he tied the strings together. "There," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, "done," he giggled, walking back over to the coffin he was sitting on and grabbing the book he was reading.

"T-thank you," she smiled meekly, starting to feel faint from the loss of air.

"So why are you going to one of those boring parties, little maiden?" he asked as he sat contently on the coffin reading the book in his hand.

Sophie let out a well needed sigh, glancing over to a cobweb in the corner. "Well Aurora is going to be going, and I'd like to show her around. Its crazy going to a ball for the first time," she smirked to herself, "People always pointing at you and gossiping. It's just easier to go with someone you know." Sophie smiled, fixing her dress and corset so it was less uncomfortable. She wore a dark blue and black dress. The corset she wore was the same colors as the dress, the corset blending into the dress. Most of her hair was let down, except for long parts of the front of her head. It was braided towards the back, the braid stopped halfway down her hair. She flipped the hair that was flowing freely in front of the hair that had been braided, hiding the tie she used to hold the braids together. She also decided to put the accessory Karol gave her on the right said of her head, completing the outfit. "Are you coming?"

He shrugged, "Not this time. You go and have fun little maiden," he smirked. She looked over at him and gave him a smile back. Then they heard a stagecoach pull up and stop in front of the house. "I think your white horse is here," he chuckled, as Sophie let out a sigh.

"I guess so…" she smiled to herself. She quickly walked over to the Undertaker, giving him a kiss where one of the wounds she'd afflicted on him was, then on the cheek. "Okay bye," she giggled, hastily running out the door.

"Bye," he said with a smile on his face, wiping the blood on his hands on his coat and going back to reading his book.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie smiled at Aurora, who was clinging tightly to her arm. "You're not scared are you? ~" she chuckled, Aurora giving her a death glare.

"No! It's just…" she sighed, "I don't want to embarrass Andrés, that's all."

Sophie chuckled, "Don't worry about little things like that. Just have fun!"

Aurora smiled, looking over at Andrés before letting in a deep breath, "Okay Sophie. I'll trust you."

"Hello Anne," Sophie smiled, Aurora coming up quickly behind her.

"Oh hello Sophie!" she giggled, as she sat next to a woman older with her, who had soft blonde hair and blue eyes. "I didn't know you were coming."

"Well I couldn't let one of my friends go to a party like this _alone_. So how are you Anne?... and Lady Rachel," she smiled.

"I'm doing just fine," Rachel smiled, "but do sit down. The night has just started, and if you keep standing you'll be tired an hour from now!"

Sophie chuckled, sitting next to Anne, which caused Aurora to sit next to Rachel. "Thank you. Rachel and Anne, this is my friend Aurora. She's here with Andrés. Aurora this is Rachel and Angelina Durless, a couple of ladies I met last time I was at one of these parties," Sophie smiled, content on finally introducing them.

"So you're with Andrés?" Rachel asked.

Aurora nodded meekly, "Yes I am. Out of nowhere he invited me. I wonder why…" she looked over at Sophie, who smiled happily at her.

"The other girls will be _**so**_ disappointed!" Anne giggled.

"Yes probably –"

"Hello Lady Sophia." The four women looked over to see a man holding out his hand towards her. "If you're not too busy, would you like to dance?"

Sophie looked at the other three, rolling her eyes. Then she smiled happily, taking his hand with her long black gloves, "Of course I will. Anne, take care of Aurora for me," Sophie smirked, as the man escorted her to the dance floor.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a groan as she leaned against a balcony right outside of the ballroom. She was tired of dancing and sick of every young man there asking to dance with her. Even Lord Chamber asked to dance with her, whom she couldn't refuse even though she had been dancing nonstop for an hour. She saw Anne and Aurora walk outside, both of them laughing happily. "Oh, hi Sophie!" Anne smiled.

"Did you get tired of dancing?" Aurora asked.

Sophie let out a groan, earning giggles from both of the ladies, "Yes. Everyone in there doesn't know how to dance. I'm getting tired of it."

"Yeah. It looked like a few of them were trying to land a ship into the dock or something," Anne laughed, while Aurora giggled.

"So how have you guys been?" Sophie asked, a wine glass in her hand.

"We've been fine," Aurora smiled, "Anne has been showing me around the place. I've even talked with some on the women here." She walked over to Sophie, cuffing her hand, "but I can see why you find these things boring. They talk, a **lot**!" she whispered, causing Sophie to chuckle.

"Yeah they do that. Hey Aurora, has Andrés danced with you yet?"

She shook her head, "He's just been talking about our dance group. Sto ottenendo molto stanco, sapete?"

"Yeah, capisco," Sophie chuckled to herself, "gli uomini possono essere assorbiti in loro proprio mondo piccolo."

Anne looked at them confused, "W-what are you saying?"

"Oh," Sophie smiled to Anne, "It's Italian."

"Ah!..." she smiled at them. "I didn't know you knew Italian."

Sophie smirked, "There's a lot of things you don't know about me," she finished, brushing Anne's nose with her finger. "Well I'm going to sit out here for a while longer. You guys can go back in and enjoy yourselves."

"Sure," Aurora shrugged. "Come on Anne. Let's get Andrés to dance with me," she smirked, pulling Anne with her as they walked inside.

Sophie let out a sigh; happy with the moments she had by herself. She looked out towards the sky, starting to get sleepy and drowsy. "Hello Lady Sophia," she heard someone say, turning to see a man a few years older than her dressed in a black suit. He had black hair, the ends wavy and messy, as if he'd just gotten out of bed. What intrigued her were his eyes, which were colored a dark amethyst with a soft glow of light yellow visible in his eyes. His hair was long enough to hid parts of his eyes, but short enough that it could be considered short hair. He bowed to her, Sophie looking at him confused. "My name is Dorren. I was one of the gentlemen who had danced with you tonight."

She blinked in confusion, then nodded, "Oh yes I remember you," she smiled. "Dorren, right?"

"That is correct," he smiled back at her. She looked at him, wondering why he was here. "Are you wondering why I'm here talking to you?"

"Ummmm," her eyes widened a bit, "Yes I am."

He chuckled, "Well your Aunt Crystal asked me to come and talk to you. She said something about you being available."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "She's not my aunt. Okay let me rephrase that, she's my _blood-related_ aunt, but I don't consider her my aunt anymore."

"Oh you don't?" he wondered, "Why not?"

She let out a sigh, "Long story short, they threw me into an orphanage and I was adopted by the Undertaker. So any relations I have with the nobility are through the Undertaker, **not them**," she said rather sternly.

"So the Undertaker…." Dorren nodded, "Okay I see it now. Well if you would like to talk or anything, I'm here for you," he smiled with a bow, before walking away.

She glared at him, before turning around to look at the sky again. _'Such a strange guy… I don't know why, but he doesn't feel right. I'd better stay away from him,_' she sighed, looking at the ground. _'Oh mom, I wish you were here with me. Why do I feel so alone?'_ shefrowned, feeling a chill go down her spine.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie smiled to herself as she walked in a vast garden, behind Lord Chamber's house. It could be seen from the balcony and was a very beautiful sight from above, a maze of different flowers, mostly roses, leading you out to the fields, but Sophie wanted to get a closer look. She giggled, plucking a forget-me-not flower from a nearby bush and inhaling its fragrance. She smiled, for no one was around to bother her. She brushed her hand through the flowers, singing a song as she did:

"Nulla lorem enim infantes  
>Super caeruleo nitidum caeli<br>Qui nunquam mutat accumsan  
>Cuius amorem non moritur;<br>Our terrena deficere possunt amici nobis,  
>Et mutare uaria annorum<br>Ut semper odio dignam  
>De nomine cordi gerit."<p>

She paused briefly, hearing someone up on the balcony singing the song with her. She smirked; it was Andrés singing the song, holding Aurora's hand as he did. She began again, her words different then Andrés' because he was singing it in Spanish:

"No hay un hogar para niños pequeños  
>Sobre el cielo azul brillante,<br>Donde Jesús reina en gloria,  
>Un hogar de paz y alegría;<br>No hay hogar en la tierra es semejante a éste,  
>Tampoco se puede comparar con él;<br>Y todos están felices,  
>Tampoco podía estar más feliz allí."<p>

She hummed the tune in her hand, the breeze blowing around her with flower petals flying around her. She danced around, her eyes closed as she swayed back and forth. "Don't worry mom," she smiled, releasing the blue petals into the air.

"Non obliviscar tui."

Sophie smiled up to the sky, watching the flowers blow in the breeze. Then she giggled to herself, walking out of the maze she wandered into.

!#$%^&*()

When the stagecoach came to a halt Sophie jumped out, waving behind her as she did. Closing the door behind her she let out a sigh, turning behind her and walking back to the morgue. She stopped, looking over at the gate to the cemetery. She smiled to herself, walking through the gate and up the road to the top of the hill. She stopped, trailing off of the road. She came to a gravestone and pulled out a few gladioli from her back, a smile on her face. "Hi Haden," she smiled. "I wish you were still here with me… I'm so lonely by myself. You never really told me if you were satisfied that the Undertaker is my foster-father, though I've always believe you're content with him," she let out a sigh, twisting the gladioli between her fingers. "There are so many things I'd want to talk to you about, experiences I've made and friends I've met. I wish you were still here," she finished, kissing the gladioli flowers and laying them on his grave.

Then she walked on, finding another gravestone. "I wish you were here mom," she chuckled, taking out a pink rose. "I think your sister-in-law is trying to marry me off, but I'm not going to allow that to happen. Besides," she smiled to herself, "I know you wouldn't want my life to end up like that, so miserable and alone in a large mansion. You've told me why you wouldn't go back, even though you had me and was having trouble financially. I'm scared though," she frowned. "I feel… so alone. It's a different type of loneness then just not seeing anyone. It's… like my heart is missing something," she sighed. "I don't know mom. I wish you were here to help me." She kissed the rose, setting in front of the gravestone. Sophie smiled to herself, walking back to the gravel road and up to the top of the hill. She folded her hands behind her back, staring up to the sky. A soft breeze blew through her hair, causing her shiver slightly.

"Oh my ~" Sophie heard someone say behind her, causing her to turn around quickly, "Now what's a young maiden like yourself doing –" the Undertaker looked at Sophie, mystified for a few moments. Sophie giggled, his silence causing her to smile wider, "Oh it's just the little white swan in black."

"**Just** a swan?" she chuckled, pushing her hair away from her eyes.

He smiled, wrapping his arms around her waist. She smiled, leaning into the Undertaker's arms and looking up to the sky. "You should have come in and told me you arrived. I was getting worried," he chuckled in her ear, causing her to shiver from his hot breath on the back on her neck.

"I-I just wanted to be alone tonight, that's all," she sighed. "Besides, the party was getting long and I was getting tired," she giggled.

"Oh is that so? ~" he smirked, "So how was that party?"

"Boring," Sophie shrugged, "and tiring. The first hour or so I was there I ending up dancing with, I think, every eligible man at the party. Most of them didn't even know how to dance!" She giggled to herself, "There were a few that knew how to dance, but every one of them was dull and boring. No _passion_, you know?" She let out a sigh, "So after a while I think they gave up. I wasn't giving them any emotion because they were all dull."

The Undertaker chuckled, "Is that so? ~"

Sophie giggled, hugging his arms tightly for warmth. "Mmmhmmm," she smiled happily. "Well that aunt and uncle of mine talked to me again. It was annoying and I wasn't in the mood, so I just gave them a blank and dull expression and they left me alone. Then there was this guy… well let's just say I didn't like him. After that I was just thinking about mom and Haden, so I had to come by and visit them, you know?" She smiled sweetly, looking up at him, "The mansion had this beautiful flower garden, so I went out and picked three flowers."

"Three?" he looked at her questionably.

"Yep!" she smiled, "One for Haden, one for mom, and one for you." She grabbed a bundle of marjoram from behind her back and handed it to him.

"Oh, marjoram. Thank you little maiden," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

She giggled, "You're welcome." She let out a content sigh, closing her eyes and leaning into the Undertaker's chest.

He chuckled, "Are you tired?"

She shook her head, "N-no not yet," she smiled, cracking a smug look on her face. "I just like the scenery from up here."

"Same here," he smiled, holding her closely. "My little maiden," he began to say after a moment of silence.

"Hmmmm?" she asked, looking back up at him.

He let go of her, bowing respectfully to her, "May I have this dance with you?"

She giggled, blushing slightly, "Dance with you? Of course I will, Sir Undertaker," she smiled as he took her head into his and started dancing the waltz. Sophie smiled, a giggle escaping your lips, "I didn't know you knew how to dance."

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me little maiden," he chuckled, dipping her. She let out a gasp, looking at Undertaker's face amazed. He smiled, continuing to guide her with him in the full moonlight.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a content sigh, happy to be in her normal outfit again._ 'The dresses are ok,' _she smirked to herself,_ 'but dress are too poufy for me. If they were slender and had less fluff added, then I'd wear one every day. Just because of what I have to do I can't go running around in fancy dresses. Plus it's horrible to get a dress dirty and it's harder to clean. I'll just stick to my normal clothes,' _she smiled to herself_. 'Now to deliver these cookies to Miss Robin. I wonder if they'll like that I added red frosting this time,'_ she smirked to herself, holding a tin can under her arm. Just then she bumped into someone, "Oh excuse me," she quickly said, looking up at the man.

She frowned when her eyes came into contact with the man's, amethyst /yellow eyes, but they were different from before. They sparkled in a way that sent a chill down Sophie's spine. "It's okay, it's my fault," the man said, quickly walking away.

Sophie looked towards the ground, before hastily walking around the next bend. _'That was the sixth time I've seen those eyes and it's only Wednesday! What is going on here? Is that guy following me, or are there other people around London like him?'_ she let out a sigh of relief as the orphanage came into view. She ran inside, quickly shutting the door behind her.

"Oh Sophia!" Robin smiled; handing a doll a little girl was having her look at and walking over to her. She frowned, noticing how pale Sophie's face was. "Sophia are you ok? You seem awfully pale," she said, putting a hand on her forehead, "and your head is hot. Are you ok?"

"I-I'm fine," Sophie reassured her, still holding her stomach uncomfortably, "Just… when I leave can someone escort me home?"

"Why?" Robin frowned, seeing the fear in Sophie's eyes. "Did something happen?"

"N-no…" she assured her. "Just…" she let out a sigh, "I'll tell you later. I just don't feel safe walking the streets alone."

Robin nodded, "Okay Sophie, we'll talk about it later. Now come in and make yourself at home." She cracked a smile. Sophie smiled back, still looking at the door with hesitance.

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you Rick," Sophie smiled, opening the door to the morgue.

"You're welcome Sophie," he smiled, giving her a quick hug. "Feel better okay? Once you do we'll go out to dance! What do you think to that?"

She nodded, a giggle escaping her lips, "Sounds great Rick." He nodded to her, walking down the street and disappearing down a house. She smiled, and then let out a sigh as she closed the door behind her.

"Back so soon? ~" the Undertaker asked, as he sewed a body's stomach back together.

"Yeah…" was all Sophie said as she set her coat on a rack and sat down on a coffin. She put her head in her hands, rubbing her head with frustration.

The Undertaker frowned, putting the thread and needle in the coffin and wiping his hands on a rag. Then he came over to her, grabbing one of her hands and putting it on his lap as he sat down. "What's wrong little maiden?"

She looked at him with a frown, before holding onto his hands tightly. "There… I think someone is following me." She looked up to the Undertaker, the expression on his face telling her that he wasn't pleased. "It's been happening for a while, starting last week. At first it was only once a day, but now it's too many for a day. I just thought we were running into each other because perhaps he was going to work or something, but now it's getting scary."

The Undertaker lifted up her hands and gave them a kiss, all the while staring into her eyes. She looked tired and worried, and more so frightened. "Who is he?"

She frowned, "He calls himself Dorren, but I think he's something other then human..." she finished. Her eyes widened with how he reacted.

For the first time he looked angry, gripping Sophie's hands tightly. She wasn't sure, but it seemed like he was looking off into the distance, before bringing his mind back to the room. "Dorren you say?" he said, making sure it was true.

She nodded. He wrapped his hands around Sophie's waist and pulled her into his chest, holding her tightly. "U-Undertaker?" her eyes widened, confused with his sudden actions.

"Promise me you'll keep away from this guy, okay?" he said, his voice sounding so genuine.

She nodded, hugging him tightly, "I promise."

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And this is where I stop *laughs evilly*. Okay guys what do you think? What do you think will happen to our little heroine? Well I'm happy I was able to finish this early today!**** And yes I know this song is modern, but I couldn't find any good songs that would fit well with the story. Plus it's a children's song so perhaps it'll work. =D See you guys! I'll be back for the next chapter X3 **

_Belleza_ – Spanish – _beauty_

_Sto ottenendo molto stanco, sapete?_ – Italian – _I am getting very tired, you know?_

_Yeah, capisco_ – Italian – _Yeah, I understand_

_gli uomini possono essere assorbiti in loro proprio mondo piccolo_ – Italian – _men can be absorbed in their __own little world_

Dorren – Irish – stranger

Crystal – English – crystal

_Non obliviscar__tui_ – Latin – _I will not forget you_

Gladioli – at a funeral, this flower embodies strength of character, sincerity, and moral integrity

Pink Rose – at a funeral, this flower sends a message of love, grace, and gentility

Marjoram – at a funeral, this flower conveys comfort and consolation

Song – "_Above the Bright Blue Sky"_by Albert Midlane (Latin and Spanish translation from goggle translator)

First paragraph/Latin:

Nulla lorem enim infantes  
>Super caeruleo nitidum caeli<br>Qui nunquam mutat accumsan  
>Cuius amorem non moritur;<br>Our terrena deficere possunt amici nobis,  
>Et mutare uaria annorum<br>Ut semper odio dignam  
>De nomine cordi gerit.<p>

Second paragraph/Spanish:

No hay un hogar para niños pequeños  
>Sobre el cielo azul brillante,<br>Donde Jesús reina en gloria,  
>Un hogar de paz y alegría;<br>No hay hogar en la tierra es semejante a éste,  
>Tampoco se puede comparar con él;<br>Y todos están felices,  
>Tampoco podía estar más feliz allí.<p>

English:

Above the bright blue sky, A Friend who never changes  
>Whose love will never die;<br>Our earthly friends may fail us,  
>And change with changing years,<br>This Friend is always worthy  
>Of that dear name he bears.<p>

There's a home for little children  
>Above the bright blue sky,<br>Where Jesus reigns in glory,  
>A home of peace and joy;<br>No home on earth is like it,  
>Nor can with it compare;<br>And everyone is happy,  
>Nor could be happier there.<p> 


	7. The Abduction

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Just so you know, the **_**italic**_** parts to the story are **_**memories that the character is recalling**_**. Well I'm hope you're ready for another chapter! I'm happy that I was able to write this part, but I'm sad that I now have to do homework D= Just fair warning: There's some foul language, violence, and ****suggestive adult themes. I don't know if I'll keep the rating ****T**** or change it to ****M****. Just tell me, because I'm not exactly sure what age appropriate is or not. Also, throughout the rest of the story stuff like this will come up, so just be prepared. I hope you enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

Since Sophie made a promise, she planned on keeping it, especially since that said promise was to her dad. She let out a sigh, walking down the streets with Robin. A smile was on her face, since Sophie didn't want to venture out at night by herself anymore. At least Robin was there for her, whenever she needed someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on. Once they got to the morgue, Robin let out a sigh, "Have a good night Sophia. I hope you have sweet dreams."

She smiled, causing Robin to smile back, "Thank you. I-I know I've been a pain lately but –"

"But think nothing of it," she said, holding Sophie's hand gently. "If you think someone is stalking you, then I'll stay by you and make sure you get home safely. Don't worry about it. Besides," she smirked, "I promised you that I'd be around through thick and thin. I won't turn my back on you yet Sophia."

Sophie giggled, giving her a hug, "Thank you, Miss Robin. I pray that God gives you sweet dreams too."

She chuckled, "Thank you dear." Sophie smiled, watching as Robin walked down the street and disappearing into the smog. Sophie let out a sigh and looked up, seeing a purple haze around a corner. She glared at it before walking into the house, fully aware of the eyes that have been following her for weeks on end.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie shuddered in her sleep, sweat falling down her brow. Pulling the covers closer around her body she flinched, almost knocking a burned out candle off of a table with her foot. "Ma, ma, ma-mommy?... P-papa?... Why?..." she whimpered, tears falling down her face. "D-don't go again. Don't leave me here… p, P-papa?..." Her eyes shot open, her body about to fall off of the bed. Sophie shuddered, pulling the covers closer to her body. She put a hand over her head, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh. _'Those nightmares again… why am I having them again?'_

She stirred, slowly getting out of bed. Sophie wrapped a small blanket around her body and walked down the hall. She took a turn and walked into a room, where a coffin laid flat close to the floor. If it weren't for the coffin, the rest of the room looked like an average old living room. There were a few large bookshelves full of books surrounding the walls and a couch lay in the middle of the room next to a few candles. On the other side of the room, in the corner, was a desk full of stacks of paper, where the Undertaker was currently writing something down on the paper, stamping it, then putting the paper aside and beginning with a new one. She smiled; it was where he would read her books of biographies of famous people, some more known then others. Sophie grew to love the room, for it reminded her of the living room in her old house where her mom would read to her and teach her new things. Except at her old house, the room was bigger and the walls where white, but other than that it felt like home. She decided to turn back, not wanting to disturb him as he worked. "Sophia?" he said casually, not looking up from the paper he was signing.

Sophie turned back, a blush on her face. He caught her, yet again. She let out a sigh, walking over to him, avoiding the coffin, which lay haphazardly on the floor, and sat down on the couch. She looked over at him, a small smile creeping on her face. Sophie never really sees the Undertaker with his thin-brimmed, black glasses on. He only uses them late at night, when he had made sure she was fast asleep. It always puzzled her, did the Undertaker even sleep? He was up when she'd fall asleep and up when she woke up the next day. Even when she was up late at night she would be asleep before him. What puzzled her more is the fact that she couldn't see his eyes under the glasses, much to her disappointment. She smiled, turning to the top hat that lay next to her on the couch and putting it on her head. She blew at the string that came in front of her face, shooing it away till it fell behind her head.

Then she looked back over, watching as he'd sign a paper, stamp it, put it on a random stack next to him, grab another, and going back to signing the paper. It looked boring and tedious, having to sign all those papers. No wonder it was a synch for him to fill out all the papers required for her to be adopted. He had probably done paperwork like that several times. After living with the Undertaker for most of her life, Sophie knew not to disturb him while he was filling out forms. Funeral related or not. She learned to not ask questions, be quiet and watch, and let him go about his work silently and calmly. Filling out a paper and putting it to the side, the Undertaker took off his glasses and put them down gently on the desk. Then he put his elbows on the desk and his head in his hands, looking over at Sophie with curiosity. "Is there something you wanted to talk to me about, little maiden?"

"Hmmm?" she said, snapping out of her thoughts. "No…" she smiled happily, before fiddling around with the black ribbon that seemed to get into her face again.

"Did you have a nightmare again?"

Sophie frowned, taking the top hat off and setting it back where she found it. "Yes," she sighed, looking at the ground, "I thought the nightmares had stopped, but now they seem to be coming back worse than ever. I… I don't know. I just can't sleep right now." She smiled, looking over at him, sitting on the couch with her hands on her lap, "I want to watch you work. Is that okay?"

He smiled, putting the glasses back on his face. "That's fine," he smirked, "just make sure you get some sleep. I don't want you to be crabby tomorrow."

She giggled, wrapping the blanket around her tighter as she leaned her head against the arm of the couch. All the while she watched him work, signing the paper, stamping the paper, setting the paper on a stack next to him, grabbing a paper, signing the paper, stamping the paper, setting the paper on a stack next to him, grabbing a paper, signing the paper, stamping the paper, setting the paper on a stack next to him, grabbing a paper, signing the paper, stamping the paper, setting the paper on a stack next to him, grabbing a paper, signing a paper…

!#$%^&*()

The Undertaker let out a sigh, putting one stack of paper in a suitcase and filing the rest in a drawer next to him. He hated having to fill out forms since he had retired from active duty. As much as he loved being a mortician, the paperwork involved in a person's funeral was enough to make even himself languid. He could only get around to doing this at night, when he couldn't get to sleep. He took off his glasses, put them into a small black case, and put them in the top drawer next to him. Then he looked over at Sophie, a smile on his face. She was sleeping soundly, her head lying next to his top hat. He walked over to her, putting his hat to the side so he could sit next to Sophie's sleeping form. He ran her fingers through her hair, the tip of his black nail brushing her cheek.

Sophie moved slightly, the grip on the blanket she held in between her fingers getting tighter. "M-mommy?..." she shuddered, causing the Undertaker to frown. "P-pap-ha?... Why are you leaving?... C-can I come w-ith you?... Mommy and I need you… papa?..." Her eyes flashed open, her heart racing wildly. Then she felt something, that a hand rested on top her head, stroking her hair leisurely. She smiled, closing her eyes again, "Undertaker?"

He looked down at her, obviously spacing out into his own train of thought, "Yes little maiden?"

"Are you going to go to sleep now?" she asked, opening her eyes as she felt his hand leave her head.

"I… don't need to sleep tonight, but you go ahead and sleep. Don't worry about it Sophia," he smiled.

She yawned, sitting up on the couch and looking up at him, worry in her eyes. "If it's not healthy for me to not get any sleep, then it's not healthy for **you** to not get any sleep. Why don't you just relax and try to sleep for once?"

He smirked, "I don't need to sleep for long periods as time as you do, little maiden. It's as simple as that." Sophie glared at him, leaping off of the couch and walking over to the coffin. "Sophia?" he said, surprised by her sudden movement.

"I made this for you to sleep in, not to look at when you're bored," she frowned, tracing a finger over the top of the coffin. She let out a sigh, the coffin bring back memories of Haden and her making it so long ago. Then she looked at him sternly, opening the lid and sitting down inside. "If you're not going to use it, then I will," she gruffly said, slamming the lid shut.

He looked, still baffled a bit, before chuckled to himself. The Undertaker got up and walked over to the coffin. He opened to lid to find Sophie curled up in the coffin, using the blanket to keep her warm. She looked up, waiting for his reply. "Well, are you going to make room or will I have to do that myself? ~" he said a smirk on his face. Sophie smiled, sitting up in the coffin slightly so he wouldn't squish her. Once he lay down she wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He shut the lid closed, and then he laid back and rested his head above Sophie's. Sophie giggled, her hands leaving behind the blanket that had fallen around her knees. "You're so stubborn," he chuckled, "just like someone I used to know."

Sophie smiled, nuzzling her face in his chest, "Good," she giggled. She smiled as she listened to the sound of his heart beat. He brushed through her hair she began to close her eyes, the soothing sounds and touch of the Undertaker lulling her to sleep. "Go to sleep Undertaker. I don't want you to get sick on me," she giggled lightly, sleep quickly taking over her body.

"Don't worry little maiden. I'll sleep," he smiled, kissing the top of her head. Then he closed his eyes, pulling Sophie closer to him as he tried to sleep, "I won't get sick…" he smiled, rubbing Sophie's shoulders as he drifted off to dreamland.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie coughed, opening the door to the morgue and putting a bag of groceries in the kitchen before she walked back into the main room to find the Undertaker sewing up a body. "Okay I got some meat and stuff for us to eat tonight," she smiled happily, "but I completely forgot to get lilies for our little friend's big day," she frowned.

He chuckled, the body he was sewing up finally done. "Now that I'm done, would you like me to make dinner?"

She nodded, grabbing for her coat off of the coat rack. "Yeah that would be great! I'll just be right back with those flowers."

He nodded, washing his hands in a bowl before Sophie could walk out the door. "Do you need me to go with you? The day is almost gone and if you say someone is stalking you –"

"No it's fine," she smiled contently. "I'll be back in just a few minutes and I'll only be a few blocks away. I'll be fine." She giggled, "Thank you for your concern. Now I must be off while I still have some sunlight!" she quickly said, opening the door and running out as the door was closing.

"Just be safe," he quickly said, before the door closed. The Undertaker sighed, walking into the kitchen to start dinner. He took out a cutting board and started to chop up vegetables Sophie brought home, all the while worried about her wellbeing.

)(*&^%$#!

The lilies she had wanted to buy weren't that far away from the shop. Paying the flower girl for a bouquet, she secured the flowers under her arm and rushed home, still a bit fearful for being out by herself. As soon as she turned a corner she ran into a man, a tall man with amethyst/yellow eyes. He looked down at her, as if expecting her to run into him. Sophie quickly stood up and brushed herself off, trying to avoid eye contact with the man, "Sorry about that," she mumbled to herself.

"That's alright," he smiled, the man still making her nervous. "Those are some lovely lilies you have there. Can I have one?"

She stared at him confused, before shrugging, "Sure why not," she smiled, handing him a small lily.

He took it gladly, inspecting the lily as if he was admiring its beauty. "Aaah, yes a white lily, meaning innocence, majesty, and purity. Though it would be a shame is someone _**crushed**_ it," he smirked, causing Sophie to flinch back.

She glared, "You're Dorren aren't you?"

"Yes I am." She hissed at him, causing him to smirk.

"I knew it. You've been following me since that party. Why?..." she glared at him, her blue/green eyes shining in the rising moonlight.

He thought for a moment, as if he didn't know how to answer you. "_Why_ I've been following you? Why I don't know," he smiled. "Though," he grabbed her arm, forcing her to lean in towards his face, "I **do** need you to come with me."

She glared, "I refuse." His death grip tightened around her arm, causing it to bruise. It was obvious this man wasn't human. His eyes glowed, a hint of red swirling around his amethyst/yellow eyes. Her eyes went wide, knowing that she was in trouble now. "Let go of me," she squirmed, kicking at him.

He hissed, twisting her arm till she knelt down on the ground in pain. She whimpered still ready to fight back with all her strength. Dorren leaned into her ear, his breath cold and foul, "You don't want your precious father to undergo an unsightly accident, now do you?" He smirked, noticing how Sophie had stopped struggling.

"Don't threaten me," she growled, staring angrily into his eyes.

"I won't threaten you, or anyone else you know, if you quietly come with me."

She stared up at him, narrowing her eyes. Whatever power this guy had, it was something that she wouldn't be able to fight against. She stood up, his grip on her arm not relaxing. "But I have to get home to give Undertaker –"

"I'll give him your precious flowers as long as you come with me quietly." Then he pulled on her arm, the tremendous force causing her to jump a few feet. She whimpered, not trying to yell out in pain. She looked down the street hoping someone would come and know she was in trouble, but no one came.

)(*&^%$#!

The Undertaker hummed to himself, reading a book in the main room of the morgue. He looked outside and noticed that it was dark and the moon had raised high in the sky. He got up; setting the book he was reading on a coffin and walking into the kitchen. Opening the pot, he noticed that the food was getting cold. "Where is she?..." he frowned, grabbing a pocket watch out from under his robes and looked at the time. Already almost four hours had passed since Sophie left the house.

Then he heard the bell chime at the front of the store, "Sophie?" he called out, hastily walking to the front of the store. When he got there he found a bundle of white lilies sitting on a coffin, with no one there. He quickly ran to the door, opening it to see who was there, but the streets were empty. He grumbled and closed the door and walking over to the lilies, and noticed a rolled up scroll lying next to the bouquet. He picked it up and looked at the seal, "Dorren," he growled. Ripping the waxed seal open he read its contents, the slight smile on his features vanishing in an instant.

_Dearest Undertaker, _

_I am glad to see that you are still alive and well. After taking my darling away so long ago, I have decided to obtain everything beloved you hold dear. I have taken all your precious pieces away from you once again. How do you feel about that? I bet you are wallowing in self pity right now. How I would love to see the look of despair on your face as I have seen many times before. Are you hoping that you will be able to get your precious little white swan back? Do not even try. You will never be able to track me down and you know it. Besides, I plan on tainting your precious swan and turn her black to the core. After all, she is human. Her soul would not be able to escape an envious demon like myself. So what do you say? Are you going to play cat and mouse with me?_

_The Apep_

Suddenly the lilies were lit in a purple/black flame, quickly dying down and smothering the lilies. He picked up a lily, the flower crumbling in his hands. He crushed up the piece of paper, ripping it to shreds, glaring out the door and noticing a purple/yellow haze from the other side of the street.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Dorren laughed evilly as he whipped Sophie's back. She bit back her sobs, refusing to cry out in pain. She was chained to a wall, the room damp and bitter. She winced, the whip hitting a spot on her back that hadn't been cut into. Closing her eyes her mind wandered farther away from the pain she felt to a different pain she was feeling long ago.

"_Sophia, dear, do not run. I don't want you scraping her knee."_

_Sophie giggled, grabbing the flowers she picked in a bundle and running to a woman sitting at the top of the hill. The woman was wearing a white dress, her brunette hair blowing softly in the breeze and her blue eyes staring upon her daughter and she made it to the top. Sophie slumped down, setting the flowers in her mother's lap and sitting next to her. She leaned against her mother, who was leaning against a tree. She began braiding the flowers together as her mother did, listening to her mother hum happily as she did. "Mommy?"_

_The woman looked over at her, still working on braiding the flowers together, "Yes Sophia?"_

"_When is papa coming back?" Sophie stared at her, eyes full of curiosity. "Will he come back tomorrow? Next week?"_

"_I… I don't know," she sighed, setting the flowers down on her lap and looking up to the sky. "I don't know."_

_Sophie frowned, hating to see her mother so depressed, but then she giggled. "But he will come back, right?"_

_Her mother smiled, picking up her daughter and setting her down on her lap, giggling along with her daughter as she tickled her. "I do hope so," she smiled, Sophie still laughing after having a tickle fit. "Don't worry Sophia. You father will be back, and if he doesn't come back I'll still take care of you."_

_Sophie smiled, hugging her mother tightly, "I know mommy. I'm just wondering." She smiled, giving her mother a quick peck on the lips before turning around and sitting contently on her mother's lap. Sophie yawned as her mother put the finished crown of flowers on her daughter's head. She giggled, letting out a yawn and cuddling into her mother's chest. She listened to her mother's heart beat, a nice steady beat that was putting her to sleep. "Mommy?"_

"_Yes dear?" she smiled._

"_Can you read me 'The Scarlet Letter' today?"_

_Her mother chuckled, brushing her daughter's auburn hair. "Again? I just finished reading a chapter to you yesterday."_

"_Yes, but the story sounds like us! Oh please mommy? Please read more," she looked up, beating her wide blue/green eyes at her mother. _

_She laughed, causing Sophie to smile happily. "Of course I will. Now get comfortable my wise little girl and I'll read you the story." Sophie yawned, curling up in her mother's lap, looking at the book as her mother began to read, "XIX: The Child at the Brook-Side. Do you know what XIX is little Sophia?"_

"_Umm…" Sophie thought, "nineteen, right mommy?"_

_She smiled, brushing her hair, "That's right Sophie. Now, '__"THOU wilt love her dearly," repeated Hester Prynne, as she and the minister sat watching little Pearl. "Dost thou not think her beautiful? And see with what natural skill she has made those simple flowers adorn her! Had she gathered pearls, and diamonds, and rubies, in the wood, they could not have become her better. She is a splendid child! But I know whose brow she has!" "Dost thou know, Hester," said Arthur Dimmesdale, with an unquiet smile, "that this dear child, tripping about always at thy side, hath caused me many an alarm? Methought—O Hester, what a thought is that, and how terrible to dread it!—that my own features were partly repeated in her face, and so strikingly that the world might see them! But she is mostly thine!" "No, no! Not mostly!" answered the mother with a tender smile. "A little longer, and thou needest not to be afraid to trace whose child she is. But how strangely beautiful she looks, with those wild flowers in her hair! It is as if one of the fairies, whom we left in dear old England, had decked her out to meet us."__' _

_Sophie's mother paused, looking down at her daughter and running her fingers through her soft-wavy hair. Sophie giggled, letting out a yawn. She smiled, looking back to the book and beginning from where she left off. '__It was with a feeling which neither of them had ever before experienced, that they sat and watched Pearl's slow advance. In her was visible the tie that united them. She had been offered to the world, these seven past years, as the living hieroglyphic, in which was revealed the secret they so darkly sought to hide,—all written in this symbol,—all plainly manifest,—had there been a prophet or magician skilled to read the character of flame! And Pearl was the oneness of their being. Be the foregone evil what it might, how could they doubt that their earthly lives and future destinies were conjoined, when they beheld at once the material union, and the spiritual idea, in whom they met, and were to dwell immortally together? Thoughts like these—and perhaps other thoughts, which they did not acknowledge or define—threw an awe about the child, as she came onward.'_

Sophie suddenly felt a harsh slap in her face, her eyes widening at her captor. "Wake up bitch! If you faint on me again I won't promise that I won't do something to your body as you sleep," he hissed at her, fear in her eyes. The anger in his eyes slowly left and he huffed, throwing her to the floor. She cried out as he straddled her, licking up her neck before biting down on her ear. "Don't expect anyone to save you this time Sophie. You're _**mine**_ now," he breathed into her ear, before glaring into her eyes.

Her eyes widened in terror as she watched the red in his eyes subsided, throwing her back to the floor. He huffed, standing up and walking away from her, avoiding eye contact. "Your aunt and uncle decided that we shall marry in three more days. It'll be a small ceremony, with only the priest as the outsider. Be prepared Sophie… I'm going to go now," he gruffly finished, leaving Sophie in the room with no source of light.

She curled up a little ball, sitting in the cold pool of her blood. Sophie coughed, her eyes slowing adjusting to the dark. _'If it's my aunt and uncle who is controlling that demon, it must mean that they're contracted to it. I need to figure out an escape plan… before I die here,'_ she coughed some more, blood coming out of her mouth. She steadied her breathing, fully knowing that Dorren wouldn't be back for a few hours. _'That dream… it was about my mom again. Oh why God? Why do you punish me so?... Was I born a sin? Like little Pearl was?... no it can't be so. Pearl isn't a sin. It was the people in that village who were sinful…So what am I? Why would a demon go to these lengths to not rape me and try to gain my love by having me marry him? It doesn't make sense.' _She sighed, "Undertaker," she quietly said in the dark, tears rolling down her eyes, _'Please find me soon.'_ She let out a gasp of air, coughing up blood, before rolling over and looking at the wall, trying all she could to fall asleep and travel to a different memory in her mind.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: The book is called "The Scarlet Letter" by ****Nathaniel Hawthorne. I actually read the book for school and is one of the only books that I actually liked from English class. So if you've never read the story and like my own story, then read it! It's a very good story about a woman being kicked out of her community because she had relations with a man and bore a child. It's a very cruel book and ends horribly, but I still love it X3 If you want to know the symbolism, the little girl Pearl is relating to Sophie. A child born from the love of her parents, but is shunned from society as a child because of her mother. Also shows a problem with the society during the Puritans, like how Sophie is shunned from her relatives because of her parents. Well that's all I'll give away, but that's why the book showed up in the flashback =D**

**I really hope you like my story still! I don't really get comments from you guys so it's hard to tell. I was wondering if you like my references to other books and etc. Should I continue? As always, I'll be seeing you later. Please comment!**

Lily – at a funeral, this flower is often interpreted as a symbol of innocence that has been restored to the soul of the departed

White lily – at a funeral, this type of lily expresses majesty and purity

Apep – Egyptian – evil snake, serpent, or dragon


	8. The Heart

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: We're finally reaching the end of an arc! Don't hate me for what I wrote down! I swear the story is continuing and won't be ending here. Sadly I don't know when I'll have the next chapter out. I actually have to work on a presentation right now that's due tomorrow, so I won't be writing the next chapter till… perhaps next week? Hopefully I'll have more time tomorrow, but I'm still unsure of what will happen. Warning: foul language and violence****. I'm not happy to write it as gruesome as I did, but that's how I saw it in my mind. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie stared at the ground, trying hard to concentrate on her hands. It was late at night, she could tell by a small crack in the wall. She had about fifteen minutes to escape before Dorren would find out. Her, so called, relatives would be asleep or out by now, and this was her last chance to get away. For the next day she will be handed off to Dorren as a bride and never see anyone she cares about again. She bit down on her bottom lip, twisting the wire in her hand till she heard a quiet click. Sophie looked up the stairs, hoping no one heard, but nothing stirred so she let out a relieved sigh. Taking the handcuffs off her hands, she was able to easily take them off of her legs. Then, quickly, she took the one off of her neck, red bands of raw flesh where the cuffs had been because they were tighter then they should be.

Rubbing the sore parts on her hands, she rushed to the door, slowing opening it and hoping it wouldn't squeak. Looking out, she saw that she was in the kitchen of her uncle's house. Sophie smirked, for she knew her way around and all the creeks the wood floor would make. So she rushed, leaving the kitchen and hastily walking out the back door. Once she was outside she didn't have to walk and ran as fast as she could. She knew that it would be 5-6 hour walk to London and she didn't have time to waste! Knowing her captor was a demon, he'll be able to catch up with her in no time. Sophie did know of a town close to the house, so she ran in the direction of the town.

After having to walk over hills and through marshes, she finally made it to the town. It was a quaint little town; with the only people awake those at the local bars. Sneaking through town, she wandered towards a corral and found horses in the stables. She smiled happily, jumping the fence and walking into the stables. She grabbed one by the mane, "Please come…" she grunted, trying to get one of the horses to move, but they refused and watched as she struggled. "Just my luck, stubborn horses," she frowned.

Just then she heard a neigh coming from the outside of the stable and she decided to investigate. Sophie saw a horse, a magnificent black horse, eyes a bright blue that shone in the moonlight, and it spotted her, casually walking over to her. She paused, slowly holding up her hand towards the horse. She was nervous, for she didn't want to have gone this far to be killed by a powerful kick from a horse. Gently rubbing its nose the horse smiled, neighing with content. She heard rustling behind her, cutting off her breathing. She stared up at the horse, hoping it was having the same idea she did. "C-can I ride you?" she asked quietly, enough for the horse to hear. It neighed happily, standing still so Sophie could get on its back. She smiled, noticing that the horse had a rope so she could control which way it was going. "Okay let's go," she whispered, letting the horse lead the way till they quietly left town. "I'm trying to get to London and I can't do so by foot. Can you help me?" The horse neighed happily, soon taking off in the direction of the city of London.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie gasped, seeing the smog of the city beginning to consume them. She had never been so happy to see black smog in her life. She was amazed that the horse got there in less than an hour. She remembered that it'd take a carriage three hours, but perhaps it was because they were running, but it was still a long route. Letting the horse lead them in, she gripped hold of its mane, trying to stay hidden from anyone who may be about tonight.

Finally coming to her destination, she pulled on the reins and jumped off of the horse. She smiled, rubbing its nose, "T-thank you… I don't know what I could do without your help." The black horse neighed, accepting her thanks. "I don't know why you'd suddenly help a poor soul like myself, but I hope to see you again," she smiled. Though in her head the presence of the horse felt familiar, but she couldn't quite figure it out. Watching the horse run off into the smog, Sophie quickly ran up the steps, knocking violently on the orphanage door for someone to answer the door.

!#$%^&*()

Robin looks on hesitation as she entered a room, finding Sophie contently sitting on the bed waiting for her. She took the bucket of water and set it on the floor and took the rag from the bucket and began wiping the blood from her face. Frowning, she moved down to her chest and her arms, "W-who did this to you?"

Sophie watched Robin, letting her do as she wished with her body. Right now she didn't care, her rebellious spirit practically broken. "W-well…" she coughed, a small hint of blood coming from her mouth.

Robin frowned, grabbing a fresh glass of water from a table next to her and handing it to her. "Don't speak. If you strain your vocal cords then you won't be able to talk normally again. Just rest and I'll take care of the rest." Sophie nodded her eyes still on Robin as she continued cleaning her. She knew she could count on Miss Robin if she was in trouble, but this trouble was bigger than her. Knowing that the sun will be up soon, the demon wouldn't try taking her during the day. So she could only sit and wait, hopefully being able to return to the safety of the morgue and the Undertaker. Though the more she thought, the more she couldn't figure it her questions. Sophie didn't think of what she was going to do once she escaped, but only stay away from Dorren and get him off of her trail. He threatened the Undertaker and everyone she cared about, but she would only stay at the orphanage for a few hours, after that leaving London and perhaps the island of Britain all together. Maybe smuggle aboard a ship and sail south to Spain or west to the Americas. Either way she had to leave. She couldn't stay around and let the demon hurt her friends; it was too much of risk to stay in town. "Please turn around Sophia dear," Robin smiled, dipping her rag in the water.

"R-robin?" she coughed, gulping down some water and tasting her blood washes down her throat.

"Yes Sophia dear?" she said, softly rubbing her back. She noticed the fresh cuts on Sophie's back, causing Sophie to cringe when she touched her. How someone could do that to a good kid broke her heart.

"W-where's the Undertaker?" Sophie asked, gripping the bed sheets in pain.

"I…" she paused, collecting herself as the scent of blood went up her nose. "We don't know. He disappeared around the time you did. We thought the two of you went off somewhere together and would be back soon, but that was almost a month ago."

Sophie frowned, "A month… T-thank you Robin."

She nodded, putting the rag away in the red/brown colored bucket and rubbed her back. "It's okay Sophia. I told you I would be there for you and I plan on staying." She stood up and grabbed a nightgown, throwing it over to her. "Put that on. I want you to sleep today okay?" Sophie nodded, putting the gown over her tired body. "Now get some rest," she said, helping Sophie tuck herself in, "and when you wake up you can tell me what happened, okay?"

Sophie nodded, rolling over and closing her eyes, "Okay Miss Robin… but Miss Robin."

She turned around, about the walk out the door. "Yes?"

"C-can you close the blinds?"

Robin smiled, walking over to the window and shut the window, closing the blinds in the process. "Better?"

Sophie nodded with a meek smile on her face. "Yes thank you."

"No problem," she smiled back, feeling Sophie's cold face before walking out the door and shutting it behind her.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Quickly stuffing a slice of bread in her mouth, she gave Robin a hug. Sophie smiled her body still sore from the other night. "It's about time I get going."

"D-do you have to?" Robin asked, letting go of Sophie.

She nodded, letting out a sigh, "If this guy finds me again, he'll surely come after you. I… I can't live with myself if I see you guys die." Sophie cracked a smile, "Just stay safe, okay? And if you find the Undertaker tell him what I told you. Please… stay safe."

She nodded, giving Sophie a peck on the cheek, "I will, now go. The ship will be leaving in a few more minutes."

Sophie smiled, waving to Robin before disappearing into the smog. Robin let out a sigh, walking back into the orphanage, but she hadn't noticed the pair of eyes staring at her from afar, a yellow haze disappearing into the smog.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie stood in line, waiting to get aboard the ship. Thanks to the money Robin gave her, she was able to buy a ticket instead of smuggling aboard. As she stood in line, she saw a familiar figure coming in closer to her. Sophie glared, standing her ground and waiting for the figure to stop next to her. The figure was snarling at her, and she smirked back. "_You little whore_," Dorren hissed under his breath so only Sophie could hear him, "What do you think you're doing, leaving me at the altar?"

He grabbed for her arm and she swiped him away, anger in her eyes. "You actually thought I would allow you to marry me like that? I'm not sleazy enough to go through with it without a fight. There's no reason for you to marry me, and I plainly **hate** you. So leave me alone," she glared, stepping slightly away from him. Dorren grabbed for Sophie, and this time she slapped him across the face, causing a bright red bruise on his face. "We are in a crowded area. If you try to grab me again I'll scream, and I don't think you want the police on your case, now do you?" She smirked, advancing in the line and getting close to finally leaving Dorren for good.

He chuckled, and then laughed hysterically, surprising Sophie. "You have a great little plan, if I was a brainless human like yourself, but I'm not going to let you leave me that easily. Besides," he said, leaning into her ear, "I know where you found refuge." He smirked as she gasped for air. "If you trust that those little children will be okay then leave, see if I care, but if you don't want the building to be burnt to the ground and a few measly children die, then you'll better hurry." He chuckled, leaving Sophie where she stood.

Sophie glared at him as he disappeared from sight, leaving her where she stood. "Oh god…" she whispered quietly to herself, noticing the smoke rising high above the city from the other side of town.

"Ma'am," she heard someone say, causing her attention to be drawn towards the ticket holder, "your ticket please."

She looked up, still in thought, then walked over to him and gave him your ticket. "Sorry, but I have a previous engagement to attend," she winked at him, taking off towards the city in a brutal race against time.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie ran as fast as she could, pushing past the early walkers beginning to emerge on the streets. Having to run across the city to get back to the orphanage, she coughed as the smoke beginning to go up her nose. She stopped at the door, pounding harshly at the burning door. "Is someone in there?"

She heard coughing coming from the other side of the door, "Help!" Her face went flushed. She could hear children screaming for help. "Sophie is that you?" she heard someone say from inside.

"Y-yes! How can I get you out?" she pounded on the door, not wanting to put her hand on the melting handle.

"We're trapped inside! All the doors are locked from the outside!" Robin coughed. "Ricardo and Maria are looking for a way out!"

Sophie paused,_ 'Even Ricardo and Maria…' _She closed her eyes and clutched her hands into a fist, frustrated that she couldn't help them.

"Help us!" the children cried out, causing Sophie to open her eyes in panic.

Her eyes were glowing yellow, the green in her eyes taking over her eyes and turning them a sapphire/emerald color. Out of nowhere a long scythe appeared in her hand, the silver blade glistening in the fire's glow. Gripping the wooden handle tightly she cried out, her actions uncontrolled. The blade came down, slashing at the building and extinguishing the fire. The door ripped open and pieces of the door came flying everywhere, freeing everyone who was trapped inside. "S-Sophia?" she heard Robin say from inside. Sophie gasped in horror, her senses quickly coming back to her. She paused before throwing the scythe to the ground and rushing inside, helping everyone out of the building.

Once everyone had left the building and everything calmed down, Sophie let out a violent cough, blood spewing out of her mouth and into her hands. "Oh god!" Maria cried out, rushing over to her and rubbing her back as she coughed. Sophie looked at Maria, a worried look displayed on her features. Maria's eyes widened in fear, watching the yellow color in her eyes swirl wildly around the pupil of her sapphire/emerald eyes. "W-what happened to you?..."

Sophie coughed again, gripping her chest in pain. "I-I don't know… Wha-t's going on with me?" she frowned, coughing up blood again.

Then she heard a child cry out, looking up to see Dorren grabbing Robin by the hair and holding a knife to her neck. "You think I'm done with you?" he laughed hysterically, the knife cutting like a knife to butter in Robin's skin.

"Dorren stop!" Sophie cried out.

Dorren smiled as he stopped cutting into Robin's neck, still holding the knife to her neck as she whimpered in fear. "_Come with me __**now**__ and no one will get hurt," _he hissed, his eyes glowing red through his amethyst/yellow eyes.

Her eyes widened, the suddenly dread of having to return to Dorren hitting her like a ton of bricks. She coughed as she got up and walked back over to him obediently. "Sophia don't!" Robin cried out, as she was thrown to the ground roughly.

Dorren grabbed Sophie's arm roughly, twisting it and smirking as she whimpered in pain. "I won't have anyone else but you," he whispered in her ear, pulling on her hair and dragging her with him. Then he took off with Sophie beginning to scream in protest, and he disappeared down the streets as the plea of Sophie's scream echoing down the streets of London, causing everyone who heard to freeze up with dread.

)(*&^%$#!

Tears fell down Sophie's face as she was dragged out of town and through the woods by Dorren's hand. What worried her is where the Undertaker went. Did Dorren kill him? Is he looking of her? She closed her eyes, not wanting to believe that this was really happening to her. Suddenly Dorren threw Sophie to the ground, her face coming into contact with a tree stump. Before she could realize what was going on he grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her up so they were seeing eye to eye. "What was **that**?" he hissed.

"Wha –"

He pulled harder on her neck, cutting off the oxygen she was trying to breathe. "You know what I mean. That power. _Where did it come from?_"

Sophie whimpered, "I-I don't know…" He glared at her, noticing the yellow glowing in her eyes. He hissed, before throwing her roughly to the ground, her head coming into contact with a tree.

Then he pulled out a knife, suddenly appearing in front of Sophie and holding it to her neck. "Then I'll just have to let it out myself," he smirked, licking the knife playfully. Her eyes widened in fear as he stabbed the knife into her chest, aiming for her heart. She cried out, the pain too unbearable to let go. He took the blade and slit it across her chest, before he took the blade out and lapped up her blood. He laughed, "Your blood tastes _so_ enchanting. I can't wait to drink the rest of it from your _sweet_ little body," he smirked, lifting up her head so she was staring into his eyes.

Her eyes looked glossed over, her eye color back to its normal blue/green color. Sophie didn't know how she was still breathing, but the loss of blood made her feel faint. "U-undertaker…" she gasped, blood trickling down her face.

He growled, pushing the knife deeper into her body. "Don't you **dare** say that name in my presence again, you hear me?" He frowned at her blank expression, shoving her dreary body back against the tree. Dorren stood up over her body, licking up the rest of the blood from his knife. Then his eyes narrowed, turning around to find a shadowed figure standing a few feet from him. "Aah, it's good to see you're still playing my little game," he chuckled, swinging the knife around before gripping it in his hands, "I thought you'd given up."

The figure glared, its green eyes glowing in the shadow of the trees. "I did **not** take your _darling_ away from you, rather you took her from **me**," he growled, acid in his spit.

"Oh really?" he chuckled, grabbing Sophie's head and holding the knife to her throat, "Either way I'm here to make sure you're _never_ happy again, _**ever**_." Dorren smirked, noticing his advance towards them. "Now I know you don't want your precious _white swan_ to fall victim to my blade, as your **other** darling little girl did," he smirked, leaning the blade into Sophie's neck so it caused a slight cut, enough to cause her neck to bleed.

"_**Let go of her**_," he growled, taking out a scythe hidden behind his back. The scythe looked as if it was made of silver, gleaming brightly from the light shining down from the thick trees. The whole scythe looks as if it was made from the bones of a dead body, or perhaps it was the dead body that was made from the silver in the scythe. Either way, he held up the scythe at Dorren, swinging it down fast enough to stun Dorren and causing him to slam into the tree.

Then he grabbed the collar of his shirt, holding the scythe at his neck. "Oh no~ooo. The little grim reaper is threatening me."

"She is **mine**, you hear me. _**Mine**_," he growled at Dorren, before throwing him to the ground, still aiming the blade of the scythe at his neck. "Besides," he said as he kicked Dorren in the back; the pressure of the kick slamming his face into the dirt, "She was never yours in the first place."

Dorren laughed, wiping the dirt off of his clothes, "Is that so?~ Well I think she thought differently, but how would you know? She's dead," he laughed, disappearing into the shadows of the tree.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie looked up, the events that were unfolding around her not registering in her mind. Only the pain in her neck was the only thing that went through her head, as the pain in her chest became a dull numbness. She looked up from where she laid, petrified with fear. If she could she would have moved away from the demented looking figure gleaming over her. She noticed the scythe it was holding, her body not registering the thoughts running through her head.

The reaper moved down, lifting her face up so it could see into her eyes. Her eyes had turned back to a solid blue, the same shade of blue her mother had. The green had diminished from her eyes, but even her eyes became dull from the blood that had been flowing from her stomach. The reaper brushed her tangled hair from her face, a soft smile registering on its features. Her eyes widened slightly, causing its smile to grow even more. _'That… looks like Undertaker's smile,' _she thought, and then she noticed the green gleam from under the silver bangs hiding his eyes.

"Come on little maiden," she heard it say, "It's time to go home." Then the figure picked her up, careful to not damage her brittle body.

Sophie slowly closed her eyes, a smile showing up on her face. "U-undertaker…" she was able to say, causing him to smile in content.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie slowly woke up, noticing that she was surrounded with only darkness. Then she sprang up, frightened that she was still back with Dorren and was trapped in the basement. Having to lie back down, because she rose up too quickly, her eyes slowly adjusted to her surrounds. She beamed, seeing dust on everything but the bed she was laying on. _'I'm home…' _she smiled happily, slowly sitting up to inspect to wounds the demon gave her.

First she noticed her stomach, for it was sewn up and already beginning to heal. She ran her fingers over the stitches, knowing that if she lasted then that would become a permanent scar on her body. She reached for her neck, noticing the cut Dorren gave her had already healed. She let out a sigh, laying back down on the bed and pulling the covers over her body. How she was able to heal faster than most people she knew was still a mystery to her. Most of the scars and bruises Dorren dealt had healed up already, except for the wound on her chest.

Closing her eyes and cuddling up with her pillow, she was glad that she was able to escape him. Now Sophie had realized who **was** the Undertaker? Of course she knew he was a weirdo, but she never though he wasn't human. She figured he couldn't have been human, for the fact that Dorren practically ran away from him. Why would a demon need to cause trouble with her dad? She rubbed her forehead; the thoughts running through her head were giving her a headache. Just then she heard the door open and she remained still, the only thing moving was her stomach breathing in and out. The person who walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to Sophie, and she felt his long black nails running through her matted and dirty auburn hair. "Are you ever going to wake up?" he sighed, Sophie frowning as she noticed how depressed his voice sounded. "I can't lose you… not again," he said, taking off his top hat and laid down on the bed. He wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her towards him, causing Sophie's face to burn up like a red hot tomato. "I shouldn't have become so attached to you, but you reminded me of my own little maiden," he chuckled, talking out loud in his own little world. "Her long and wavy burgundy hair and bright sea green eyes, with her eyes the beautiful combination of her mother's ominous blue eyes and my green eyes. How you would have loved to have met her. You acted just like her, having a tough exterior and loving to be alone, but always kind and helping others if they needed help. Even liking solitude she had many friends… which is why I liked you the first time I met you, Sophia. You're just like my little maiden…" he smiled, kissing Sophie on the head and continuing to run a hand through her hair. "But I couldn't save her," he frowned, "and I failed at saving you… I'm a failure at being a father."

"No you're not," Sophie said, surprising the Undertaker. "No you're not," she repeated herself, rolling over so she could see his face clearly, "I could never ask for a better father then you," she smiled happily, grabbing his hand and putting it under her head. "You brought me into your home when I was orphaned, took care of me when I was sick, and was protective of anyone I met. You would read me stories like mommy used to and sat with me underneath the tree at the top of the cemetery like she did. You didn't hate me, saying my eyes were scary or daunting. In fact, you said you like how my eyes can change from blue to green to blue depending on my vibes." She looked up at him, noticing the smile growing on his face, "I don't know what you are in this world, but as a father you were one of the greatest. If I didn't have you… well I probably wouldn't have gotten adopted," she shrugged. "I just wish you weren't so hard on yourself. You smile plenty, but you don't smile authentically enough. That's why Haden was hesitant with you," she chuckled to herself, remembering being with Haden before he passes away, "Just whatever you're hiding and sad about, I hope you feel better about it now."

He stared at her, and then let out a laugh, rubbing the top of her head, "Oh Sophia," he laughed. Then he stopped laughing, looking at her with a light smile on his face, "You like to speak your mind a lot, don't you?"

Sophie thought for a second, before nodding, "Of course!" She chuckled happily, "Why not? You can't be heard if you don't speak." She smiled, before letting out a cough and coughing up blood into her hand. Sophie looked at her hand confused as the Undertaker grabbed a piece of cloth and cleaned her hand. "Why?..." she frowned.

"Are you okay little maiden?" he asked, kissing her on the forehead.

"Y-yeah… well I don't know," she frowned, looking up at him with worry, "am I going to die?"

He looked at her blankly, "I don't know." Then he got up, ready to leave, "Well I'll leave you to rest. You've been passed out for at least a week and I don't want the wound on your chest to rip open again."

"Undertaker?" she called to him, causing him to turn around and look at her. "W-will I ever see your eyes?"

He chuckled, "Perhaps. Now go to sleep little maiden." Sophie nodded, curling up in a little ball and falling asleep, coughing up some blood before she closed her eyes.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out another cough, blood quickly coming out of her mouth. Robin laid next to her head and put a cold cloth on her forehead. After another month and no improvements, the Undertaker decided to call up Miss Robin for help. The news she gave him caused his normal Cheshire smile to fade. The major problems of blood loss, the long nights sitting in the cold in her own pool of blood, and using up her energy saving her friends from a burning building, Sophie wasn't in a state to be improving anytime soon. In fact, she was taking a turn for the worse. The wound in her chest had healed, but the major organ that was punctured, the heart, wasn't healing as quickly as her other wounds would. How Sophie stayed alive for so long stunned Robin, but she let it off as another paranormal activity that seemed to happen to Sophie a lot.

Sophie sat in bed, tired. Her body was barely responding to her commands again and she had trouble moving around. She wasn't even able to step out of the room without getting dizzy, let alone walk up the road to the top of the hill to watch the sun rise and fall. She gripped the Undertaker's hand tightly as he sat next to her on the bed. She looked over at him, wanting to say something, but was too tired to let anything escape her lips. "Would you like to spend a few minutes alone Undertaker?" Robin asked, rubbing her eyes from the sleep she deprived herself from.

"Yes, that will be fine," he smiled, watching as Robin walked out of the room. He looked over Sophie, who was shivering from the cold in the room. She was having hot and cold flashes, causing her body to shiver and heat up almost simultaneously. He took the cloth off of her forehead and kissed her, noticing how hot her forehead was.

"Hey Undertaker," Sophie said quietly, a sigh escaping her lips as she noticed him.

"Yeah?" he smiled, moving her hair away from her face.

"When you die, where do you go?" she asked, her bright blue eyes staring up at his face.

"Well…" he thought, still holding onto her hand, "I guess it depends on if you're good or if you're evil. If you're good you end up in a place of white, but if you're evil you end up in a place of black. In your case, I know you'll end up in the place of white." He smiled, kissing her cheek.

"Will… will I get to see Death?" she asked, confusion in her eyes.

He looked down at her confused, "See death? What do you mean?"

"Well," she thought, trying to think up the right words to say, "I know there are beings that come to the dead to take their soul, but they're always a different being. I was just wondering, is there an actual Death? Like… his name is Death and appeared at the beginning of the world, like Miss Robin said." Then she let out a chuckle, "Oh you must think I'm crazy now," she sighed. "Oh well… I just remember hearing it a while back, that's all."

Then she looked at the Undertaker stunned, who was holding onto his side and laughing hysterically, "Even when you're dying you're making me laugh." He smiled, looking into her eyes, "You're adorable, you know that?"

She smiled, "Well of course," she chuckled, a slight blush forming on her cheeks. "So," she coughed, blood coming out of her mouth, "is there a Death?"

He smirked, "Yes."

Sophie giggled, "I knew it," happy with his answer. "So if that's so, what does that make you?"

He stared at her blankly, "Make me?... Why would you –"

"Because you chased Dorren away. A demon wouldn't run away from a human," she smirked. "Besides, I've lived with you for years. The biographies, the paperwork, something is up. You should tell me, you know, because I'm dying," she smiled happily.

He let out a sigh of defeat, "Alright you got me. Ummm… well let's just say I used to take human souls, not like a demon though."

"So a grim reaper?" she asked.

He smirked, "Wow you're good."

"Well I've had a good teacher," she giggled. Then she closed her eyes, trying to lean into him, "How my mom had said, 'this type of behavior is forbidden, but because I love you so I'll do it anyways.'"

The Undertaker blinked in confusion, "When did you hear her say that?"

Sophie smiled, looking back up at him sweetly, "When she died, as I saw a flashback of her life, she was talking to a man… I think he was my papa but I couldn't tell. I just wish I could find out who he was," she sighed, "but I'm happy that I have you as a father Undertaker."

Then she closed her eyes, "Sophie," she looked up tired. He brushed his bangs away from his face, showing off his eyes. Her eyes went wide. He had jade colored eyes with a yellow haze twinkling at the bottom of his eyes. What she found fascinating was the double-iris eyes he had; only seeing those types of eyes on those grim reapers. She smiled, putting a hand on his face and tracing a scar on his face with her thumb.

"They're beautiful," she giggled. "They remind me of eyes I've seen before… but they're different," she smiled, putting her hand down and closing her eyes.

He closed his eyes, gripping her hand tightly, "They're here."

Sophie smiled, "I know." She let out a sigh, "Just tell them to make it quick. I want to see Haden as soon as possible."

He chuckled, brushing his bangs over his eyes and looking over at the reaper that had showed up, "You heard the little maiden. She has a prior engagement to get to."

The reaper looked at them confused, before giving him a timid nod. The reaper walked over to Sophie and slashed her chest, revealing her memories to the two in the room. "U-undertaker…" Sophie whimpered, gripping his hand tightly.

He looked at her confused, before smiling and leaning into her face. "It's okay little maiden," he gave her a kiss on the lips as her memories came to a close, "I won't ever forget you." Then her record stopped, the memories flying into a book.

"Name: Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus; daughter of Centurion Maurus and Baroness Ellen Serbus. Cause of death: heart failure. Date of death: April 23, 1870. Further notes: a half-breed. Judgment completed," the reaper said, stamping the book. Then the reaper looked over at the Undertaker, looking at him in awe.

He glared at him, "Get going you runt. If you're done then go back to your work…" Looking at the Undertaker frightened, he bowed before disappearing out of the room. The Undertaker frowned, feeling Sophie's cold face, "Such a disappointment that you didn't get to meet your dear old papa," he sighed, before calling Miss Robin back into the room.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Everyone from the orphanage wanted to pull their money together to give Sophie a grand funeral, which the Undertaker refused. He paid all the costs himself, sending her off in his own handmade coffin with bouquet of flowers surrounding her body. Everyone paid their respects at the church, even Andrés and his group came to pay their condolences. The Undertaker was astonished with the turnout, the whole church filled with people morning for Sophie. He cracked a smile, but it was a small one. After all, he knew the girl for almost ten years of her life. He left her a bouquet of forget-me-not flowers, the same type flowers he found her with when he first found her in the pouring rain, talking to her mother's grave as if she was still alive. It humored him, which was why he let her stay at the morgue for the night. He kissed the flowers, setting them down in the casket with her. Then he took a black rose clip from his pocket, clipping it to the right side of her hair. He smiled, the black rose clip she would constantly wear contrasting with the whiteness of her dress. "Good night, little maiden. Say hi to your family for me," he smiled, kissing her on the cheek before moving on, waiting outside of the church till the mourners were done.

No one wanted the Undertaker to dig her grave, even though he put up a fight to do so, a few of the men convinced him that they would dig her grave. So he leaned against the casket, waiting for them to be done. Then Miss Robin pulled the Undertaker to the side, as the church emptied and everyone went outside. "I know this must be difficult for you…"

He smiled, "Of course it is, but you probably feel as horrible about Sophie's death as I do. Besides," he chuckled, brushing the scar the demon left on Robin's neck, "Death comes to everyone, even Sophie knew that. She was waiting to go and wanted to join everyone who had already died. It's just something you have to accept."

She chuckled, "Well okay I understand. I just hope I can see you from time to time… even without Sophia being around."

He nodded, tipping his hat to her, "Of course."

"Undertaker," Ricardo came up, his hands dirty from digging in the dirt. "We're ready."

He nodded, walking back into the room where the casket layed, closed and ready for burial. They grabbed the casket, with the help of the men who dug the grave, and brought it out, setting the casket into the ground. Then they buried the casket, soon leaving as it got dark. The Undertaker stood there, looking at her gravestone:

_Sophia Serbus_

_November 25, 1852 – April 23, 1870_

_Daughter to the Undertaker and Beloved by all_

"_I won't ever forget you, little maiden." Anonymous_

He smiled, looking out at the top of the hill towards the fields beyond. How many new memories he created in his old heart made him smile. He looked to the gravestone Sophie's was next to, his finger brushing over the writing. "You had a wonderful little girl, Mrs. Ellen Serbus. I'm happy to have met her. I bet you're happy now, being a family. Tell me how she's doing, will you?" he chuckled, before leaving the top of the hill and walking down, disappearing into the darkened morgue.

)(*&^%$#!

A hand peered from the casket, the lid lifting up to reveal the body in it. The body of a young maiden, by the age of seventeen, walked out of the casket. It looked around, noticing no one in the room of the church. Its eyes were hazed over, double-iris eyes forming in her blue eyes. Then she walked away in a perplexed state, disappearing from sight as the people came back in to bury the grave into the cold earth.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Oh no it's a zombie! That's what my friend thought when I said Sophie would walk out of the casket. XD Well that's the end of chapter 8! ****I'm happy that I'm done writing about her evil relatives. I really hate their characters 3X Just throwing a bunch of information at you and then some new stuff. _How do you like them apples?~_ X3 Now to move on to something else… but what? You'll just have to wait for the next chapter (but now I'm going to have to make up more names… whoopee XO) Comment if you like it or don't. If you have ideas on what may happen next, go ahead and respond! I don't mind getting your intake on the story. Sometimes it gives me an idea on how the story will go (but I already have to story's ending thought up. Don't worry! This isn't going into a dead end X3) So… yeah! See you next time!**

Centurion – professional officer in the Roman army

Maurus – Latin – dark-skinned; moor

Sergio – Latin – servant

Erebus – Latin form of Greek Erebos – darkness


	9. The Outsider

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Another chapter is out! This one was both fun and irritating to write. A lot of facts I've been having to add, plus Sophie's situation is different than others though I won't tell you how X3 As always, enjoy! **

!#$%^&*()

Eye lids opened up, revealing double-iris eyes. The inside color was a green and the outside was a crystal blue. Letting out a groan the woman looked around the room, noticing how dark the room was. She laid on the ground and tried to collect herself so she could stand up. Then a door nearby opened, causing some light to flood into the room. All at once the lights turned on around her, causing her to cry out in pain as her pupils got small too quickly. "Ahhgh!" she grumbled.

"Sophia Serbus, welcome to the realm of shinigami," the man said, walking into the room to help her up. Grabbing his hand she stood up, looking at him suspiciously. His eyes were double-iris eyes, the color of the inside dark green and the outer a lighter green. His hair was black and slicked back, and he wore a black and white suit.

She looked at him sternly, for he was staring back at her with a somber expression on his face. "D-did you just say realm of shinigami?" She scratched her head, a headache starting to grow, "What's a shinigami?"

"A shinigami is a being that collects human's souls to be judged and then stored by a chromatic record. We are also called Grim Reapers and Death Gods, but here we just call ourselves shinigami."

"Okay I get that," she said, putting a hand on her forehead, "but I don't get what a chromatic record is." He rubbed is temples in frustration, causing Sophie to frown. "Well I'm sorry if my questions are annoying you," she growled under her breath, "I'm just trying to figure out why I'm here. I don't really remember what happened to me… Geeze I didn't even know my name till you told me! But I **know** that isn't my name."

"Fine, I'll try to break it down for you," he sighed, adjusting the black glasses on his nose. "We don't know where you came from either. No one recently went out to collect a human soul to be turned into a shinigami soul. Someone found you laying on the ground of the courtyard outside, causing a lot of commotion. My superiors sent me here to get you situated and tell you about your current situation. Did you get all of that?"

Sophie nodded, before saying under her breath, "You obviously haven't been doing this for long," she grumbled.

"Actually I have," he grumbled back. "For your question about your memories being erased, every human that is turned into a shinigami has their memories erased. It's part of the process of turning into a shinigami. Usually a new shinigami will regain their memories through time, but there have been a few cases that one hasn't regained their memories. For a human soul to be selected to be a shinigami, the human typically has unfinished business back on earth, but for the shinigami to act on the affair is up to the individual. In your case, I'm guessing you have unfinished business, but we'll have to look at your file in depth before it can be concluded."

Sophie nodded in understanding, the things this man telling her sinking in. "Okay so I guess I'm a shinigami… oddly enough, I think I get that part. Now towards my name, in full it's Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, but I **know** that I've gone by Sophia Ioreta, or Sophie for short. Please say you're not going to call me Sophia Serbus, are you?"

"… No," he said, staring down at her. "You can go by Sophia Ioreta. I've heard of a few shinigami changing their names, but you'll have to fill out the proper paperwork to get your name changed." She nodded in understanding. "Now if you're done with the questions, Miss Ioreta, put this robe on and follow me." He finished with a gruff, causing Sophie to roll her eyes in irritation.

She wrapped the robe around her body and followed him, out of the room and through a hallway of white. She groaned for there was too much white in this place! She tightened the robe around her body as they turned and began walking down a wider hallway with people dressed as the man whom she was following. They all wore suits, the same black and white uniforms. She let out another groan, having to wear a uniform. That's going to get on her nerves. Sophie had to hustle to catch up to the shinigami; even though she was getting annoyed with his attitude, she knew she'd get lost around here if he wasn't escorting her. "So what's your name?" she asked, letting out a sigh as she finally caught up with him.

"William T. Spears," he said immediately.

"William…" Sophie thought quietly to herself.

"Is there something wrong with my name?" he grumbled.

"Oh no!" Sophie looked at him nervously. "I was just memorizing it," she smiled happily, meekly moving her bangs from her eyes.

William let out a cough, getting Sophie's attention. He held the door open for her and she followed in, looking behind her to make sure he was following inside. Once he shut the door he coughed, "Grell Sutcliff, we have another one who needs fitting."

Out of nowhere a red-headed flamboyant shinigami popped out from a closet, Sophie guessing it was a walk in closet. He had bright red hair, brighter than her own! And his teeth… she flinched when she noticed that his teeth were sharp. "Oooh a redhead!" he giggled, pushing down on Sophie's head roughly and immediately looking at William, who, Sophie noticed, just twitched his eyebrow in annoyance. "You're secretly having an affair with me? How could you ~Will?"

William pushed this shinigami off of him, with Sophie noticing they must be friends… or even closer. Sophie rolled her eyes, finding a seat off to the sidelines so she could watch them without getting in the way. "I assure you Mr. Sutcliff, this isn't an affair." Sophie giggled, noticing that he reached for his glasses again and moved them. It must have been a normal thing for him to do when he got irritated.

"But ~Will," Grell frowned, as Sophie wished she had something to snack on as they bickered, "I haven't seen you all day! You know, even I can get _lonely~~_," he said, whispering in his ear as he moved two fingers up his chest.

"I don't care about you getting lonely, just as long as you do your job, and recently you've been slacking. How many stacks of paper are on your deck? At least five," he grumbled.

"You mean six," he giggled, his smile quickly fading as he noticed William grumble again. "Don't be like that! I've been given a lot of overtime recently."

"So have I. It's just something you have to expect," William concluded, moving away from the shinigami and coming more into the room. "Especially since _this_ one showed up."

Sophie glared at him, his comment being overly nasty. "Hey I didn't do anything wrong," she growled at him, crossing her arms. "So what if I showed up? So what if you have to extra work? Do you think I could care less? I just want to figure out what is going on around here!" she yelled unexpectedly, her mouth quickly going to her mouth in haste.

The two shinigamis looked at her surprised, before the redheaded shinigami ran over to her and glomped her in a hug. "Oh she's so cute! We're keeping her, right?" Sophie looked at the whimpering shinigami with confused eyes. She was starting to feel faint with him hugging her too tightly.

"She's not a pet Grell," William grumbled, "plus you better let go of her. She looks like she will pass out."

"Oh I'm sorry dear!" he quickly said as he let go, Sophie popping on the couch she was sitting on and rubbing her forehead.

"Let's not waste anymore time. I'm already running behind schedule," William said looking at his watch. "Go and get Miss Sophia Ioreta dressed."

"Yes Will~iam!" Grell said, pulling Sophie into the back of the room and into the closet he popped out of. Then he grabbed hold of her shoulders roughly, causing Sophie to look up at him in confusion, "If you plan on taking my darling little Will from me, you're going to gain a powerful enemy sweetheart," he glared at her.

She grumbled, pushing his hands off of her roughly, "Look I don't care. Right now I'm trying to get over a headache and you two aren't making it any easier." She stared at the ground for a moment, the roughness he used pulling her around getting to her. "Sorry. I know I'm in a bad mood right now, but how would you feel if you woke up somewhere with your memories erased, learn you're now a shinigami without a real explanation, being pulled around left and right till you feel like passing out, and –" her eyes closed as she started falling forward.

Grell quickly grabbed hold of her falling body as Sophie grabbing hold of his arms and burying her face in his sleeve. She groaned as her head spun too fast. Grell grabbed her and picked her up, setting her down on a soft chair as she put her hand to her head. "Here just sit there dear. I'll… go get William!" he giggled, running out from the closet and grabbing him.

Sophie sat there, her head still spinning. She let out a sigh, letting her head orient itself before she lifted her head off of the chair and looked around the closet. It was full of different colors of fabric, but how could that be if everyone where seemed to wear the same black and white colors? There would be no need for the different colors, but Sophie shrugged, sitting up as William and Grell wandered back into the room. "Miss Ioreta are you okay?"

She smiled meekly, "Yeah I am. Sorry for scaring you. Just… don't handle me so roughly I guess?" she shrugged, still unsure as to why she kept getting dizzy. Grell handed her a glass of water and she looked at it suspiciously. "Here, you drink a sip first," she glared at him.

Grell looked at her with surprise before he shrugged and grabbed the drink, drinking a sip and handing her the cup back. Then Sophie shrugged, slowly drinking down the water. "Seeing as you're getting better, I'll be waiting in the other room. Grell, stop freaking the new shinigamis out. I don't want any more overtime then I already have."

"Oh but Will, it's so much fun!" he giggled, clinging onto his arm.

"You didn't freak me out," Sophie grumbled to herself as she drank down the water.

William just shrugged, leaving the room so Grell could go back to what he was doing. He smirked; putting the glass Sophie had in her hand down on a table and making her stand up. "Before we can get you into a wardrobe you'll have to have a fitting."

Sophie looked at him blankly, till the memory of what a fitting actually was came back to her. "I don't know if I want to show off my body to you –"

"Don't worry hun! I'm a professional!" he giggled happily, grabbing hold of some of the fabric and rolling it around his body. Sophie sighed, stripping out of the white dress she was in. Then she noticed a black rose clip in her hair and she clipped it out, setting it down on the table next to the water. Then Grell took out a measuring tape and measured her, getting the right proportions for a suit. "Oh I wish I had a stunning figure like yourself," he mused, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. "Now go in the back and I'll just be a few minutes," he said, shooing her away towards the back of the closet. Quickly grabbing the robe William gave her, she whisked it around her body and quickly walked into the back. Then she blinked, noticing a doorknob. She opened it, looking into a fitting room. Noticing a switch next to her, she flipped it, causing the room to illuminate and brighten up.

She saw another chair in the middle of the room and three mirrors surrounding the walls. Sophie shrugged, sitting down in the chair and staring at herself in the mirror. She touched her eyes, noticing the double-iris they now showed. She frowned, knowing that wasn't how her eyes used to be. Noticing that her eyes were still blue made her smile happily, as she touched her auburn hair that seemed soft to the touch. Then she felt down and noticed a scar, a long scar across the bottom of her breast line. She softly touched it and cringed, noticing the stinging pain that went though her body. Perhaps this is what killed her? It could have, since it was so close to her heart it could be the reason she's having problems breathing. Then she noticed something glisten in the light, finding a green ring hanging around her neck. She held it in the palm of her hand, getting a better look at it.

"_Little Sophia…" said a woman in white, reaching for a little girl quivering in the corner. _

_The girl whimpered, running quickly to her mother's side. She fell into a puddle of blood, her nightgown getting soaked in crimson red. "Y-yes mommy?"_

"_Dearest," her mother gasped, "I think I'm dying."_

"_No you can't!" the girl cried out, wrapping around her chest and holding her close, the wound in her mother's chest gushing all over the girl. She whimpered more, "You can't leave me! I have no one!"_

"_Y-you still have Thomas –"_

"_But Thomas is old and will die soon! You can't leave me here alone! Please don't go… please…" she cried, leaning into her mother's chest for comfort. "Don't die…"_

"_Sophia…" her mother whimpered, the blood loss causing her to go faint. She slowly grabbed for a green ring around her finger, putting it in Sophie's hand as she whimpered in fear. "T-take this… my dear Sophia…"_

"_B-but mommy," she whimpered, "this is your wedding ring –"_

"_I know," she smiled. "I want you to have it. P-perhaps wear it on your w-wedding day for me… don't… forget me…" her mother sighed, slowly closing her eyes._

"_Mommy no!" she called out, holding on tightly to the green ring her mother gave her. Then she heard something behind her, turning around to see a man cloaked in black, holding a weapon of some kind. He aimed for her mother, and her blue eyes quickly turned to a greenish/yellow as she jumped at him. "What are you doing to my mommy!" she cried, pulling the figure to the ground. _

_He let out an __**'Oomph' **__as he was pulled to the ground, just as the door flung open. "Sophia!" yelled an old man dressed in black, running over to the thrashing girl and grabbing hold of her body, trying to settle her down. "What are you trying to fight!" he growled at her, as Sophie watched the figure pick himself back up and brush himself off._

"_Ugh," he said in disgust, "It'll take me forever to get this blood out of my clothes." Then he walked back over to her mother, and Sophie kept screaming at him to stop._

_Then he slashed at her mother's chest and time stood still, as Sophie stood there and watched. "Mommy no!" she cried out, as the reaper turning around surprised as he saw the little girl running over to him and kicking him in the shin._

"Sophia!"

She let out a gasp, noticing Grell standing in front of her and shaking her slightly. "Are you okay?" She stared at him blankly, before giving him a nod to ease his worries. He smiled, handing her a pile of clothes. "Go ahead and put those on. I'll be out with my dear William if you need anything!" he smiled, waving at her and closing the door behind her.

The slight smile she had on her lips faded as her chest starting to hurt. "That… must have been a memory," she thought to herself, looking back down at the ring. Then she sighed, setting the ring back around her neck and standing up. Quickly she put the new clothes on, her body starting to get chilly for being bare for so long. Looking at her new uniform, she shrugged. It was the same black and white suit everyone else was wearing around here, but the white shirt fit loosely around her chest and tightly around her stomach. She wore black dress pants, which were hemmed to not drag along the floor. The socks were long and white, but tastefully had a decorative pattern on them. The black shoes even fit her well, though she wondered how Grell knew her foot size. Then she put the black suit coat on, smiling as it fit around her waist as the white shirt did. Sophie looked down to see a red comb left by Grell, causing her to smile happily. She sat down contently, combing through her long auburn hair. She sighed as she combed the tangles out of her hair. Walking out of the room she grabbed the black rose clip she had set down, a smile growing on her face. "I don't know why I have this, but it's very pretty," she said to herself, clipping it on the right side of her bangs. Then she put on black gloves and tucked the silver chain, which held the green ring, around her neck under her shirt, before staring down at the black necktie timidly. She grumbled, trying to get the tie to look right, but to no avail.

Walking out of the room slightly frustrated, she walked into Grell, who was trying to put the moves on William. She giggled, causing the two shinigamis to look over at her. "Such a little darling!" Grell beamed, running over to Sophie and swinging her around.

"Y-yeah sure," she shrugged, "but I'm having trouble with the tie…"

She giggled sheepishly as Grell's teeth showed off its sharp luster. "Here let me help you dear."

Sophie popped her collar and handed Grell the necktie. Then he stood behind her, so she could see how to do it herself. Once that was done she smiled, tucking the necktie in her coat and flipping the collar under her coat. "Okay," she sighed, "what's next?"

William nodded to her, "Well Grell we'll be on our way. Get the paperwork in on time _this_ time."

"Sure Will~" he mused, walking towards the back of the room. "And Miss Sophia," he began, causing her to turn her attention towards him, "If you want a fellow woman to talk to, don't be afraid to come by~~" he giggled, disappearing into the back.

William let out a disgusted sigh, as Sophie giggled. "I'll keep that in mind Grell Sutcliff," she waved.

He nudged her in the side, "Don't encourage him," which made Sophie giggle harder at his attitude.

"You can just call me Grell, dear~" he mused from the back, causing William to adjust his glasses. Sophie smirked, following William as he walked out of the room and down the hallway.

!#$%^&*()

"Now fill out these forms here and you'll be assigned your room," William said, grabbing the papers from the secretary behind the window and handing Sophie the forms. She slowly read them over, carefully reading the forms to make sure she was signing off on what she wanted to get. "You don't have to read over the forms. Just sign then," William grumbled.

Sophie glared up at him, before going back to reading the forms. "Don't say something so dense," she grumbled back. "I'd think a superior, like yourself, would know that you need to read the forms you're signing before you give your consent. I thought that was just common sense with any typical form," she shrugged, to William's surprise.

"How would a new shinigami know _anything_ about signing forms?" he asked, his arms crossed as he loomed over her.

Sophie smirked; finally signing a few forms on the small stack of forms she was given. "I think it was what I had done as a human. I remember someone telling me that once… that you need to read every form before you give your consent. Even if it's with something as simple as clean underwear," she chuckled to herself, amused with her own comment. Letting out a sigh, she handed William two forms she hadn't signed yet, "I don't think I was supposed to be given this."

William rolled his eyes, grabbing the papers from Sophie's hand. Reading over the forms, he raised an eyebrow in esteem. "You're right," he grumbled, walking back to the counter. "You gave us forms F-12 and 13 instead of forms F-25 and 26."

"Oh sorry Mr. Spears!" the woman behind the counter responded, rustling in the back to hand him the forms he seek. "Here you go. Sorry for the confusion."

He turned to see Sophie smirking at him, her arms crossed as she waited for him. "Here," he roughly said, giving the forms to Sophie.

She smiled, reading over the forms before signing them. Putting all the forms in a neat little stack, she walked past William and to the counter. "Here you go," she smiled sweetly, looking over her shoulder as William glared at her with his arms crossed.

"Thank you, Miss Sophia… Sophia Ioreta?" she looked at her questionably.

"Yes, Sophia Ioreta. I filled out the forms for my name to be changed so I can keep the signature I used when I was alive," she smiled.

"Oh I see!" the secretary smiled, "That makes sense then."

Giving her a nod Sophie walked back to William, who was staring at her nonstop. "What are you looking at?" she asked rather gruffly.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "I just don't see the point in changing your name."

She rolled her eyes, "Well I do, okay? If you don't like it then don't bother saying anything about it," she huffed, sick of his attitude towards her. "Now what's next? I just signed off on being given standard glasses and a Death Scythe, whatever that is, on living with another new shinigami in a small room, and finally signing off on my consent on schooling. Why I needed to sign all that, I have no idea," she shrugged.

"You've actually come in just in time. Our orientation for new shinigamis starts today, in," he looked at his watch before looking back at her, "30 more minutes. Since we don't have a lot of time, someone else will show you to your room where you'll find your roommate. At the orientation you'll be given the basic rules for every shinigami and what is to be expected. Lastly, you'll be given the standard glasses and Death Scythe for new shinigami. Any questions?" he asked, noticing Sophie staring blankly at him.

"No I think you covered most of it," she sighed, "but I'm guessing you'll just bring me to this place and then leave, aren't you?"

"Of course," he said sternly, "That's as far as I've been told to take you. Everything else you'll learn on your own."

"Fine," she frowned at him, crossing her arms, "let us get going then. I don't want you to have anymore _**overtime**_ because of me," she glared at him, annoyed with his previous comments about her. William just turned around, beginning to walk down the halls rather quickly. Sophie frowned, rushing to catch up with him.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Having to start school was a nightmare. Everyone seemed either be dense or cocky. She had come at a point where everyone knew each other and no one wanted to talk to her. She had met up with her roommate, a girl slightly older then her named Margaret Skyler, who was as cocky as everyone else in the building. Sophie let out a sigh, looking up from the book she was reading. She had a few extra changes of her uniform and the black rose that she had kept when she woke up. She doesn't wear it around, but it's nice to keep for whatever sentimental value it may have. Her roommate, on the other hand, had a hoard of clothes and accessories. At one point she almost took over the whole room with her outfits! So Sophie, even though she hates the rules, had to make a rule to keep her stuff on her side of the room and Sophie would keep hers on her side. The room was 12X12 with a two beds on either side of the room. There was one closet, but Sophie let Margaret take the bed with the closet next to it so she wouldn't be walking back and forth across the room. As for Sophie, she had a small footlocker, practically the size of two suitcases, where she kept her clothes and trinkets. It was only half full, but she figured she wouldn't need a lot of things. Luckily, she got the side that has a small desk, so she kept the books she had collected from the several classes she's taking.

There was only one thing the roommates had to share, and it was the drawer in the middle of the room, between the two beds. Sophie was given the top drawer and Margaret was given the bottom, but she'd take over the space and add her stuff to the top drawer, to Sophie's frustration. It was a constant battle over the space they had, but they were able to work it out. When Sophie was in the room, Margaret would be gone and visa versa. At night Margaret would be gone all hours of the night, perhaps showing up early in the morning to take a bath or sleep for an hour. Sophie on the other hand was in the room most of the time, not having a social life to go to or friends to hang out with. She just sat at the desk, studying, or going somewhere else to study for exams. She would have been more social, but Sophie hadn't come across anyone she wanted to talk to, so she just spent her time getting average grades. If it were up to her, she'd be out all night with Margaret having fun, but she'd only went once and had a horrible time. So today she's just studying, reading over her notes for a test for tomorrow. _'The basic rules for every shinigami:_

No. 1 – Shinigami must wear glasses

No. 2 – Shinigami must **never** remove their glasses

No. 3 – Shinigami must take care of their death scythes

No. 4 – Using one's death scythe without permission is forbidden

No. 5 – Modifying one's death scythe without following proper procedure is forbidden

No. 6 – Killing people not on the death or soul collection list is forbidden

No. 7 – Sundry expenses must be settled at the end of the month_'_

Sophie chuckled to herself, the 7th rule seeming unusually random against killing people and using a death scythe. Noticing the door open, Sophie looked up, watching Margaret walk into the room. "Oh hello Sophia!" she giggled to herself, her slightly short blonde hair plopping on her bed. She stared at her, noticing her as she played around with the dinky looking elliptical glasses they were given on their first day. Sophie rolled her eyes, closing her notes and looking at the time. "You missed a **great** party today! There was this guy who was _so_ putting the moves on me. At one point I slapped him in the face, but he was very cute!" she giggled, rolling around on the bed. "You know Sophia," she began again, to her annoyance, "there's another party tonight. Would you like to come?"

"No," she said gruffly, standing up to put her necktie and suit coat back on.

"Oh why not?" she whined, hating her answer. "Is it because of Chaz the other night? I told you he's a jerk –"

"That the rest of this school seems to fawn over you. Look Margaret, I find him to be cocky and arrogant. He acts like he own everything! The girls chase after him because he's 'hot' and the boys follow him because he gets all the ladies. Sorry if I don't like the guy, but he gets on my nerves," Sophie grumbled, checking back at her watch. "Besides, I have a few things to do before everything closes up for the night."

Margaret grumbled, rolling over in her bed, "Oh all right," she pouted. "Just… I haven't really got to know you. You're my roommate and I think I should know you a _little_ bit, right?"

Sophie shrugged, "You don't have to. I don't care. You want to go into general affairs and I want to become part of dispatch. We are going different ways and we can't practically help each other when studying. I don't see what else we can do." Sophie let out a sigh, noticing Margaret beginning to quiver her bottom lip, "I'm not trying to be mean, but practical. Besides everyone likes to avoid me or make fun of me. I don't see a reason to go out to social events like you do, so I'd rather not."

"You're so mean!" Margaret grumbled, scratching the back of her head. "I can see your point I guess, but I just want to get to know you!"

Sophie sighed, "Well here's something you may not know about me," she began, causing Margaret to look over at her in attention. "I like being alone," she said gruffly, causing Margaret to frown. "I don't need a lot of friends and a lot of hardships. I just like keeping to myself." Looking at her watch it displayed 5:16pm. "Now if you excuse me, I have to head out," she said rather quickly, leaving the room before Margaret could respond.

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you Jenna," Sophie said, buttoning back her shirt. "So how are my results from last time?"

The woman who stood before her in a white doctor's coat smiled, looking through her clipboard of notes. "We looked into the gash in your chest and come to the conclusion that it's how you died. The weird thing is, your body didn't seem to die, but rather was in hibernation. Your body was still repairing itself while you were died, so this is very irregular, even for us." She looked up at Sophie with a smile, "We'd like to run a few more tests with you, but it seems that your are indeed a shinigami. Your heart is still repairing itself, so go easy on any physical activity."

Sophie nodded, "Thank you," she smiled, putting her coat back on. "What type of tests do you want me to do?"

"Just come by during the same time you've been doing, between 5:30 to 6pm. We want to see why your body is still human, but still points that you are a newborn shinigami… but perhaps you're not new. We'd like to go over your information for future cases. In the meantime, how about you try finding out about your human life? Perhaps there are pieces hidden in your memories that will tell us why your genetic makeup is different then everyone else."

She jumped off of the white cushion, letting out a sigh. "Well okay. I'll look into it, but the rules around here won't let me read my cinematic record till I'm a full-fledged shinigami."

"Well perhaps you should find some **other** way of regaining your memories," Jenna smiled at Sophie.

She nodded with a smile on her face, "I'll try. I will come by around 6pm tomorrow. I need to get some extra studying in before the exam on Friday," Sophie chuckled.

"Oh don't worry about it," Jenna said, putting her stuff away. "You seem like a smart girl. I bet you'll get a very good grade on the exam."

Sophie nodded, "Well I'd better get going. It's about time you guys close up for the night."

"The hospital is **never** close dear," Jenna sighed.

"Yeah, but _you_ are done once I leave," Sophie chuckled, to Jenna's amusement. "Well bye," she said, walking out of the room.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sat outside in the courtyard, reading from a textbook as she ate her dinner. It was quiet out there, for everyone was either inside studying or inside partying. Being the only one outside Sophie smiled, liking the quiet atmosphere. Then a group of guys, with a few girls, walked out of the doors, one of them noticing Sophie. "Hey bookworm!" one of them yelled. Sophie looked up, an irritated look on her face. "Would you be willing to do my homework for me? I can't do it tonight because I'll be out all night," he chuckled, as the others slapped his hands.

"Do your own homework Chaz!" Sophie yelled at him, glaring at him. "You pompous windbag! No wonder you're doing atrociously in school."

The group snickered, as the boy named Chaz grumbled, running his hands through his slicked back brunette hair, which had recently been cut short. "I'll have you know that I have an A average!"

"Took you long enough! How long have you been studying here, 10 years? You haven't even taken a soul yet, have you?" she smirked.

"Hey shut up!" He grumbled, collecting himself. "Come on guys. Let's leave this _**bookworm**_ to her books," he said, as the group followed behind him.

Sophie rolled her eyes, going back to reading the book in her hand. She scratched her head, the glasses irritating her vision. Waiting several minutes, she took off her glasses, rubbing her blue/green eyes. "I'm going to go blind soon," she grumbled as she rubbed her eyes. Setting her glasses next to her pile of already eaten food, she continued reading, making sure no one was around to see her without her glasses on. "Better," she smiled to herself, finally able to see everything around her. _'I hate how I have to wear these stupid glasses. My vision is fine! The glasses just make it worse… though it wouldn't be a bad thing to learn how to fight and such without sight. I'll have to figure out how to do that later,'_ she thought, flipping the page_. 'I wonder if I can find a shinigami who doesn't need glasses… it's worth a shot,' _she concluded_. 'I'll go to the library later for that. For now I'd better make sure I ace this test so I don't end up as a lowlife like Chaz. I wonder why he hasn't been kicked out yet… he'll probably be kicked out soon enough. Perhaps, because it's his tenth year, they're making him get good grades or he fails and doesn't become a shinigami,'_ she smirked, looking over the section she was reading, _'Oh well, it won't be the end of the world… but it would be for him,'_ she chuckled. _'I wish Margaret wouldn't hang out with his crowd… oh well. I'll have to make sure she succeeds instead of going off on the wrong path,'_ she shrugged to herself, her attention going back to the book.

'There are several different types of shinigami, ranging from the newcomers to the elite. The elite shinigamis, who have lived for centuries, are considered to be some of the most powerful and hold most of the top positions. A prime example of this class is the legendary shinigamis.

'The legendary shinigamis were told to have lived around the time humans began to increase tenfold. These shinigamis are extremely powerful and have lived for thousands of years, but most had been killed during the Crusades and the Black Death, which was all associated with demons who would steal souls to eat as the deaths became too numerous for one shinigami to manage. The Crusades was the worse in history, for many religious humans would make contracts to demons more than usual. This caused a war against the Death Gods and the Demons, resulting in many shinigamis slain. Not many have survived to today, but records say that there are a few shinigamis out there who are legendaries.

'Some are humans that have been turned into shinigamis, but others have been told to have been created for a specific purpose. You can tell a legendary shinigami by their eyes, whose eyes will carry a yellow haze. They will be powerful enough that they won't need glasses, but as they grow older they will need to wear glasses, for the strain of yellow haze on their eyes will increase as time goes on.

'Another class of the elite shinigamis are…'

Sophie let out a sigh, reading back to what she was reading earlier.

'You can tell a legendary shinigami by their eyes, whose eyes will carry a yellow haze to them.'

'_Yellow eyes…'_ she thought.

'They will be powerful enough that they won't need glasses…'

'_And they won't need glasses,'_ she thought to herself. _'Well I'd better head to the library tomorrow. Perhaps there are other shinigamis, who aren't as powerful, who don't need glasses. Then I can convince the superiors that I won't need these things!'_ Sophie smirked to herself, closing the book.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Well I think I'm done for now! Go ahead and comment on any likes or dislikes about this new chapter. I'm trying to get parts to this story that I'll need later, but I don't know… Anyways I'm sad that Sophie is turning into an outsider. She was so outgoing in her human life! It's just the shinigamis, I guess X3 Trust me, this is just the beginning for her. Sophie will make friends soon… I hope ^^;**

**After this I won't go into detail about where things are. Just things like: _goes to the library_ or _walks into class_. The setting I have for their academy is that of a college/university setting. Whichever one you prefer is up to you. I think I've said what I've needed for now so I'll see you later! =D**

Margaret – Greek – pearl

Skyler – Dutch – guarded, scholar

Chaz – French – freeman

Hoover – German – owner of a measure of land

Jenna – French – God is gracious


	10. The Half Breed

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: There will be some note passing in this story. How that will be done is ~ - ~ and then ~~ - ~~. The ~~ thingies will increase as the people who add on to the paper, just so you guys know who's saying what. I get lazy and don't explain their expressions as much as I'd like.**

**I was in a writing mood this weekend! I'm not stressed about a test and I have nothing due. So this week was spent mostly writing this chapter, and also a fall cleaning XC. Anyways, I hope you guys like this next chapter. Now you see Sophie's attitude in this new school of hers. And for the record, the only teaching she's had is tutors and street smarts. So having to stay in a deck for hours isn't her favorite pastime. Well… ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"I don't see why I have to keep these stupid glasses on!" Sophie hissed, glaring at the teacher.

"The rules clearly state –"

"But can't the rules be wavered for a _tiny __thing_," Sophie frowned, "and I've read that there are different shinigamis that don't have to wear glasses –"

"But that is a select few." The teacher grumbled, lifting his glasses back on his nose. "Even if you are part of one of those categories, we don't know. For now you must wear those glasses –"

"Even though they give me a headache!" she yelled, slamming her hands on the desk, "I can't think with these glasses on! I'm as blind as a bat and can barely see the board! I don't see why I –"

"It is part of the rules. One of the _**first**_ two rules, if I might add." Sophie sneered at him. "Don't give me that face," he growled, walking back to his desk. "Now put those glasses back on before I give you a detention. I don't want to do that, since you're usually a well behaved student, but I may have to if you don't settle down," he glared at her. She glared back, putting her glasses in her pocket and sitting down, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "I won't warn you again," he glared, venom in his voice.

"Do it," she glared at him, "I'd rather have a detention then wear these irritating things on my face!"

"Have it your way!" he losing his cool, taking out a detention slip from his desk and writing her name up. Sophie grumbled to herself, looking across the room at the other students. Everyone seemed shock at her determination to not wear the glasses, except for a few in the corner on the other side of the room. They were snickering in the corner; obviously Chaz was motivating them to. Sophie rolled her eyes, taking the slip from his hands and reading it. "I expect you to be in RM 105 at 5pm, sharp," he glared, walking back to his deck.

Sophie sneered, "But I have to go to the infirmary by 5:30! I promised I'd be there _at __that __time_."

"And why do you have to go to the infirmary?" he asked, looking over at her in irritation.

"Because… ummmm…" she thought, trying to come up with a good answer. Sophie never told anyone that she went to the infirmary every day, but that was something she wanted to keep to herself. "Never mind," she said gruffly, "I'll be there," she glared back at the teacher, as he gave a smug smirk at his triumph as he began writing on the board. Then she looked over to the group as they snickered, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. _'__Ugh__… __this __is __going __to __be __a __**long **__day,__'_ she groaned to herself, taking out her notebook and writing down the information from the board.

!#$%^&*()

Finally finding RM 105, Sophie opened the door to find a shinigami at the front of the desk working on her nails. Looking into the room, she noticed three other student shinigami sitting in the desks doing their homework. "Just write your name on the sign-in sheet, sweetie," the shinigami said, pointing to the piece of paper sitting on the desk. She let out an annoyed sigh, taking out a pen from her pocket and signing the paper before finding a seat in the back of the room. "And put your glasses back on. I don't want to report you," she coughed.

Grumbling to herself, Sophie put the dorky glasses back on her face, before sitting down in a desk next to a shinigami who was working on his homework. Sophie noticed the other two were sleeping, the shinigami in the front not noticing, or perhaps she didn't care. Taking out a book she opened it up to a fresh new chapter, the new homework she had been assigned for the day. Putting her head on her hand she looked up at the time, 5:05pm. _'__Another __fifty-five __minutes. Gr__eat,__'_ she grumbled, beginning to read the chapter. Then she felt a tap on her shoulder and she looked over, the shinigami next to her writing something down in his notebook. She looked at him in confusion. He rolled his eyes, quickly looking at the shinigami at the front, then pointing at the front of her desk. There was a folded up piece of paper on her desk. She looked over at him, then grabbed the paper and opened it, careful not to have the paper make crinkling noises as she opened it.

~ What are you in for? ~

Quickly writing a response back, she handed it back to the guy sitting next to her.

~~ Violatiing the first 2 rules ~~

~ Which is? ~

Sophie rolled her eyes at what he had written down.

~~ # 1 & 2 of the Shinigami Handbook ~~

~ ? ~

Grumbling under her breath she wrote out the answer, shoving it back on his desk.

~~ Shinigami must wear glasses and they must never remove their glasses, smart one ~~

Sophie smirked as he read her response, a sly smirk forming on the shinigami that read her note.

~ Oh I see… you look smart enough to not violate a simple rule ~

~~ I can't see **anything** with these glasses on. I took them off, they made a fuss, and now I'm here… what are you in here for? ~~

~ Questioning a teacher on a subject he didn't want to discuss ~

He smirked and Sophie gave him a smile back. Then he grabbed the paper from her desk and wrote a new response on it.

~ You're a nice girl. I don't see why they gave you detention ~

~~ I guess they want to pound their fists of authority at me ~~

She sighed, before finishing what she was going to write.

~~ Honestly I don't care. Everyone here is snobby ~~

~ Perhaps you haven't found the right crowd ~

Sophie looked over at him, who was giving her a smile. She smirked, writing a response down.

~~ Maybe… my first day was shit and the rest of the year has been horrible ~~

~ So you're new? ~

~~ Newly dead ~~

She smirked at him, as he chuckled slightly.

~ I see… I can give you a tour of the place if you'd like ~

~~ I know a lot about the place already. I'm just sick of the shinigamis here ~~

~ Trust me, it won't get easier ~

~~ Oh great ~~

She grumbled, causing him to smirk.

~ Alexander Agon, my friends call me Alex ~

~~ Sophia Ioreta, I don't have any friends here… You can call me Sophie if you'd like ~~

~ Cool! Sophie… sweet name ~

He smiled over at her. "Ahem!" they looked over to the front, noticing that the shinigami in the front was glaring at them. Sophie immediately lifted her book and began reading again, her face going slightly flushed, and Alex casually went back to note taking, waiting for the shinigami to go back to filing her nails. Then Alex slipped a paper over on her desk, Sophie quietly opening the paper.

~ Do you want to go out tonight? ~

She slipped the paper back over to him, causing him to frown.

~~ Sorry I have to go somewhere. I'm missing it because of this stupid detention! ~~

~ How about after? ~

~~ … Let's talk after detention ~~

Sophie sighed, looking up at the clock. Exactly 5:30pm on the dot. Sophie grumbled, reading over the chapter again titled Important Rules and Regulations: Glasses & Death Scythe. Sophie rolled her eyes, going over the chapter again as time ticked by.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie quickly walked out of the detention room, almost running into Chaz. "Oh look who just got detention," he mused, his fan club chuckling behind him.

Sophie rolled her eyes, turning around and tried walking around them. "Where are you going _bookworm_? I thought you said you would do my homework."

"Do your own goddamn homework!" she hissed at him, trying to push him away. "I'm sick and tired of you!" she growled, as he grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her closer to him. She shrugged, trying to get away from him.

"Hey, let her go," said a deep voice from behind.

Sophie turned around to see Alex, who had walked out of the room and was walking towards them. His eyes glowed red with anger, causing the group to look at him in fear. Sophie blushed, not realizing how deep and rough his voice actually was. He pushed Chaz off of Sophie, pulling her over to the side. "What the hell?" Chaz yelled, swinging a clutched fist at Alex.

He grabbed it with ease, gripping his hand tightly. "She's a lady and a bastard like you better give her some respect," he hissed at him, throwing him at his fan club. Then he grabbed hold of Sophie's hand, to her surprise he was rather gentle about it, and walked around them, "Come on Sophia. Let's go somewhere else."

She nodded, looking back at the group as Alex pulled her along. "Bloody half-breed," Chaz growled, holding onto his hurt wrist like a whiny puppy.

"So where do you have to go?" he asked. Sophie looked up at him and saw that his eyes were green, but had no double-irises like the other shinigami.

"T-the… The infirmary," she finished, having him let go of her wrist.

"The infirmary?" He asked, following her down the hallway and down the stairs. "Why?"

"I… ummm…" she frowned. Then she stopped, looking at him sternly, "Look, you can either follow me and waste another 15 minutes of your life or go out like you said you were going to do. It's up to you."

He thought for a second, and then began walking down the hall, "Well let's get going then! In the meantime you can tell me why you have to go to the infirmary."

Sophie smiled, catching up with him and walked down the halls, side by side. "Sure," she shrugged, "If you tell me why Chaz called you a half-breed."

"It's a deal," Alex chuckled, following Sophie down the hallway and to the infirmary at the end of the hall.

!#$%^&*()

"Ouch," Sophie squinted, as Jenna took blood from her right arm. Then she took the needle out and put a bandage on her arm, and then Sophie rolled down her white sleeve and rubbed her arm. "So Doc, why do you have to take blood from me again?"

Jenna was about to say something, before she looked over at Alex, who was sitting in one of the chairs in the corner. "Is it okay with you if I disclose that information with _him_ around?"

"Sure I don't care," Sophie shrugged. "He won't say anything, right Alex?"

"Sure," he shrugged back. "I promise I won't," he smiled.

"Okay…" she frowned, looking at Alex suspiciously. "According to your blood test, you are a half human and half reaper. That is the reason why you could heal quicker when you were a human and why you didn't die when you were stabbed. From your x-ray we see that your heart is practically healed, but I would advise you to continue to not over stimulate your heart. I don't want you coming back here because you're having trouble breathing or coughing up blood," she smiled. Sophie smiled back, grabbing her necktie, which sat next to her, and looked over at her. "And if you need a doctor's note then I'll give it to you."

"Thank you," Sophie smiled, "I'll keep that in mind. Now what about my ability of not needing these darn glasses? Can I get a doctor's note on that?"

"Sadly no. You will have to keep wearing those glasses for a while Sophia," she smiled, causing Sophie to groan. "Now for the blood, we want to do a DNA test to find out who your reaper father is. Alexander actually came in a few months ago for the same test, right Alexander?"

He nodded, looking over at Sophie with a smile. "I told you I'm a half-breed, consisting of reaper blood and demon blood, but my reaper blood is from my father. I wanted to take the test so I can find out who my father is, **plus** give the superiors conformation that I can become a shinigami," he smirked, "but I can tell you more about that later," he shrugged.

"Well with Alexander over there, the demon blood tries to cancel out the reaper blood, but since your mix is reaper/human, perhaps we'll have better luck."

Sophie nodded in understanding, jumping off of the white cushion and putting on her black suit coat, "So how long will this take?"

"Perhaps another week. DNA tests can take a while to process, so I'll keep you informed," she smiled, "but continue to come in every day. And by the way, why were you late today?"

"I'm very sorry about that," Sophie sighed. "I refused to keep my glasses on and the teacher gave me detention. We got out at 6pm, so I rushed as fast as I could here. Sorry…" she frowned.

"It's ok!" Jenna giggled, "You're a good kid. I'll actually extend our time from 5:30 to 6:15, just in case you get a detention again."

"Oh thank you!" Sophie gasped, surprised with her response.

"Hey no problem." She smiled, "Now run along. I'll see you tomorrow."

Sophie nodded, walking out the door as Alex held it for her. She let out an exhausted sigh, walking down the empty hallways with Alex next to her. "So you're a half-breed too?"

He chuckled, "Yes I am. My father and mother had something that we call 'forbidden love' because reapers and demons are enemies." Sophie nodded, as Alex beamed happily, "Yeah, my mother told me my father had been killed in battle before I was born. My mom raised me as a demon, but I never had the urge to kill humans or take souls. I didn't need souls to sustain myself, but only ordinary foods. That was one sign. Then I wouldn't get along with the other demons because I wouldn't feed, but I didn't care. Once my mother told me about my father, I knew that I could be a reaper if I wanted to. So I tried for a decade to get the council to let me train, but they wouldn't budge. They put me in solitary for a while and took a DNA test to confirm I had reaper blood, and soon after they let me stay. I don't know though," he sighed, "my mother wasn't one to like what I've been doing… Oh well. So what's your story?"

Sophie frowned, "Well I don't know… I figured I died at some point, and when I woke up someone told me I'd lost my memories. The only things I've regained are all tragic, no real happy memories. So I don't know about my parents and how my life as a human was. Just... unknown memories."

Alex frowned, "That's not good… are you going to keep searching?"

"Of course!" she smiled, "If I'm a half-reaper, then my memories of my parents will be able to grasp. Like this," Sophie said, taking the green ring from under her shirt so he can see. "I found this around my neck when I woke up. I also found a black rose clip in my hair." She handed the ring to Alex so he could have a closer look. "I regained a memory when I held it; it wasn't a good memory, but a memory nonetheless. Apparently that was my mom's wedding ring, so the reaper who has an identical ring is either my father or my father gave it to him. I also need to find out who I am because of my eyes."

"Your eyes?" he wondered, handing back the ring to Sophie.

She smiled, putting the ring back around her neck and tucking it under her shirt, "Yes, eyes. My double-iris eyes are blue and green. That's not normal for a shinigami. Also I've noticed, when I get angry, they turn greener. The green in my eyes subsides the blue. I don't know what happens when I'm happy or fighting, but that's what I've come up with so far."

"Well my eyes sure aren't normal," he shrugged. "They are green, but I don't have a double-iris like other shinigamis. They also turn red when I get angry and use my demon powers, but I try to not use those powers often," he shrugged.

"Oh," she suddenly realized, "You're not going to go around telling other people about me, are you? I'd like my medical records and such kept secret, okay?"

"Sure," he shrugged. "I don't care. Besides, us half-breeds have to stick together," he chuckled happily, causing Sophie to smile. "Oh do you want to go out still? I know a great place in the human realm."

Sophie shrugged, "Well I was going to go to the library, but I can go ahead and do that later. Besides, I don't go out enough," she smiled.

"Okay great!" he chuckled. "We just have to go by a house in London before we go… hey, are you someone who hates demons?"

"… I guess not," she shrugged. "I don't care about the species, just their attitude towards me."

Alex beamed, "Great! Then you'll love my friend Julia. She's a bit quirky, but… well I'll show you," he chuckled.

"Okay," Sophie shrugged, following him out of the building and disappearing toward the human realm.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie followed Alex towards a gate, a large silver gate that had been locked tight. He smirked, taking out a skull-shaped key and opening it, remembering to close it securely behind him once the two of them had come inside. It was a rather large mansion, sitting on the edge of London. The lawn had been well kept, but wasn't a very big lawn; since it was just on the edge of town there wasn't enough space for a very large lawn. Sophie followed Alex to the door, noticing he was a bit hesitant. "Now Sophie, are you _sure_ you're okay with meeting a demon? I don't know if you're ready for this… I just met you and all."

"I already told you. I don't base things on the cover of a book, but the contents of the pages," she smirked, causing him to smile back.

"Good. Then prepare yourself. I haven't introduced beings like this before, so I'm a bit nervous," he chuckled, knocking on the door.

"Just a minute!" they heard from behind, as the door slowly creaked open.

"Master Alexander, do come in," a butler said, bowing as the two half-breeds walked in. Sophie looked up in awe at the mansion. It was dark and gloomy looking, but had different colors of black and red all over the place. The staircase was painted silver, or perhaps it was real. Sophie couldn't tell. Either way the place was kept pretty nicely, causing her to smirk. "Lady Julia will be down in a moment," the butler bowed, looking over suspiciously at Sophie.

"Thank you Albert," Alex smiled, looking over at Sophie.

The butler didn't seem to move, still looking over at Sophie suspiciously. She gave him a smile, "Yes I like the place. Very ominous with its reds and blacks, but that's a compliment, not an insult," she chuckled, making sure he understood.

He cracked her a smile, his red demon eyes intensely staring into hers. Alex coughed, "Albert is there somewhere we can sit down while we wait?"

He nodded, "Of course sir. If you would follow me," he said, walking down the hallways. Sophie looked over at Alex, who was a bit worried, and they followed Albert till they got to what seemed to be a living room. "You may wait here while I pour some tea."

"Of course," Alex smiled, sitting next to Sophie, who decided to sit on the couch. Sophie let out a sigh, feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Sorry about this. Albert can be… gloomy, but trust me Julia is amiable and will probably warm up to you like hot glue!"

She smiled, "Well it is okay… just make sure she understands I'm just a friend and nothing more. I already had someone growl at me when he thought I was hitting on his _**man**_," she rolled her eyes as Alex chuckled.

"Sir, madam, your tea," the butler said, handing them the tea.

Sophie looked at it suspiciously, "Alex, can you taste my tea for me?"

"Certainly Sophie," he smiled, setting his own tea down and grabbing hers.

Albert's eyes went wide, "Oh allow me sir!" He gulped, grabbing the tea from Alex.

Alex eyes widened as Sophie frowned. "Albert, this is my **friend**. Why could you try to poison her?"

"I'm sorry sir," he bowed, quickly pouring Sophie a new cup of tea in a newly cleaned cup. "I just…"

Alex sighed, "I should have explained earlier, but I was just going to wait for Julia to come down first. Geeze Albert, you try to do that with a **lot** of people I bring over. At least you had me taste it, right Sophie," he chuckled, nudging her in the arm.

"Yeah…" she frowned, looking at the tea cup Albert just handed to her.

"I'm terribly sorry madam," he bowed lowly.

"Oh it's okay!" she chuckled. "We should have said something when we went through the door. Besides, I never really trust anyone as _quickly_ as other imbeciles do," she shrugged, taking a sip of her tea. "And might I say, this is very good! Is this a redbush tea?" she wondered.

He nodded, "Indeed it is madam."

"Well it has a very rich flavor," she smiled, noticing as Alex let out a relief sigh and the butler smiled.

"Thank you madam. The servants of the Shezmu household _always_ keep everything in mint condition." Sophie nodded happily, sipping the tea joyfully.

Alex smiled, seeing her brightening up. "Thank you Albert. You can go now."

"Thank you sir," he bowed, leaving the room to go about and do the other chores he may have around the house.

Sophie let out a relieved sigh, just to see a giggle of a girl down the hallway. The two of them looked up, to see a girl about the age of fifteen walk into the room and run over to Alex. "Alex!" she gasped, running to him to give him a hug.

He chuckled, standing up and grasping her in a tight hug. "Hello Julia," he smiled, letting go of the hug at the same time she did. Sophie looked at her curiously. She had long unusual forest green hair and beautiful hazel eyes, but the thing that astonished her was the belt she wore over her dark green dress. It was a small belt, with what looked to be human skulls riming around her waist. Sophie didn't partially care, but she wondered if they were real or not. Once Julia looked over Sophie and noticed her, Alex smiled as Sophie stood up to be introduced. "Julia, this is Sophia Ioreta. She's a half-breed that I met at the academy, a half-reaper/half-human. Sophie this is Julia Shezmu. She's one of several children of the demon Shezmu and my best friend."

Sophie smiled, shaking her hand, "It's nice to meet you, Miss Shezmu."

"So Alexander finally found a half-breed like himself," she smirked, letting out a chuckle. "Well it's great to meet you too! I was wondering how you were doing Alex, since you haven't come to visit in a few weeks."

"Well I was busy with the academy," he shrugged, "but I'm here now. I was wondering if you wanted to go out –"

"Of course!" she giggled. "Daddy never lets me go out unless I'm escorted. He trusts Alex to not lose me, but I think the whole thing is baloney! Well you don't have to worry about running into my father Sophie; he's out on business and won't be back for a while. And I look at your clothing and see it's atrocious. Suits are _so_ boring! We need to get you into a dress, stat!" she gasped, clinging to Sophie's arm in glee.

"W-what?" she frowned in surprise.

"Well if we're going out I can't have a friend of Alex's going out in a suit, especially a girl! Alex we'll be a few minutes. I need to get Sophia here in some decent clothes."

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, causing Alex to chuckle with glee. Then she let out a sigh, "Okay," she said in defeat, "As long as you call me Sophie. And also, I'm going to make sure I'm not wearing these disgusting glasses," she frowned, taking off her glasses and putting it in her suit coat. "That's not a problem, is it?"

"You haven't spent a lot of time out of the academy, have you?" Alex smirked.

Sophie shrugged, as she was being pulled out of the room by Julia. "Whatever! I don't care about that stuff you shinigamis have to do. Alex, just sit there for a couple of minutes and we'll be right out!"

"You mean _thirty_ minutes," he smirked, causing Julia to giggle as she pulled Sophie out of the room, down the hallway, up the stairs, and to her bedroom.

!#$%^&*()

Alex let out a sigh, walking out of the living room and walking to the front of the mansion, just as Sophie came walking down with Julia. His mouth slightly dropped as Sophie giggled at Julia's comment. "Oh hey Alex," she smiled, making it to the bottom of the stairs. "So what do you think?" she asked, twirling around in the dress. It was a red and black light flowing dress with short sleeves and a v-neck, low enough to show off her chest, but not enough to cause alarm. She had a red and black scarf tied around her waist, which had a skull in the middle, but it was to her side. Luckily it was a fake skull and not a real human skull, but Sophie had to make sure, just in case. The dress showed off her legs slightly, and she wore black high heels to fit with the dress. Her hair flowed freely behind her, the auburn hair out from its normal ponytail and was combed out and wavy. She had her green ring tastefully around her neck, accenting her blue/green eyes. Sophie carried her suit in a bag, which Julia gave to her to use.

"I-I think… it's pretty good," he smiled.

Julia giggled as Sophie blushed slightly. "Well good! Took me forever to find the right dress. Sure I have plenty of red and black dresses, but none _flowed_," she smiled. "So what do you think of me, Alex?"

He looked over at Julia's dress, the same colors as she was wearing before, but the dress flowed as much as Sophie's. He smiled, noticing she still wore her belt around her waist and had a black headband in her forest green hair. "It's just as beautiful as Sophie, Julia," he smiled, causing her to giggle.

"Great! Now where are we going to go?" she asked, as Sophie looked at the time.

"Well there's a place for humans in the middle of London, either a pub or a club. Whatever fits your fancy Julia," Alex smiled.

"Ok…" she thought. "How about a pub?... Hey Sophie," she called to her, causing her to look up from her watch, "are you able to turn to a human form or at least disguise your reaper form? If you can, we can hit a few clubs! The clubs are for humans, but demons lurk there too. If they were to find a shinigami among them, I think they'd freak out," she shrugged.

"Oh sure," Sophie shrugged, letting in a sigh. "I haven't tried it, but let's see…" She closed her eyes, calming down her breathing. Slowly concentrating she let out a sigh, gradually opening her eyes to reveal crystal blue eyes. Julia and Alex looked at her in awe, as she looked at them timidly. "W-what? What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Julia exclaimed. "It's just… such beautiful blue eyes! Like an angel's even!" she giggled. Then she walked over to her, sniffing her. "Yeah I think that'll work. Perfect! If you just keep your eyes blue and in that form then we won't run into any problems. Well there will be those demons after human souls, but with us around you won't get hurt, right Alex?" he gave her a nod. Then she continued, "Let's walk there then! I don't live that far from the center of town, so getting there will be a breeze. And don't give me that face Sophie! You'll have a great time, _trust me_," she mused, linking her arm with hers and leaving the house as Alex closed the door behind them.

!#$%^&*()

They had finally made it to the center of town, Sophie's feet getting tired of walking around in heels. "Oh how about that one?" Julia exclaimed, pointing to a long line of people and a bodyguard standing in the front.

"Sure," Alex shrugged, "I just wonder if he'll let us in."

"Of course he will!" she giggled, grabbing hold of Alex and Sophie's hands and dragging them behind her. Annoying the people who were standing in line waiting, Julia poked the buff guy standing in front of the entrance. He grumbled, glaring down at the three of them. Sophie gulped, to Alex's amusement. "Hey there! I think you'll be able to see that I'm on the list," Julia giggled.

He coughed, "Name?"

"Shezmu," she smiled happily.

He glanced down at her, then at the list of names in his hand. "Shezmu… you seem short to be a Shezmu."

"Well I am, okay?" she grumbled. "I'll have you know that my _father_ is Shezmu, and unless you want him barging in your little club you'll let us by."

He chuckled, "I'm just messing with you Julia. Come on in! I see you have Alex with you. So how's farmer's school?" he laughed, causing the streets to rumble slightly.

"Just fine," he grumbled, "Let's just get inside already."

He let the two demons go in, but stopped Sophie from going in. "Sorry little lady, but I can't let you in."

"She's with us Otis," Julia giggled. "Come on Sophie. Don't let that big bully push you around."

"Hey I am not a big bully!" he grumbled as Sophie went under his arm and walked into the door, causing chuckles from Alex and Julia. She quickly ran over to Alex, looking for protection from the big man. Then he stared at her angrily, before chuckling heartedly. "So amusing! Have fun little human; you'll need it," he winked at Sophie, causing her to blush.

"Come on!" Julia grumbled, pulling on Alex and Sophie's arms rather harshly.

Walking into the room, Sophie's eyes widened. It looked very lively and festive, with beautiful people sitting everywhere. She could see from their aura that about half of the residents were human, a third were demons, and the rest were a mixture of other species Sophie couldn't even pinpoint everyone, but they were all having fun so she decided to just go with the flow. "Hey I found a table," Alex said, ushering Julia and Sophie over.

Sophie sat down across from Alex and Julia, who were looking at her with awe. "W-what?" she asked, a frown on her face.

"Nothing," Alex smirked. "Hey bartender, give us two Red Deaths and a Merry Irishman!" he yelled, the bartender nodding and beginning to make the drinks.

Sophie looked back at Alex and Julia who was still staring at her, which made her uncomfortable. "I-is something wrong?" she asked, crumpling up her dress nervously.

"Oh she's so cute!" Julia giggled, causing Sophie to blush. "So how did you guys meet? What's your story? Come on spill it!"

"Well I can't if you're going to be jumping up and down about it," Alex sighed. "Where to begin… Sophie?"

"I-I don't know. We met in detention today and I found out he was a half-breed. Honestly, I don't know if I get along well with other people… but I guess I do. It just depends on the person," she shrugged.

"Well yeah. Now that I think about it, I told Julia something I shouldn't have," Alex chuckled.

"W-what was that?" Sophie frowned, putting her hands on the table and grabbing a napkin.

"I told her that you're a half-breed," he said softly for only the two of them to hear. "I'm so sorry Sophie!" he laughed, "She's just… a friend I've known for so long that I usually tell _everything_ with her –"

"It's fine Alex," Sophie said, putting her hand up in defense. "All is forgiven. Just don't tell anyone else," she narrowed her eyes. He gave her a nod, causing her to smile, "So how do you know each other?"

"Well," Julia began, just as their drinks were set on the table. "Oh thank you!" she giggled, grabbing a Red Death. Alex grabbed the Merry Irishman drink, so Sophie shrugged and grabbed the other Red Death drink. She slurped it slowly, tasting every morsel of it, waiting for Julia to continue. "So anyways," she began again, setting the drink on the table next to her, "This boy and I have been alive for a few centuries now. I don't know… 5… 6… I don't remember!" she giggled. "It was here in London when we met. My father didn't like me going out, but I snuck out anyways. I ran into Alex on the streets at night, who was being bullied by a bunch of demons. So I gave them a quick little beating and there's that!" she cheered, taking a sip of her drink.

"If it wasn't for Julia, I would have been toast," he chuckled.

"Literally," she giggled back. "I brought him to father and he liked him. Eventually he would let Alex bring me around town instead of keeping me in the house, which was awesome! After a while… well he was my first…," Julia blushed, causing Sophie to look at them suspiciously. "Don't give me that look!" she frowned. "It was a once in a lifetime thing and happened a _really_ long time ago… but he was my first. We decided to not get into a committed relationship and only stayed friends. Once I learned that he was a half-breed was the time his mother kicked him out of the house…. Right Alex?"

"Yeah," he shrugged, drinking his whisky, "but she's gotten over the fact that I want to be a shinigami. Either way, it was _her_ fault for having me in the first place. If she hadn't had relations with a reaper, then I wouldn't be here."

"But then life would be boring!" Julia frowned. "Besides, I like you. You're like a big brother to me," she smiled.

He chuckled, "And you're my little sis." He gave her a gentle squeeze before their attention went back to Sophie, who had an _**'awww' **_look on her face.

"Anyways," Julia began again, a blush on her face, "then Alex stayed at our house. My father helped him get contacts into getting into the academy, and the rest is history," she smiled. "So what's your story?"

"Well…" Sophie frowned, taking a sip of her drink, "I don't remember. Apparently I was a human, but had died by being stabbed in the chest; though my file said I died due to heart failure. Just today I learned I was a half-breed, a reaper/human mix, and I'm still regaining the memories I lost when I supposedly _'died'_." She sighed, "I don't know much about my past, but I'd like to make some new memories soon... So what does your father do?"

Julia shrugged, "Well… he's this _**really**_ old demon. He's had many children before and after me, but most have either strayed away to feed on souls or have been killed. I had a little brother, but he died long ago. The rest of my siblings are only half related to me because of my father, but he likes to keep me close to him. He's a bit different then other demons. He… well he told me that he's an old Egyptian god who was called the god of execution. He helped Osiris back in the day, but that was a long time ago. Being given the name _demon_, he was excluded from any _'good'_ species, but he's really a nice guy. He seems to have lived for thousands of years, but has given up on any real conquests. Actually, we're a group of demons that don't feed on humans. Only bad souls, but I can eat human food to sustain myself in the meantime. That's why I was able to get acquainted with Alex so easily," she smiled. "Yeah… he's very smart and wise. I think he'll like you; you seem like a good one."

Sophie smiled, "Well I think I'd like him too." She took another big gulp of her drink, looking at the menu for drinks. "Bartender!" she yelled, getting his attention, "Could you get me a Passion?"

"Sure little lady," he chuckled, beginning to make the drink for her.

Sophie giggled, causing the other two to giggle. "Now that the introductions are done, let's have fun then!" Julia cheered, causing the other two to laugh at her outburst.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie giggled, staggering back to the academy buildings with Alex laughing along with her. "So the mortician said, 'There is no charge.' Then the woman said back, 'No, really, I most compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' Then the mortician said, 'Honestly ma'am, it cost nothing. You see…'" she hiccupped, cracking up before she finished the joke. "'A deceased gentleman about your husband's size was brought after you left, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.

'So I switched the heads,'" Sophie laughed, a little more than presumed sane.

Alex chuckled slightly, noticing how insanely she was cracking up. "Hey Sophie are you okay?"

"Oh me?" she asked, a big smile on her face, "no, I'm _completely_ fine!"

He looked at her slightly confused, "Sophie… I think you drank too much of that Passion drink."

"I did not!" Sophie stared at him, her blue eyes full of determination. "I am not drunk, my good sir! Here I'll show you," she said, jumping onto a narrow curb. She put a finger on her nose and walked the curb as if it was a tightrope, "See! I can say the alphabet backwards without missing a letter. Z, Y, X, W, v, u, t, s, rqponmlkjigfedcba, hah done!" she giggled happily.

"You forgot _'__h__'_," he smirked.

"Oh shove it!" she frowned, before her smile came back as big as ever. "Besides I only had 40~ drinks~~" she slurred the last part of her sentence as she poked him hard in the chest. "It usually takes me _**60**_ drinks before I ever begin to get drunk."

"It was 47 drinks and the drinks you had aren't normal. There's a lot more alcohol in them than normal drinks, though I guess even that much alcohol doesn't affect on supernatural beings. _You_, on the other hand, apparently does," he smirked at her smugly.

"Oh whatever!" she pushed him lightly, her vision impaired. "I'm going to bed! She huffed, trying to grab hold of the door handle. Alex rolled his eyes, opening the door for her, "Thank you kind sir," she giggled, "You're better then that **other** guy. What's his name?... Alex?... Chaz?... I can't remember," she giggled, suddenly falling down.

Alex opened his eyes in surprise, grabbing hold of Sophie's body before she hit the floor. He let out a sigh, noticing she had passed out and was snoring away. "Oh Sophie," he chuckled, grabbing hold of her body and bringing her up the stairs to the dorm rooms.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie opened her eyes, a painful headache coming back to her head. She looked over to see that Margaret wasn't home yet, but the clock said it was 2am in the morning. Sophie let out a groan as she lifted herself up, going to her footlocker to grab her pajamas. Not caring about her daily rituals for sleep and just wanting the headache, Sophie quickly changed into her pajamas and laid back in her bed, going underneath the covers.

She sighed, the events from that night coming back to her. She looked over to see the bag that Julia gave her sitting on the chair next to the desk, causing her to crack a smile. "Oh Alex…" she said to herself, closing her eyes and hugging her pillow tightly as she slowly went back to sleep. "I'll have to go out and have fun with you and Julia more often," she smirked to herself, her mind going straight to dreamland.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: I just had to make a butler named Albert. I love the name! Hey if I could have my own butler, his name would be Albert. Since I didn't use the name yet, I spontaneously decided to use it X3**

**I rather like this split personality of Sophie's. I loved writing her as a bubbly drunk. Honestly, that's from my _own_ experience. Yes I confess, I'm a bumbling fool when I'm drunk, but then I get cranky after 15 minutes of not drinking… a vicious cycle. Anyways, I hope to get the story rolling. A few characters have been introduced, but a few more need to come in. And the Undertaker, where is he? Ugh I have to get him back in this story too… it wouldn't be an UndertakerXOC story without the Undertaker! You'll just have to wait… I guess *laughs evilly***

Alexander – Greek – defending men

Agon – Albanian – the dawn

Julia – Latin – youthful, Jove's child

Albert – German – noble, bright, famous

Shezmu – Egyptian – ancient Egyptian god of execution, slaughter, blood, oil, wine, and perfume

Rooibos – African for "red bush" – herbal tea, called rooibos tea, bush tea (esp. Southern Africa), redbush tea (esp. UK), South African red tea, or red tea; an alternative to black tea

Otis – Greek – keen of hearing

Red Death, Merry Irishman – whisky

Passion - liqueur

Joke –_"Honest Mortician"_ (found it online X3)

_A man who just died is delivered to the mortuary wearing an expensive, expertly tailored black suit. The mortician asks the deceased's wife how she would like the body dressed. He points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing._

_The widow, however, says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the mortician a blank check and says, "I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing."_

_The woman returns the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe, the suit fits him perfectly._

_She says to the mortician, "Whatever this cost, I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you spend?" To her astonishment, the mortician presents her with the blank check. He says, "There's no charge."_

_"No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!" she says._

_"Honestly, ma'am," the mortician says, "It cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice._

_"So I switched the heads"_


	11. The Legend

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: All I have to say right now is… _OMG __I __LOVE __YOU __GUYS!_ A few people are saying that they love my story and it's one of their favorite stories for undertakerXoc. I feel so proud and happy! You guys are the reason I haven't left my _"__let__'__s __write __as __much __as __I __can __down __before __midnight__"_ phase. So thank you X3 I'll continue with this story as long as I feel up to it. I don't know how long I'll be writing this, but I _do_ hope to finish this! Well… as always ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a sigh, finally finding time to walk into the library to catch up on some investigative reading. Finding the history section, looking under S, and climbing a tall ladder to get to the book she was looking for, she climbed down the ladder and walked to a table to read it. The book was large and dusty; obviously no one cared to read about shinigamis. _'__Those __arrogant __fools,__'_ Sophie frowned to herself, blowing the dust off of the book before opening it up. After flipping through the table of contents, she flipped through the thin pages till she came to the chapter she was looking for. _'__Legends,__'_ she read to herself, skimming the introduction.

'A legendary can be found in any species. The way an ordinary being can spot a legendary is the yellow haze they have in their eyes. This yellow haze had grown over time through many tests and ordeals. Usually legendaries have lived for thousands of years, but there have been a few rare cases of newly created beings exhibiting yellow in their eyes. A strength to the yellow haze is the being's senses are quadrupled of a normal being from their species. A weakness to the yellow haze is over a long period of time the being with the yellow haze will create a form of blindness. The strain of the yellow haze will become too great on their eyes that they will have problems seeing. Even so, a being with the yellow haze will be able to see differently than a normal being, for the reason that their other senses are strengthened. From their experience and powerful strength, legendaries are one to be feared and not crossed.

'Categories: angels, demi-gods, demons, elementals, gods pg6418, hybrids, incorporeal'

Sophie looked up from the book, flipping through a few of the pages till she got to pg 6418 and scanned the pages. _'__Legendary __Death __Gods,__'_ she read, finally coming to the section she was looking for.

'Legendary death gods, widely known as reapers, come from the elite class of shinigamis. They are the most powerful and can hold the top positions in their species, if they wish. The legendary shinigamis were told to have lived around the time humans began to increase tenfold. Many were around till the Crusades and the Black Death. The Crusades killed most of the reapers, for many religious humans would make contracts to demons. The Crusades cause a war between the Reapers and Demons, which resulted in many from both sides slain. The Black Death overwhelmed the reapers with a long list of deaths. This caused demons to steal souls easily, resulting in reapers chasing after the devoured souls. This began another war between the Reapers and Demons, which resulted in many from both sides slain.

'The oldest legendary reapers still alive today:

'The Apep – hybrid, reaper/demon; originated in Hibernia; male with short black hair and amethyst eyes. He is a cunning and deceitful reaper who cans wit out his opponents. He wields a black mattock with green markings of snakes on the handle. Can talk to animals and uses snakes to combat his enemies.

'The Dark Centurion – originated in Italia; male with short maroon hair. As a human he was a Centurion in the Roman army. As a reaper he commands several lieges of reapers. A fearless fighter and never took no for an answer. He wielded a scythe forged from a thunderbolt from the heavens. He rode a dark horse made from his own dark energy. Can change his death scythe into whatever he chooses, ex. sickles, bow & arrows, Roman short sword, etc…, but usually uses the scythe.

'The Dark Harvesters– combination of The Black Rose (_deceased_), The Dark Centurion, The Silver Dove, and The Undertaker; two males and two females. Combine forces to defeat rival species. Responsible for collecting massive amount of souls two thousand years ago as well as restoring and keeping order among the reaper species. Very powerful and unstoppable when united.

'The Silver Dove – originated in Mesopotamia; female with long dark-brunette hair. Born a reaper from Enki and an unknown mother. Strong spirited and energetic. Very powerful when provoked and stands strong for her wields a three- pronged fork made of iron and sharp to the touch. Can smite her enemies with one swat of her pronged fork.

'The Undertaker – originated in the Goths; male with short silver hair. Born a reaper, unknown father and mother. Cold and heartless, never gave his enemies mercy. Wore black hooded cloak and wielded a long silver scythe, which had a skull welded into the top of the scythe…'

Sophie felt someone poking her back and she turned around to find Alex standing behind her. "Hey Sophie," he smiled, "detention just got out. Do you want to come with me to Julia's?"

She smirked, closing the book, "Of course. Let me just check out this book and bring it to my room," she smiled, taking the book to the front desk and using her Shinigami ID to check out the book. Then she walked out of the library with Alex trailing behind her.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a yawn, putting her shinigami glasses in a black leather case and slipped it into her suit coat just as they had arrived at the Shezmu residence. She smiled as Alex knocked on the door, suddenly hearing yelling and someone running into something, which sounded expensive, and breaking it. "I'm coming!" they heard from inside the house as Albert opened the door.

"Master Alexander and Mistress Sophia do come in," he bowed, letting them inside as he closed the door behind them.

Just as they walked in Julia flew down the stairs, colliding with Sophie and Alex and pushing them over. She gasped in horror as Sophie and Alex laughed, standing up and brushing themselves off. "Hi to you too, Julia," Alex chuckled, putting his shinigami glasses in a black leather casing as Sophie had done and put it in his suit coat.

"It's great to see you so soon!" Julia jumped up and down. "I wasn't expecting you for a few more days, but I have great news!"

She giggled, ushering them down the hallway. "And what would that be?" Alex asked.

"My father just got back from his business trip!" Julia giggled, causing Alex to frown.

"Julia…" he sighed, "Perhaps I wouldn't have brought Sophie along –"

"Nonsense!" she grumbled, before giggling again. "I told him about Sophie already. Actually, he wanted to talk to the two of you, especially you Sophie."

"M-me?" Sophie gasped, "W-hat for?"

"Since you're hanging out with Alex and all… and he's like family to us, my father just wants to learn more about you. You don't have to give him a life story, but you're open to doing that if you want. Just the usual stuff, your name, what do you, and so forth," she smiled happily. "Now come on!" she said, pulling on Alex and Sophie's arm and dragging them along. "He's in his study." Once they got to an open door, Julia knocked on the door. "Hey father," she said quietly, an odd thing for Sophie to hear, "Alex and Sophie came by. You know the reaper I told you about."

She heard a low chuckle coming from the room, "Yes do come in. Let me just finish these forms and I'll speak to the three of you in a minute."

Sophie watched as Alex and Julia walked normally into the room, _'a rather __**large**__ room,'_ she thought to herself. Cautiously walking in, she looked around the room in awe. The room was rather large, with bookshelves lining the parameters of the room. The room was colored in different tones of red and black, making the room somewhat gloomy. It was kept neat and polished, the maroon rug recently cleaned.

At the end of the room was a large window, the black colored curtains pulled so light could travel into the room. There at the end was a large deck with a man sitting in a big leather chair signing forms. Not wanting to sit down yet, Sophie walked around looking at the books on the wall. She smiled, the books dating back years into the past, as well as some new novels that had recently been published. "Sophie," she turned, noticing Alex ushering her over. She hesitated, still looking at the books on the wall.

"Let her be Alexander," the man said, signing a form and stamping it, "she's not bothering anyone." She smiled, putting a careful finger on some golden lettering. "Do you like to read?"

"Oh," Sophie coughed in surprise. "Yes I do sir," she smiled.

"What type of books?" he asked, his eyes still on the forms he was signing.

"Well…" she thought to herself for a few moments, "I never thought about it, but I guess I like history and biography books. I usually read books to learn something, but there are some books I've read for pleasure. Also paranormal and suspenseful novels, but history and biography books captivate my interests."

He smirked, "I see…" he looked up from what he was writing, his gray eyes staring over at Sophie with interest. She smiled, walking over to Alex and Julia and sitting down, letting out a sigh. "You don't have to be nervous with me," he said, brushing a hand through his black, but yet red, hair. When his hair hit the light, it turned a dark tone of red, but in the dark it looked black, pure black. It was like a black rose, which the rose is really a dark crimson color but is called a black rose because it looks black from far away.

Sophie chuckled slightly. "Sorry," she answered, embarrassed.

He smiled, setting the stacks of paper to the side so he could get a better look at her. "So you're Sophia Ioreta… is that your _real_ name?"

She smiled, "Yes and no. My full name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, but I like to use Sophia Ioreta because I remember growing up and using that name."

"A Serbus huh?" he answered, a smirk on his face. "So Sophia, would you mind telling me a bit about yourself?"

"Ummm…" she frowned, scratching the back of her head. "Actually… when I turned into a reaper, I was told that I lost my memories. So I can't recall anything of my pervious human life. All I have is just the experiences I gained during my time at the academy."

"I see…" he nodded in understanding. "It's understandable, since you're half-human and half-reaper. It's okay that I know that information, right?"

"That's okay," Sophie shrugged, "I don't mind… actually there are a few things I'm beginning to remember. Stuff like my name and the fact that I lived here in London. The only other things that seem to be memories come to me in dreams, but they're more like nightmares then dreams. People dying and such, but I'm still trying to figure out who I am so I can't say that any of my dreams actually happened."

He nodded, a smile appearing on his face, "Well you seem like a good and honest kid. I won't mind if you hanged around my little Julia, but you have to promise me that you won't let any harm come to her while she's with you."

Sophie nodded in understanding, "I do, just as long as I make one thing clear."

"Go ahead," he said, leaning back in his chair.

"If I come across a demon trying to steal a human's soul that I am responsible to reap, I will dispose of that demon without any regrets. When I'm on the job, my first priority will be taking the human soul to be judged accordingly. I am sorry in advance if I met you or anyone else taking a human's soul, but I will not stand for that to be done. That is the only time I cannot fulfill the promise, and I hope you can understand the position I am in."

He looked at her, her blue/green eyes staring with seriousness at him. Then he cracked a low chuckle, "I completely understand your situation Sophia. I've come across many reapers like you in my lifetime. I will keep your terms in mind, but I **do** ask that you take care of Julia as Alex does."

Sophie smiled, her eyes sparkling happily, "I promise I will take care of Julia with my life, as long as my terms are met."

"Good," he said, getting out of his chair and walking around the desk. "So tell me Sophia, what business do you have being at the academy?"

"Well…" she thought, "It just sort of happened. One minute I'm waking up on the floor, next minute I'm signing forms to go to the academy. It wasn't really a choice, but something told me that it was an okay thing to do. Plus they're the species that found me and supposedly I'm one of them."

"Do you like it there?" he asked, looking through one of his books, "and the same question is directed to you, Alexander."

"Oh," he exclaimed, "Yeah I guess everything is alright," he shrugged.

"You just keep getting detentions," Sophie said with a smug on her face.

"Hey!" he grumbled, crossing his arms. "I'm sorry that my teachers don't like me, and don't be all high and mighty Sophie. You just got a detention today."

She shrugged, "So what. It's all because I refuse to wear those glasses in class. I don't mind wearing them around the campus, but if I'm going to be able to see the board then I'm going to need them _off_." She grumbled slightly, a bit irritated she had to wear glasses in the first place.

"You don't wear glasses?" came the deep voice of Julia's father, causing Alex and Sophie's bickering to stop.

"I don't like them," she frowned, scratching the back of her head. "They make my eyes hurt, and they don't help with seeing anything. They give me a painful headache when I put them on, so I usually just close my eyes as I walk down the halls. Sometimes I run into someone, but they're just so irritating!"

He chuckled, "That's pretty funny. I haven't seen a shinigami who hasn't been able to wear their glasses in a few decades. It's been a while… how are your studies going?"

"Other than the weekly detentions, I'm keeping a steady GPA of an A," Sophie smiled happily, "but we haven't had any major testing yet."

"How about you Alexander?" he asked, leaning against his bookshelf.

"Ummmm…" he grumbled quietly to himself, "my GPA is a double-B sir."

"Why are you so disappointed?" he asked, raising an eyebrow, "That's a pretty good grade for someone who has just started."

"Because…" he grumbled to himself, "It's not an _**A**_, sir."

He chuckled, and then let out a hearty laugh, "Don't be disappointed. You need to learn some humility Alexander. I thought that's why you left your mother to go to the academy."

Alex looked away from him in shame, and then nodded, "Yea sir…"

"Good boy," he chuckled. "Now Sophia," he began, causing her to look over at him, "You say you have to close your eyes when you walk because of the glasses."

"Yes sir," she said, letting out a cough. "It's not a big problem. I just constantly run into things."

He chuckled, "Come follow me children. I have something to show you." Then he walked out of his room, with Sophie following closely behind him with Alex and Julia following behind her.

They walked down the hallway and down some narrow stairs, causing Julia to jump up and down in excitement. "You mean you're going to show –"

"Yes I am Julia," he chuckled in amusement, "but don't give away the surprise."

"I didn't know there was a staircase here," Alex frowned.

Then they reached the bottom of the stairs, ending up at an old wooden door. "Feast your eyes," he said, opening the door, "on our training room."

Alex and Sophie looked inside in awe, as Julia and her father casually walked inside. "Woh…" Sophie couldn't help saying as she looked around the large room. It was as big as five football fields combined and bigger than the mansion by a great percentage. There was exercise equipment towards the other end of them and the rest of the room was used for training.

"Glad you're impressed," he smiled, his low voice echoing into the room. "This is where I've trained Julia so she can harness her demon powers. The place is completely soundproof and is built to the mint of perfection. If you would like, you can train here with Alexander to harness your own skills. You can have the machine throw objects at you or have someone else do it. It's open for you guys to train in even when I'm out of town. Any questions?"

"N-no sir," Alex and Sophie said, still in awe about the place.

"Good," he smiled, walking out of the room. "Go ahead and train now. I'll be back in my study Julia."

She giggled, waving to her dad, "Yes father. I'll be up by dinnertime!"

He smiled, walking out of the large room and back up the stairs. "They don't have anything like this back at the academy," Alex gasped.

"Maybe they do, but you just haven't found it yet," Julia giggled, causing Sophie to giggle with her.

"So what's the plan Julia?" Sophie asked, walking farther into the room and looking around. Julia smirked, sneaking up behind her and tying a blindfold around her eyes. "Hey!" Sophie gasped, confused with the sudden loss of sight. Then she heard something being thrown at her and Sophie jumped away, just avoiding the knife that was thrown at her by Julia. "Hey what the heck?" she grumbled, about the take the blindfold off.

"Don't take it off!" Julia gasped. "I'm just helping you train… since you said you have trouble seeing. Perhaps if you concentrate on your other senses to avoid objects, then you'll have a better time when you're wearing those glasses of yours," she smiled; though Sophie just figured she smiled by her next comment. "Now come on Alex!" she giggled as Sophie heard her pick something up. "Let's throw these knifes at her, and then we can move onto the flying disks."

"Wha –" was all Sophie could say before she heard a bunch of objects flying at her. "Hey!" she gasped, trying to avoid them as best she could. Then she felt a cut in her arm, Sophie gripping her arm in pain.

"You're going to have to avoid these weapons better then that!" Julia giggled playfully, throwing more objects. Sophie growled under her breath, before closing off her eyes so she could hear the objects flying towards her. The next few objects she was able to avoid with ease, to her astonishment. "Good job Sophie!" Julia said from the other side of the room, "but this is just the beginning," she giggled, throwing more random objects at her as Sophie hysterically tried to avoid them.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, walking into a room full of new year shinigamis like herself. Looking around the room, she spotted Chaz and made a mental note to stay away from that side of the room. She frowned, noticing Margaret was standing around in his little fan club. Letting out a sigh she walked over to get a cup of water, when someone jumped behind her as she was holding a cup of water. "Guess who~~" the shinigami said, causing Sophie to grumble.

"Alexander Agon if you don't let go of me this second, you're going to be the next person I bury ten feet under the ground," she hissed as Alex let go of her eyes and stood back, laughing his head off.

"What a sourpuss you are today! Was the training yesterday to intense for you?" he smirked.

She chuckled, pretending to clean her glasses as she stared evilly into his eyes, making him flinch slightly. "No," she smirked walking away from him slightly. "I wasn't expecting pendulums with sharp blades, I'll admit that, but it wasn't that hard." She put her glasses back on; grabbing the cup of water she had gotten and drank down the water. "I'm just irritated that we're **here**. I could be studying or training right now," she grumbled to herself.

"Or out partying," Alex chuckled, causing her to smirk.

"Oh, that's not till later," she winked, throwing the cup away and heading to the group of shinigamis.

Alex shrugged, ending up next to her in the crowd. "Why do you think we're here?"

Sophie shrugged, "I have no clue… but I did hear that it may be the day they give us mentors. I could care less myself."

"I just hope I get a good one then," Alex sighed.

"I doubt it," she said with her arms crossed. "We're half-breeds. They wouldn't waste their good mentors on us. No… we'll probably get the worst of the worst."

"That's what _you_ think," he smirked happily. "You're a double-A student. A young one at that! I'm just your average B student –"

"Double-B, remember," she smirked.

He chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "Yeah… sure. Either way, they'll probably pair us with mentors who had grades similar to our own."

Sophie let out a bored sigh as one of the teachers walked to the front of the podium. "Whatever Alex," she shrugged, "We'll just see what happens."

"Welcome Students of the London Division Shinigami Academy," said the teacher, causing everyone to quiet down. "We have gather you here today, for you are the new shinigamis whom have GPAs of a B or higher. The next step is to be selected by top shinigamis in our departments to be your personal teachers. They will help you with the next steps into becoming top quality shinigamis. Now can I have the students with GPAs of A or higher come with me and the rest will stay in this room." He concluded, taking out a list of names.

As soon as Sophie's name was called off, she let out a sigh and looked over at Alex. "We'll meet at the infirmary if we can't meet up any sooner, okay?"

He smirked, "Sure Sophie. Now you better get going," he chuckled, causing her to roll her eyes.

Sophie followed the older shinigami into a smaller room, soon noticing that there was only 20 students out of the 135 students that had gathered had A grades. Sophie narrowed her eyes, noticing Chaz gloating over his grades. "I don't see why you're gloating," Sophie said with her arms crossed, as he causally walked over to her. "You've been at this school of ten years and you _finally_ get a decent grade. To me, they should have kicked you out a _**long time ago**_."

"Oh your one to talk," he narrowed his eyes. "I've noticed you've been hanging out at clubs recently with that _half-breed_. You're probably planning on becoming a demon like them!" He laughed, causing a bunch of eyes to look in their direction.

"My grades actually **increased**, Chaz, and I don't care about hanging out with a half-breed." Then she smirked slyly, "Besides, you probably had to _wait in lines_ like everyone else. That's why I don't recognize you being there, I'm already too drunk to notice you finally walking in at two in the morning."

He narrowed his eyes, "Shut up."

"Just saying the truth," she shrugged, "if you can't handle it then sod off."

"Why don't you!" he growled, pushing her and causing her to stumble backwards.

She narrowed her blue/green eyes, putting her glasses in her glasses case and slipping it into her coat. "You want to fight, huh?" she growled back, cracking her knuckles.

He smirked, pinning her into the wall, "I've been waiting for this for a long time. If you hadn't noticed, I don't like you very much."

Without even a flinch, Sophie whipped Chaz around in a circle and grabbed his arms, twisting it behind his back. "And if you didn't notice, I don't practically like you either," she whispered in his hear, kicking him in the back and letting go of his hands, making him stumble forewords.

Now everyone in the room was looking at them, beginning to form a circle around them. "What the heck was that?" he gasped, rubbing his back in pain.

"I've been training," she shrugged, putting her hands up in a fist. "Besides, I need a little warm-up before I fight anyone really strong, _maggot_," she smirked, noticing him growling at her.

"I'm no maggot!" he yelled, throwing a punch at her. "And _**I'm not weak**_!" He growled, throwing another at her.

She yawned, "If that's all you can do then this'll be easy." As he threw another punch at her she caught his arm, and in one swift motion she flipped him up into the air and kicked him in the gut, slamming him into the ground. The group of students began to cheer them on, rooting for one side or the other. Sophie looked around, wondering why there weren't any teachers in the room to stop them.

She let another yawn escape her lips as Chaz stood up, angry with her _own_ arrogance. "Don't yawn at me!" he growled.

"But you're _so_ boring," she said, rubbing her eyes. "I don't spend my day trying to go binge-drinking and getting laid. Though I doubt you're a good lover. If you can't fight then you can't be very good at love making," she smirked, Chaz growling at her.

"Shut up!" he yelled, whipping out his standard death scythe and ran at her, about to strike. Sophie just stood there, her arms crossed. Just as he was about to strike, she grabbed hold of his scythe, staring into his eyes as their faces began to pass.

"Too slow," she smirked, her one-iris eyes glowing green in her crystal blue eyes. She easily took the scythe away from him, kicking him in the chest and causing him to fly backwards into the crowd. They all evaded just in time, Chaz flying across the room and hitting the wall, a grove being made in the wall. He regained his senses and began shuddering in fear, watching as Sophie came walking towards him with his scythe in her hand. "Now will I cut off your hands or feet first?" she said to herself, licking the scythe in pleasure.

"Oh god, you monster!" he yelled, causing everyone to go silent as she brought the scythe up to his face, cutting into his cheek slightly.

"Perhaps you're too _human_ to be a shinigami then," she said, swiping the blood from his cheek and licking her hand, a smirk still on her face.

"What is going on in here?" Everyone in the room turned to see a few teachers standing at the door, walking into the room to investigate. "Sophia Ioreta and Chaz Hoover, what is going on in here!" one of them grumbled, noticing the hole in the wall.

"She!... She almost killed me!" Chaz squealed.

"I wasn't going to kill you, you little piggy," she rolled her eyes, handing the teacher his death scythe. "I was just teaching him a _lesson_."

"So _**you're**_ responsible for this?" he glared at her, quickly accepting the scythe from her.

"He provoked me," she shrugged.

"Two weeks detention, the both of you," he glared, Chaz's mouth dropping.

Sophie just shrugged, putting her glasses back on and walking away from him. "Why you—"

"And enough out of you Chaz," the teacher glared, causing him to let in a fearful gulp. Sophie smirked, getting a few high-fives from her peers as she walked among the crowd. "Ahem," he said, getting their attention. "I would expect top-notch students like yourselves wouldn't be involved in childish roughhousing," he glared at them, before looking at his notes. "I will be assigning you to mentors whom had a GPAs of A when they graduated. Several have requested you specifically for your internship. I expect the upmost behavior from _all of you_," he glared, especially at Chaz and Sophie. Chaz cringed as Sophie glared at him back, a bit pissed at the teacher's attitude towards her. At least she had her glasses back on her head by now. She didn't want to have a longer detention then she already has. "Mentors, if you would enter the room please."

Sophie crossed her arms as the older shinigamis came walking in. One stood out to her, a male shinigami with bright-red hair and sharp teeth. _'No way,' _she gulped, stunned.

"If you cannot find your mentor or student, you may come to me for the list. Once you have your student, go ahead and show them to your office and etc," the teacher finished, leaving the room.

In a blink of an eye the red-headed shinigami jumped at Sophie and wrapped his hands around her, causing her to push away as a reflex. "When I saw your name on this list I just **had** to request you," he jumped around, suffocating Sophie's air supply. "Kawaii! You're so cute!~"

"Grell…" Sophie groaned, "You're suffocating me again…"

"Oh sorry dear~~" he giggled, letting go of Sophie. She staggered slightly, breathing in.

Then she heard a chuckle behind her, causing her to turn around and narrow her eyes at Chaz. "Oh this is priceless!" he laughed.

She growled at him, "If you dare say anything, I'm not going to hesitate in punching through that wall again. Perhaps I'll bury your body next to the academy so your annoying ghost will irritate students for days to come," she smirked, his eyes going wide.

"What the fuck?" he backed away. "You're sick! A sick, twisted reaper! No, not a reaper, a _**thing**_!"

She glared at him, the feeling of ripping him up into a million pieces pulsing though her, but she stopped and bit down on her lip, calming down. "If you're going to be mean to me, then I'll be mean to you. Just don't expect me to go easy on you, _ever_," she glared. Then she turned back around, grabbing the stunned Grell's hand, "Come on Grell, let's go," she smiled, her angry eyes still staring at Chaz.

Once they left the room Grell pulled her to the side and crouched down so he could stare into her double-iris, blue/green eyes. "What was that Sophia? What's gotten into you?"

Sophie let out a sigh, staring down at the ground, "Sorry Grell… I just don't like the guy. He's been bullying me since I got here. He just got on my nerves and I fought him… then punched him into a wall."

"So that was _you_?" he asked, as Sophie gave her a nod. Then she looked up in confusion. Grell laughed, laughed full heartedly, "My little apprentice is a natural-born fighter! Oh it's so nostalgic ~," he sighed. "This is going to be fun!~~" he giggled, standing back up and rustling up her hair.

"Hey!" Sophie grumbled, shooing his hands away.

Then he grabbed her hand and pulled her along as she tried to put her hair back to its neat looking self. "So did you get in trouble?"

Sophie looked up at him slightly shocked. "Of course," she smirked, "Two weeks detention, but I don't care. I seem to be getting into a lot of trouble around here anyways."

"Well that's okay," Grell smirked, "I got into a lot of trouble when I was a youngling too." Sophie smiled, letting him rustling up her hair again as they walked down the hallway.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a groan as she sat in the detention hall, sitting in the back as she always did. She took out her homework, not having time all day to work on it. Then Alex walked in, sitting next to her. He smiled, "Hard day?"

She nodded, slamming her head her open book. He chuckled to himself, grabbing his own homework out and beginning to work on it. The two other shinigamis who always showed up soon did, setting their stuff down and pretending to work, but really they were taking naps. Sophie looked at the time, 5:03pm, _'another 57 minutes to go,'_ she frowned, taking out a pencil and writing notes down. Alex sneakily slipped a note under her book, which she skillfully grabbed without anyone noticing.

~ Who's your mentor? ~

~~ Grell Sutcliff ~~

Alex snickered and Sophie glared, grabbing the note back and quickly wrote something down.

~~ **DON'T LAUGH!** He's actually a nice guy… or girl. Not sure which one he prefers. ~~

~ At least you have a fun mentor. I have William **T.** Spears. He's always angry and stern, so annoying! ~

Sophie snickered, causing Alex to glare and take the note back.

~ What's so funny? ~

~~ Nothing really… he's the guy who woke me up after I died and told me what happened. Yeah, I met him before. Haven't you noticed when he's annoyed he always adjusts his glasses? ~~

~ Yes I have! So I'm not crazy… that's not normal, is it? ~

~~ Nope XD ~~

Alex smirked, writing some more words down and handing the note back to Sophie, making sure the shinigami in the front wasn't getting suspicious.

~ I think the T in his name means **Terrible** or **Tyrant** ~

~~ I like it. William _the Tyrant_ Spears… has a nice ring to it ~~

Alex and Sophie giggled quietly, as Alex wrote more down.

~ He wouldn't let me do anything. I figured I'd have an easy mentor because of my grades… I guess not ~

~~ I would have thought William would have had a GPA of A instead of B… guess I was wrong ~~

~ No kidding ~

Alex shrugged, noticing Sophie was working diligently on her homework.

~ Did you not get your homework done? ~

~~ No. I had to help Grell with his paperwork. His desk was overloaded with weeks of work! I made him sit there during my time off and we worked on it. He fell asleep, but I finally finished the 10 stacks of paper there. Then, when I was delivering the papers, I ran into Chaz and his mentor. I felt like punching him through a brick wall _again_. So now I have to work on my homework now ~~

~ Are you the one that punched Chaz through the wall? ~

Sophie smirked, writing down her response.

~~ Yes I did. I have two weeks detention, so I need to keep my glasses on my head for two weeks… great ~~

They looked up, noticing Chaz walking in at 5:15pm. He looked to the back of the room, noticing Sophie sitting next to Alex. "Speaking of the devil," Sophie frowned, glaring at him as he glared back at her.

"That's my line," Alex smirked, causing Sophie to roll her eyes sarcastically.

Chaz looked around the room, deciding to sit right at the front of the room, staring as the clock ticked by. Alex looked at her confused as she grabbed a new sheet of paper and wrote down a response.

~~ We _**both**_ got two weeks detention ~~

~Ouch… wish I was there to see it ~

~~ He was a wimp. He needs to work on his reaping skills because I was close to cutting up his pretty face of his ~~

~ Now Sophia, we talked about this ~

He looked at her with a sarcastic expression. She rolled her eyes, writing her response.

~~ Shove it Alex. I was just too good for him, that's all ~~

She smirked, going back to writing notes.

~ All day I worked on homework because _Mr. Tyrant_ wouldn't let me help him. Only stare at him as he worked on his paperwork. What a rip off! ~

~~ I guess we'll just have to teach ourselves ~~

~ Yep ~

Alex shrugged, letting out a sigh and looking up at the clock.

~ Are you going to Julia's tonight? ~

~~ Maybe… I'm almost done with the homework, but I'm tired ~~

~ We could just hang out. We don't have to train and go out tonight ~

~~ Sure then. I wanted to read one of those old books they have there ~~

~ They _intrigue_ you ~

~~ Yep ~~

She smiled. Then she let out a sigh, finishing up her notes. Alex laid his head on his book and slowly fell asleep. 'Only 30 more minutes,' she frowned, reading her notes.

'Glasses – every reaper needs to have a pair of glasses. Needs glasses for lack of sight. Glasses help evaluate souls faster. Glasses get more complex as you move through academy. Full-fledged shinigamis can choose own glasses. Each pair of glasses is different for every shinigami. Must fill out forms to alter glasses. Unregulated glasses will be confiscated and proper punishment will be given. Shinigami must wear glasses. Shinigami must never remove their glasses

'Death Scythes – every reaper is allowed to carry a death scythe once they start schooling. Start off with regulation scythe, small scythe with wooden handle and sharp blade. Scythes came become more complex as a reaper moves up the ranks. Ex. usually gardening tools: ancient, modern, or to be made tools. Full-fledged shinigamis can choose their own death scythes. Either it appears before them or they select their own. Can have multiple scythes for specific jobs. Must fill out forms to acquire/alter death scythes. Unregulated death scythes will be confiscated and proper punishment will be given. Shinigami must take care of their death scythes. Using one's death scythe without permission is forbidden. Modifying one's death scythe without following proper procedure is forbidden.'

)(*&^%$#!

"I have your DNA results," Jenna said to Sophie, who was sitting on a white cushion with Alex slouching in a chair.

"Why that's great!" Sophie smiled, putting her suit coat and necktie back on. "So what does it show?"

"As you know, your mother is obviously a human, so we decided to only take the DNA results from your father. Your father… from our records is a reaper named Marcus Serbus."

Sophie nodded in understanding, "Well that's good. When I was found they were calling me Sophia Serbus before I changed my name to my mom's maiden name and my middle name. So will I be able to talk to this man? Is he even alive?"

Jenna let out a sigh, much to Sophie's disappointment. "I looked up the reaper Marcus Serbus for you and all they would tell me is that he had died about 15 years ago. I'm sorry Sophia."

Sophie just shrugged, "That's okay. At least you tried… no one else would have." She smiled, before letting out a sigh, "Well I guess **both** of my parents are dead now. I'll still try and look him up though… thank you Jenna."

"That's quite alright Sophia," she smiled. "Perhaps you can find someone who knew him."

"Perhaps," she shrugged, "but for now I'll just work on becoming a full-fledged shinigami. If I find more about them in the meantime, great, but I'm not going to count on that." She jumped off of the cushion as Alex stood up. "And have you told anyone Jenna?"

"No," she shrugged. "It's in your records, but under a secret file. I don't see a reason why you need to keep this a secret."

"There are a few people who would probably use my information to blackmail me," Sophie shrugged, "I just don't want any problems right now. Well let's get going," she said to Alex. He nodded, holding the door for her as she walked out. "Thank you," she smiled.

"You're welcome," he smiled back, walking through the door.

"Oh and Sophia," Jenna said, causing Sophie to poke her head in the doorway. "I would like you to come by the infirmary on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at the same time as we've agreed. You seem to be recovering fine, but we just want to make sure you're doing okay. Are those days okay with you?"

Sophie nodded in understanding, a smile falling on her face, "Those days sound fine. I'll see you Wednesday?"

Jenna nodded, a smile falling on her face. "See you on Wednesday."

Then Sophie closed the door, walking with Alex down the hallways towards the main entrance. "Mr. Shezmu seemed to have known my father… or should I say by his response, when I said my full name. If he doesn't, perhaps I can find something written about him… but whatever. I could care less if I find out about my parents."

Alex chuckled, causing Sophie to look at him suspiciously, "I doubt that. You obviously care about finding out or else you wouldn't go though the trouble."

She growled at him under her breath, knowing he was right. "Come on," she said simply, pushing on the double doors that lead to the outside, "Let's get going." Alex shrugged, following Sophie as the sun began to set on the horizon.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"So you **do** know about Marcus Serbus?" Sophie asked, walking down the hallway with Mr. Shezmu.

"Of course I do," he smiled, his hand behind his back as he walked, "I've lived for a few thousand years and I've come across the name. Why do you ask?"

"Just…" she let out a sigh, scratching the back of her head, "I was just told he's my father. I want to learn all I can about in, even meet him if he's alive. Sadly, I heard he's dead."

"Yes I believe he is," Mr. Shezmu said, "but don't let that get you down. You can learn more about yourself and the abilities you may possess by your predecessors. In fact I have a documentation I wrote about him when I had met him. Would you like to read it?"

"Sure," Sophie smiled as they walked into his personal office room. He began looking at his books, trying to find the document he seeked. "If you have other books about him, could I see those too?"

He chuckled as he grabbed a book that was the size to be a journal. "Read this book first before you go looking around for anything else. You'll be surprised on what you find in this book." Sophie nodded in understanding, looking at the engravings on the front of the book. "Now if you excuse me young Sophia, I need to get back to work. There's a study area just across the hallway. If you have questions don't be afraid to come by, just knock on the door." Sophie nodded, about to leave, "And I'll have Albert bring you some tea."

"You won't have him poison me this time, will you?" she asked, a smirk on her face.

"He tried to poison you?" he asked, before letting out a hearty chuckle. "I'm so sorry about that Sophia. He's been ordered to do so when strangers are let into the mansion. I hope you can understand that."

"Of course," she smiled, "It's completely understandable. I won't take it to heart. I'll just be going now." He nodded to her as she walked out of the room, silently closing the door behind her.

Then she walked into the room across the hallway, the door smaller than that of the double doors just across from her. Opening the door, her eyes beamed with awe. The room was fairly big, with books **everywhere**. It made the large shelves in Mr. Shezmu's office look small. There were a few tables and couches around the room. It seemed rather extravagant for only two beings, but Sophie just figured more people had lived here and just don't anymore. Deciding to sit on a couch, which had a table with a lamp next to her, she read the book, noticing it looked more like a journal then a standard-published book. "Journal CLXXIII," she read aloud to herself as she opened the book. "_Dies Saturni A.D. VII ID. Feb. MCCLXII A.U.C_…" Sophie thought to herself for a second, "so February 7th… 509 B.C." She smiled, realization on how long ago that entry was.

"That's correct," she heard a voice saying, noticing Albert walking over to her with a tray of tea and some food.

"Oh hi," she smiled, setting the book down on her lap. "I didn't hear you come in."

"That's quite alright," he smiled, pouring her some tea. "Would you like a scone with the redbush tea?"

Sophie smiled, grabbing the tea from Albert, "Yes please."

"It is raspberry coconut almond scone," he smiled, setting the small scones down on the table next to Sophie. "Is there anything else you would like me to do for you?"

"No thank you," she smiled, enjoying the taste of the almonds with the redbush tea. "It's very good. Thank you."

"You're welcome," he smiled. "If you don't mind me asking, I was wondering how you knew how to read the master's writing."

Sophie thought for a second, shrugging, "I don't know. I just automatically read it… I think I remember a man teaching me how to read the Latin language so when I came across it I could translate it. That's all I can remember."

"That's quite alright," he smiled, grabbing the tray. "I'll just be leaving you now," he said, leaving the room.

Sophie smiled, finishing one of the scones and setting the tea on the table. _'Yeah… I was wondering that myself,' she _thought to herself, before shrugging. _'Whatever. If it's a memory that I want to know then I'll soon find out about it,'_ she sighed, opening the book and reading over the first journal entry and translating it in her head.

'February 7th 509 B.C

'Today I have come across an astonishing sight. First off, I would like to say that having to go to Rome was a major inconvenience. Since the death was low in Egypt and there were no major threats on the Egyptians' souls, I move my work to Rome. There were several wicked men whom I came across, so when they died I judged them, executed them, and crushed their heads to make into red wine, as is my job.

'Anyways, I had come upon an unfamiliar sight. One of the men I had to judge was a young virtuous man named Serbus Marcus. His life was an ordinary life of a Roman noble, as he was expected to join the army and command a legion. He soon shot up the ranks, rather quickly, and became a commander of legions. He was still a humble man, a man not working for his own goals, but the goals of his country. As I've seen many young men as good as he, he died on the battlefield commanding his troops. He had put up a restless fight, not wanting to move on, but as an Executioner of Osiris it was my job to help him along to the afterlife.

'After I evaluated his soul and his soul woke up, I handed him a cup of red wine, which he oddly accepted with a smile on his face. He had asked me where he was, and I told him he had died in battle. He was down about it for a few moments, but then the smile appeared on his face again. Oddly enough, I soon noticed that his eyes were creating a double-iris, as his eyes were naturally green. I concluded that it was the will of the natural forces that his soul be turned into one of us, a god of death. I helped him up and told him what was going on that he wouldn't be traveling to the afterlife just yet, but rather he had a new purpose on earth that he must fulfill. He didn't seem too surprised, which astonished me, and he went on his way.

'That night I had found him staring at a dead body on the streets. It was obvious that by instinct he had taken the human's soul. Not to eat, but to judge and send onto the afterlife. Once I noticed he was done I told him what he had become. He nodded, but still seemed confused. I have decided to take some time to instruct him on what he must do. I will be fairly strict with him, but I can tell by his willpower and determination that lit up in his eyes when I told him to follow me that he will become a profound death god, whose name will live on for ages to come.'

!#$%^&*()

'September 21st 511 B.C.

'Today I have found out that my apprentice is a very popular being in the supernatural world. Serbus Marcus had earned the name _**The Dark Centurion**_, but has kept the same virtues as he had when I first met him. I came across him as I walked through the desert, finding a human who was on the verge of dying. Taking his soul I noticed he had a companion, but I didn't have a feeling that I needed to take his soul. Just then Marcus came by riding on a black horse. He gasped, excited to see me, but for him his job came first and he took the human's soul before embracing me in a hug. I couldn't help but swell with pride, for I had taught him well about the life and death of a person. Why they must be judged and sent to the afterlife. Afterwards he talked about how he was doing and how he got his title. It was because of the black horse he always rode on, which he conjured with his own abilities; also because he had been a Roman and commanded legions. I invited him into my home and he is currently walking around town reaping two souls. I wonder how strong he had gotten. When I left him he was still somewhat weak, but showed signs of improvement. As for now, I will leave and come back later. He's currently rummaging through my house and eating all my food.'

Sophie chuckled at his last comment, before flipping the page and moving on to the next entry. She yawned, sleepiness beginning to overcome her. Grabbing the single scone that sat on the plate next to her, she quickly at it and gulped down the rest of her tea. Then she moved on, reading the next page.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: I still can't believe you guys! Even one of my _own_ favorite undertakerXoc authors said this story is one of their favorites… I think I may just cry X'D**

**Well I'm happy that I was able to get this chapter up when I did. I think I put a lot of information in this chapter, but I don't care. I need to story to move along anyways =3 I was thinking of doing a Halloween special, but I wanted to get along in the story (at least another chapter) before then. Should I? Would you guys even care? Or would it just take away from the story? It'd be incorporated in the story, just wondering if you guys would want that. If not, then I won't even bother, but it's a nice side story X3 As always, PLEASE COMMENT! I don't know if you guys are still interested in the story or not if you don't comment**

Incorporeal - lacking material form or substance

Hibernia, Italia, Mesopotamia, Goths – different countries/groups of people in the ancient world

Enki – Sumerian water god/creator deity – pronounced him the curse of death by the earth mother

Black Rose –darkest red roses are called 'black roses'; symbolize death of an idea or saying farewell, can send positive message of rebirth and new beginnings

Roman names – they used to say the last name first before the first name. Ex. if you have William T. Spears, then it would be Spears William T. There wouldn't be an extra comma or anything like that. Some languages still make the last name first


	12. The Record

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: So this is the next chapter! I'm actually writing this note quickly because I'm going somewhere and I want to put this up before I go, but I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

"Alex…" Julia grumbled, walking into her house and letting out a yawn. "Don't say that."

"Well it's true," Alex shrugged. "I was just wondering if your father used to be a reaper of not. It would explain how he was able to easily get contacts for me to get into the academy. Why can't you tell me?"

"Because I never learned myself," she sighed. "Look, perhaps in the past he was a reaper, but now he's not. I'd prefer that you would stop with the constant questions on the subject. It's starting to irritate me," she grumbled to herself. Just then Albert showed up out of nowhere, almost giving Alex a heart attack. "Oh hi Albert," she smiled as he bowed. "So where's Sophie wandered to? We had left when she started talking to father."

"She's currently in the library across from your father's private office," Albert said, still bowing.

"Thank you," she smiled, "Come on Alex. It's almost one in the morning. I wonder if she's still awake or not."

Walking up staircase, they walked down a hallway towards her father's office. "Father," Julia said, peeking into the room.

"Yes dear?" her father answered, still signing forms under candlelight.

"Where is Sophia?" she asked, walking into the room.

He let out a sigh, finishing what he was writing and standing up. "I had sent her to the study room next door. I haven't heard from her in a few hours... Perhaps it's time we check up on her," he winked, walking towards the door and softly gripping his daughter's hand.

Julia quickly accepted, giggling as she was escorted across the hall where Alex was waiting. Once they opened the door and looked inside, Alex and Julia couldn't help but let out an _**'**__**awwww**__**'**_. Sophie had fallen asleep on the couch, her body sprawled out over the length of the 3-custioned couch. The book she been reading was closed and sitting on the table. She was curled up in a little ball, her face facing away from the couch and towards them. She had a very solemn expression on her face as she slept the night away. "So cute ~" Julia giggled, quiet enough to not disturb her.

Alex walked over to Sophie, gently rocking her back in forth to wake her from her slumber. "Sophie… Sophie…" he said.

Sophie slowly opened her crystal blue eyes, looking into Alex's red eyes, "Hello…" she smiled, letting out a yawn and stretching. She sat up on the couch, still sleepy from her nap. "What time is it?"

"One," Alex responded, "in the morning."

She nodded, slowly getting up and yawning. "Okay," was her reply. She walked over to Mr. Shezmu and handed him the book back. "Here you go."

"You're finished?" he asked, accepting the book in his hands.

"Yes I did. It took me a while, but it was very interesting," she smiled. "Though I would like to know what happened next. It stopped at about 524 B.C."

He chuckled, "If you want I'll let your borrow the my next journal."

"Oh really?" she beamed happily.

"Of course. Just return the book when you come back, and you're free to take them without permission, though at least inform Albert that you're doing so," he smiled.

She smiled back, "Thank you! I'll just check out one though. I don't want to get behind in my studying."

He nodded, "Of course." Then he looked over at Alex and Julia, who were currently poking each other in the cheek. "You're going to escort young Sophia back to her dorm, aren't you Alexander?"

He stopped, just to be poked one last time by Julia. Sophie and Julia giggled in a reply, causing him to roll his eyes at them. "Of course sir," he said with a bow. "Come on Sophie. We'd better head back."

Sophie nodded, following Mr. Shezmu to his bookshelf as he put the journal back. Then he handed her a new one, as she looked it over. "Journal CLXXIV," she read it over. "… Thank you," she said again with a bow, running out the door to meet up with Alex. She was rather tired and wanted to head back to her dorm so she could finish sleeping.

She left Mr. Shezmu there, who was quietly chuckling to himself. "She knows Latin, like her father. That's sweet," he smirked to himself._ 'Perhaps this is an apprentice I've been looking for. I haven't had the challenge of teaching someone in years…' _he chuckled to himself, walking over to his desk and putting his papers away in a drawer, blowing out the light.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, trying to finish the stack of forms in front of her. It had been a few weeks since Grell became her mentor, and so far it's been torture. When she comes in to see him, he'd be asleep or doodling. She's at the point of snapping him in two for not doing his work. "Grell…" she glared as she looked over at her mentor, who was busy painting his nails red.

"Yes dearest? ~" he smiled, not looking up from what he was doing.

"Are we **ever** going to train?" she grumbled to herself. "I'm sick of doing your work _**for**_ you. Why can't you just do it yourself like everyone else instead of having a lackey do it for you," she glared at him.

"Don't be so mean!~~" he frowned, "We'll do something fun tomorrow, I promise."

She grumbled under her breath, suddenly standing up from her seat, "You said that yesterday and the day before that. I'm getting sick and tired of your incompetence –"

"Ooh don't say that!" Grell whimpered, "You're sounding like William!" Sophie grumbled to herself and grabbed her messenger bag, which she kept all her school books and etc, and began to walk out of the cubical, to Grell's shock. "Hey where do you think you are going?"

"I'm leaving," she glared at him, causing him to flinch slightly. "I'm going to finish my homework, then train _myself_," she groused. "I'll be back tomorrow, but if you expect me to stick around you'd better get your act together," she grumbled to herself, walking out of the cubical and rushing down the stairs. Making sure Grell wasn't following her; she let out a sigh, walking down the stairs to the library. What she **really** wanted to do was read more into the journal Mr. Shezmu let her borrow a few days ago. It was annoying her that Grell wouldn't do his work, so she figured proper punishment would be leaving him with the little work he had left. Perhaps he'll have learned something by tomorrow, but she doubts it.

She passed by the librarian, "What is young Sophia doing here today at this hour?" she asked as she put books away.

"My incompetent mentor is giving me a splitting headache," she sighed, grabbing a stack of books and setting them on the bookshelf in their proper order. "I had done all my homework early expecting that we would do some actual training today, but all he did was having me sit at his desk and do the work _**he**_ was supposed to do today. I don't know with that man," she grumbled to herself, "I just needed a break."

"Do you plan on checking out a book today?" she asked, putting the last of the books away and climbing down the ladder.

"No," Sophie shrugged, "I just want to read my book in peace… is that okay?"

"Sure," she smiled, pushing the cart full of books towards the front. "You can go towards the back if you want some peace and quiet. No one goes back there."

She smiled, "Thank you," Sophie nodded, leaving the librarian and walking to the back of the library. She was right; there was barely anything there, except a bunch of dusty old books. Those made her frown, for books should be read. She took a random book off of the shelf, looking over the title. "Robin Hood… must be where they keep the chromatic records," she said to herself, deciding to take the book with her to read._ 'What a waste,'_ she frowned, finding an old couch in the corner,_ 'Books should be read. I don't see why shinigamis don't treasure human souls more… so annoying.' _She let out a sigh, sitting down on the couch and setting her stuff down next to her. The light was dim, but at least no one seemed to come back her. Sophie smirked, taking off her glasses and putting them in her coat. Smiling, she began to read, crossing her legs and leaning an arm on the armrest.

'Robin Hood was born during the medieval ages of Nottinghamshire, England. He grew up with his father who was a yeoman. His father taught him how to be a skilled archer and swordsman and he'd hunt and practice with his friends on the small property they owned…'

_A little girl dressed in her nightgown giggled, running through a small, dusty building. "I brushed my teeth dad!" she smiled happily, still having a giggle fit. "Are you going to read me a story tonight?"_

_A low chuckle came from across the hallway, "Of course ~" the voice said, with a somewhat low and eerie hum echoing through the building. The little girl didn't seem to mind as she sat herself down in a study room, which had a few large bookshelves lining the room. A couch was in the middle of the room, where the girl sat herself down waiting for her father. As he came in the girl's eyes beamed, happy to see him. "Don't you seem eager," he chuckled, looking through the stack of books he had in the corner. _

"_Of course!" she giggled happily. "It's one of my favorite parts of the day," she beamed, causing the man to smile, if it was even possible. _

_The man had long, gray flowing hair. He wore a black looking robe, which was so long that it hid his hands. He had a large black top hat, and his eyes were hidden behind gray hair. He wore a vicious looking Cheshire cat smile, which made her giggle when he finally came over with a book. "I shouldn't have let you pig out on those sweets today little maiden."_

_She giggled, "Oh don't say that daddy! It was very fun!" He smiled, picking his daughter up playfully and tickled her sides, causing her to laugh loudly. "Don't do that!" she giggled, "I'm ticklish!"_

"_I know," he giggled with her, soon calming down and sitting on the couch with the girl sitting down on his lap. _

_She cuddled into his side, setting her head against his chest as it began to lull her to sleep. "What are we reading today?"_

"_We're continuing the book we were reading the other day," he smiled, kissing her on the top of her head. _

"_You mean Robin Hood?" she asked, a smile growing on her face. "I like it," she smiled. _

"_I knew you would," he chuckled, wrapping one arm around his daughter and used the other one to hold the book. "Now let me see… we were at the time he was in the forest…"_

"_Young Robin Hood and his Merry Men came across the Sheriff of Nottingham. He and the man he called Little John decided to play a trick, for he was out to get them since they had been stealing from any nobles who passed by. Robin Hood disguise himself as a peasant boy as Little John disguise himself as a father. Stealthily walking towards the sheriff, they began to beg down the road. The sheriff rolled his eyes, giving them a measly shilling. Out of nowhere they pinned him to the ground, about to take his life. He gasped in fear, till Robin Hood grabbed his sack of coins. "Let's get going," he smirked, leaving him on the ground –"_

"Excuse me," Sophie heard a voice said, as she snapped out of her daydreaming. "I wasn't expecting to see someone in my seat."

"Oh I'm sorry!" she said, quickly gathering her things, "I'll just leave then –"

"Why leave? ~~" he giggled on his sleeve, "You're not bothering anyone."

Sophie stopped, setting her bag back down and letting out a sigh. "Well okay…" She looked up at the man. Her eyes widened for a second, noticing that he was the man from her dream.

He giggled, causing her to look away in embarrassment as her cheeks went slightly red. "What's with the face?"

"Face?" she looked back at him confused, "I'm not making a face."

He laughed again, causing her to frown. Then he plopped down next to her, beginning to poke her cheek with a long, black nail. She growled under her breath, which he answered by poking her more. "So what are you reading?" he asked, leaning over her shoulder to see.

"Robin Hood…" she smiled as he stopped poking her.

"Such a great story! A story of a man who goes against society and help those in need," he giggled.

She nodded, setting the book down on her lap. "I don't know who you are, but I'm just wondering why you're here."

"I'm just here to return some books," he giggled, "It's been _**ages**_ since I had some new ones. Been putting it off for a while," he smiled.

Sophie nodded, watching as he put the books he had on a cart back on the shelves, noticing he knew exactly where each one went. She began to think, _'Only the high-class directors can check out chromatic records. Unless he just stole them, which I wouldn't be surprised, he must be a director of some kind… I'd better behave then.' _She sighed, taking her glasses back out and setting them on the bridge of her nose. She had gotten into a lot of trouble for one week. She didn't want to end up with more detention time.

The cloaked man looked at her curiously, setting the last of his books on the shelf. "Why are you putting your glasses on, my dear? ~"

She looked up at him, then let out a sigh, "You seen to be an advanced shinigami of some kind. I'd like to avoid trouble so…" she shrugged, not sure what to say.

"Avoid trouble? Am I causing you trouble dear?" he whimpered, Sophie noticing he was putting on an act.

"No," she simply said. "A shinigami must **never** remove their glasses, right? Well I don't want your reporting me or anything. I've had enough detentions to last me for a good month," she sighed sadly.

"I was never one for the rules," he said, causing her to look over at him in shock. Then he giggled, all authority he had just gained flying out the window. "You must be new."

"Newly dead," she said, causing him to have a laughing fit. She raised an eyebrow, not expecting that response.

"Newly dead… I like it," he giggled to himself in thought.

She smiled, happy that he liked her response. Looking at her pocket watch, she let out a sigh, "I'd better get going… I have to get to detention."

He giggled to himself. "Then I mustn't keep you waiting," he responded, shooing her away with his sleeve. "I'd love to see you again, dearest ~~"

Sophie smiled, "Well during this time I'm usually with my mentor… but perhaps we'll run into each other."

He nodded with a smile and she smiled back, setting the book down where she found it and walking out of the library. She chuckled to herself, letting the moment that just happened sink in. _'That was weird… oh well. It could have been weirder. I'd better get to detention by 5:05 though,' _she thought to herself, noticing her watch said 5:01.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie arrived at Grell's cubical, always a bit earlier then she needed to. Her eyes went wide in amazement, noticing that all his paperwork had been signed and organized for the day. "I wasn't sure if you would come back," she heard Grell say from right behind her, his arms crossed. He leaned against the wall of his cubical, a sad look on his face.

"I'm sorry Grell," she frowned, "I'm just sick of doing _your_ paperwork for you."

"Well now you don't have to!" he said excitedly, causing Sophie to crack a smile. "I have some stuff planned for today."

"Good…" Sophie smiled, pulling her bag back on her arm. "So what's the plan?"

He smiled deviously, his sharp teeth showing off a frightening demeanor. "Come follow me," he giggled, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her along.

Sophie happily followed him, glad to finally be out of that stuffy office. Her eyes went wide when they finally made it to their destination. It was the shinigami training facility. "We're actually training today?"

"Of course!" he giggled to himself. "Oh there's dear Will. _Will~iam!~~_" he said, running across the room and grabbing him in a hug.

He groaned as Sophie casually walking over to them. "Mr. Sutcliff…" he grumbled under his breath.

Sophie rolled her eyes as the bickered, looking around for Alex. _'I know he as to be around here somewhere…' _she opened her eyes in surprise, turning quickly around as their scythes clashed together.

"Dang it!" he laughed, jumping away from her. "I thought I could surprise you there. So disappointing," he frowned.

Sophie smirked, swinging her scythe around in a circle, "Oh you'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Alex chuckled, walking over to Sophie and watched as their mentors bickered. "So you're finally training?"

"I hope so," Sophie frowned. "Hey do you just want to train like we usually do?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't care…"

Sophie smirked, putting her glasses in her coat and taking out two blindfolds. She threw him one, Alex putting his glasses in his coat and beginning to tie the blindfold around his head. "Okay so what do you want the rules to be?" she asked, making sure she was close enough to hear him.

"How about…" He thought for a few seconds before he responded, "blindfolds stay on the whole time. The goal is to _slightly_ cut into your opponent, not a big gash but just enough to be visible. We stay in the arena and cannot leave."

"What about our powers? How serious should it be?"

He let out a sigh, "How about… shinigami powers are okay, though nothing _too_ extreme. We don't want anyone locking us up for being demons or something." The both of them chuckled, as Sophie let out a sigh.

"Okay let's do this…" she finished, listening to Grell and William. "This'll get their attention," she smirked, running at Alex with her scythe aimed at his head.

He jumped up in the air, easily avoiding her attack, "You're going to have to be faster than that to beat me!"

"I know!" she smirked, quickly appearing behind him as he was falling through the air. "I'm just warming up," she whispered in his ear, pounding down on his shoulder with the butt of her scythe.

He hit the ground hard, his arm slightly sore, "Geeze…" he grumbled to himself, rubbing his shoulder.

Then he glared at her through his blindfold. "Finally getting serious?" she asked, twirling her scythe in her hand.

"Yes… but so should you," he smirked, appearing behind her.

She quickly evaded his attack, running around the room. He followed, waiting for an opening. Then they ran at each other, Alex aiming for her head. Sophie smirked, sliding underneath him. She lifted her scythe, scratching his arm. He growled, holding onto his arm in pain. "Hah I win," she smirked, taking off her blindfold.

"That was too quick!" Alex growled at her, taking off his blindfold.

"Oh am I sensing some resentment from you?" she smiled. "Come on man, I know you can do better than that."

"Yeah," Alex sighed, walking over to Sophie, "but I don't want to. Besides, if I try any harder then you'll try even harder. I don't want to be cut up into a million pieces, not today." He smiled, rustling up her hair. Sophie grumbled under her breath, combing her hair with her hands. "Oh and by the way," he said, as they walked back over to their mentors, "you should probably hide that yellow tint in your eyes."

Sophie looked at him astonished, "It wasn't that hard though…"

"Yeah, well its showing." Sophie grumbled, closing her eyes and calming down her breathing.

"You can just say I was expecting **more** from you," she smirked, causing Alex to grumble.

"I'm not going to show off my real powers here," he grumbled under his breath.

"Same here," she smiled, opening her double-iris eyes to reveal their blue/green color. She walked over to Grell, a smile on her face. "So are you going to teach me something or not?"

"Of course dear," he giggled, "I was just watching your performance out there."

"It's not a big deal," she shrugged, "he wasn't even trying."

Alex glared at her as he put his glasses back on, causing her to giggle in triumph. "Grell Sutcliff," they heard William say. "You better have your apprentice put her glasses back on."

Sophie glared at him, the green in her eyes strangely beginning to swirl around in her eyes. Alex looked over at Sophie with worry, wondering what she was going to do. "You better do as he says," Grell sighed without noticing the tension, taking out his scythe. It was just a standard scythe, only colored an eerie red instead of the handle being brown. Sophie grumbled under her breath, reluctantly putting her glasses back on. Then she followed Grell out to the middle of the floor, waiting for his instructions.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you," Sophie smiled, giving Mr. Shezmu his book back.

"Did you enjoy it?" he said, putting it back on the shelf.

Sophie shrugged, "It was okay… though I have a few questions for you."

"Go right ahead," he smiled, looking down at her.

She had to tilt her head up to see him, but it wasn't that bad. "So you trained my father, right?"

He smiled, "Correct. He was actually one of my best students… I don't take apprentices easily though. They have to _prove_ that they can take what I throw at them."

She nodded in understanding, "Well okay. So you know a lot about him?"

"Indeed I do," he smiled, leaning against the bookshelf. "What is it that you want to know?"

"Just…" she thought for a little bit before answering, "I just want to know how was he like? Was he pompous and arrogant or nice and virtuous? What was his personality? How did he treat others? Why would you choose him as an apprentice when there are other death gods out there to train?"

He smirked, "A lot of questions I see…" He walked over to his desk, pulling up a chair for Sophie to sit down in. He grabbed his own chair, turning it so they could talk face to face. "Well… as you've read I met Marcus Serbus when he died. He seemed to have potential when I found that he took a human's soul, so I took him in for a while. At the time I thought he was rather weird. He always had a smile on his face and didn't seem to frown. A Death God to have those qualities is rare, even after living for as long as I have. Well… once he was trained I let him go. Then I came across him and he had become very famous. _'A rising god'_ was what I heard them say. After a few more times of meeting him alone, I came across his friends. Even so, he was the cheeriest of the bunch. I guessed that's just how he handled death, because I had seen his chromatic records. He may have lived as a noble, but he didn't see his father and was beaten by his mother when she was drunk.

"At one point in time, he told me that he wanted to have children, but wanted to wait till he found the right girl. Well, years had gone by and he didn't find anyone. I had lost contact with him for a while, soon learning that he had been killed by a demon. That stunned me. For a simple demon to kill Marcus was beyond my understanding, even after all these years. I laid his body to rest, not knowing he had begun a family with a human. It wasn't till a little later that I realized this. I couldn't find the daughter though… but now I have," he smiled. "The main reason I choose your father is because I saw potential, like I see in you. Even when he was using all his strength, he still had more in reserve. He only used his powers to good… like you seem to do." He smirked to himself, slowly reminiscing on the past. "I was wondering, while we're on the topic, if you would like to become my apprentice? It's been a few centuries and I'm a little rusty, but I decided to just ask."

Sophie looked at him, still thinking, "Well… perhaps… I don't know. My day is booked with school, then homework and spending time with my mentor. After I go to the infirmary it's already getting dark and I come here. The only time I see myself training is then, but then again it's also my relax time if the day was too rough… so I don't know."

He smirked, rustling her hair. "I guess you have a busy schedule already… I'll tell you what. I'll have you read a few more books on your father and after a week or so I'll begin training with you. I have a book just on The Dark Centurion," he said, taking a book off of the shelf and handing it to her. "And I'll also give you my next journal," he smiled, setting the books in Sophie's hands. "I know all of this must be overwhelming for you, but I heard from Alexander that the two of you haven't been training as intensely as the two of you could do. I could actually have you requested to train with me if you'd like."

"No that's okay," Sophie smiled, "I like spending time with my mentor… even if he doesn't do anything. Besides I take all my training from you guys. Training with my mentor is more of a warm-up really… but I'll read these books," she said, putting them into her messenger bag. "And I was wondering about something else."

"Yes?..." he asked, as they walked out the door.

"Are you a reaper too?" she asked, her crystal eyes staring up into his gray eyes with curiosity.

He smirked, chuckling to himself. "Not anymore… the shinigami game became too complicated for me. I don't like their rules and regulations they put in place, which is why I find it ridiculous you have to wear glasses. I met plenty of death gods who didn't need glasses, but perhaps it was a different time back then."

"So what do they call you now?" she wondered, "because I looked you up and you're titled under a demon, but I know from back then that a demon didn't necessary mean a _demon_."

"Well I'm not," he shrugged, "I'm still a death god. Just my methods are different than those of today. I was just created one day and I have been alive every since. It's not like I was a human, but I was simply just created. I was given names like _Lord of Blood_ and _Slaughter or Souls_. I was a god of execution, destroying the wicked and rewarding the virtuous. I never really had a purpose in life other than that… so these youngsters with their death scythes isn't something I'm used to. Sure, I could just create one myself, but I don't care about useless things like that. That's what made your father different. He learned how to use powers other then death scythes and such. That's why he lived for so long. He went with the flow, as I didn't do, but he was good at his job and keeping the others from bickering with each other. I don't know though… the world I grew up in isn't the world that is today."

Sophie nodded, "I see… it's hard to stay a reaper with these rules about."

"Just listen to my request Sophia. You don't have to accept it, but I'd be nice to have an apprentice again."

Sophie smiled, following him out of his room and down the hallway, "Well I'll think about it." She chuckled, "but I'd like to keep the mentor I have at the academy. I won't mind having two mentors, but if I'm tired then I'm not going to be an easy person to work with."

"That's understandable," he chuckled, "Now let's go join Alexander and Julia in the dining room. It's about time for dinner." She nodded, following him down the narrow hallways and down the stairs.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"So what are we doing today Grell?" Sophie asked, walking into his cubical to see him sitting in his chair and working on his nails.

"Ooh my boss wants me to go and gather information on a certain disturbance in London. I decided to wait till you can by so we can go together!" he giggled, putting his stuff down and standing up.

"Are you done with your paperwork?" she asked, leaning against the cubical with her hands crossed.

"Yes I did," he smiled, "and don't stare at me like that!"

She let a giggle escape her lips, "_Sorry ~~_" she mused, following him out of the office and down the stairs. "So where are we going?"

"Oh just a place in town. I don't know much about the place, but they gave me directions and told me that he was a reliable source." She nodded, following him into town. "They gave me directions…" he said, reading a piece of paper and following the writing on the paper, "and the place is called –"

"Undertaker?" Sophie asked, as they stopped in front of a store.

Grell let out a squeal, noticing the eeriness of the place and the graveyard located just beyond where they were. "What is this place!"

"Obviously our reliable source is a mortician," Sophie shrugged.

"I-I didn't know that!" he gasped, beginning to freak out.

Sophie let out a sigh, pushing her glasses back on her head. "If you knew the name, then it must have been obvious," she smirked.

Grell grumbled under his breath, as he opened the door roughly and walked in. "Sir? Mister Mortician? Is anyone here?" Grell called into the room, as Sophie poked her head in. She gasped, taking in the contents inside.

Coffins were everywhere and the place was covered in dust. Obviously this guy didn't care to be organized. As she stepped into the room and ventured in, she noticed a coat rack with one coat on it. It was a small coat, about her size, and it was covered in mud and grime. She touched the coat curiously, inspecting it. It looked familiar to her, but she couldn't tell from what. Then she heard Grell shriek, causing Sophie to look over with curiosity. "_Wel~come~ Shini~gamis~~_" a man said from a coffin, causing Grell to fall over in fright and scoot away.

Sophie let out a giggle, happy to see a familiar face. "Oh hello," she smiled, closing the door behind her and walking into the room. "I didn't know this is where you work. Like the cobwebs, nice touch," she chuckled to herself, putting her glasses away so she could see the place better.

"Hello again, _my newly dead reaper~_" he chuckled in his sleeve, walking over to an urn and picking it up.

Grell stood up quickly, staring at Sophie in shock, "You know this guy?"

"Well _yeah_," Sophie shrugged, "I met him in the library. Why?"

He looked at her sternly, before turning his attention to the mortician, who was happily eating a cookie from his urn. Sophie tilted her head curiously. _'Was that a doggie biscuit?'_ she thought to herself, a bit of drool coming out of her mouth. _'Oh god I'm so hungry,' _but quickly she noticed what she was doing, wiping up the drool and patiently sitting down on a coffin without any worries of a body being in there or not. She felt rather unsecure of herself at that point, _'What am I doing? What's going on with me?'_ she thought, turning her attention to the two shinigamis that were discussing something.

Then Grell shrieked yet again, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. "I joke! I don't know any jokes!"

"Then you're getting a peep out of me, _shinigami ~_" he giggled, quickly getting up and wrapping his sleeves around his waist. "_Give me a fit of laughter fit for a king~~~_" he giggled excitedly.

Grell looked over at Sophie, who crossed her legs and smirked. "Yeah _mentor_, tell us a joke."

"Oh you're not going to help me?" he whimpered.

"Eeehh" she shrugged, "I think it's funnier to see you struggle." Then she heard her stomach grumble and she grumbled to herself. Grell frowned, letting out a sigh. Sophie smiled, looking in her bag for something to eat. Sadly she forgot to pick something up at the mess hall. She frowned, hearing her stomach grumble again. Then she saw a black figure pass by her, sitting next to her on the coffin. He was munching away at the biscuits and watched as Grell waved his arms around as he told a joke, which wasn't a very good one. Sophie frowned noticing it would be a while. She grumbled under her breath angrily, whispering to her stomach to stop grumbling.

Then a biscuit appeared in front of her face. Without a seconds thought she grabbed it, quickly munching on it. The mortician chuckled, rustling up her hair. Sophie didn't care, she got food! She looked at the mortician, who frowned at Grell's joke. Grell whined, saying another one. The mortician shoved the urn in Sophie's hand, standing up and freaking out Grell, yet again. "You don't seem to feed your students well, _Mr. Sutcliff_," he brushed his face with a long black nail, causing Grell to blush.

"Sorry," Sophie apologized, "I just forgot to bring a snack…" Then she swallowed her fourth biscuit, absolutely loving the sweet taste it had.

Grell bite down on his bottom lip, "Sorry sir…" he frowned.

"That's quite alright," he chuckled, walking back over to the coffin and causally sitting down. "Now try again."

Grell let out a groan, trying once again to make a joke. Sophie rolled her eyes, not able to take it anymore. "Grell, _hunny_…" she said as she set the urn down and made Grell sit down next to the mortician, "you're hurting everyone's head. Let me give this a try." Then she let out a cough, before starting. "This is a joke I recently heard at a local pub –"

"You went to a pub! You? When?" Grell stood up in furry.

"Now Mr. Sutcliff, sit down…" the mortician mused as Grell let out a huff.

Sophie smiled, and then continued on. "So he told me, 'The saying is to getting rid of a flu is this: Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies. Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C. Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system. Walk for at least an hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc. Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them,  
>keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around. Get lots of fresh air. Open doors and windows whenever possible. Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can. Finally, get plenty of rest. <strong>OR<strong>…'" she paused, staring them down. "Or another way in taking the doctor's approach, think about it like this… When you go for a shot, what do they do first? They clean your arm with alcohol... and why is that? Because alcohol **KILLS GERMS**. So... so the man said, 'I walk to the liquor store, for the exercise. I put lime in my Corona, for the fruit. I add celery in my Bloody Mary, for those veggies. I drink outdoors on the bar patio, for some fresh air. I tell jokes and laugh, to eliminate stress. And then I pass out, which means I rest. The way I see it is ... If you keep your alcohol levels up, flu germs can't get you!'" she exclaimed. They looked over at the mortician, who began to burst out laughing. Grell almost fell out of his seat in shock. "Oh I'm not done yet," she deviously smiled.

"You're not?" Grell said, hiding behind the coffin.

"Well you see, he said something else, 'My grandmother always said, 'A shot in the glass  
>is better than one in the ass!''" she smiled triumphantly, and then scratched the back of her head. "It's not a good one. I didn't come up with it or anything, but does that suffuse?"<p>

The mortician kept laughing, holding his sides. Grell giggled and grabbed Sophie in a hug. "I think it does!" he smiled, "but such an unseemly thing for a young lady to say~~" he frowned.

Sophie smirked, "Well…" she began to say, but looked away, swinging her hips back and forth awkwardly. "L-lady?..." Grell looked at her suspiciously, as her cheeks began to show a hint of red. "Anyways!" she exclaimed, shaking her head, "Can you get your information now? I'm getting tired." She let out a frustrated sigh, looking rather bored at her mentor.

They both glanced at the mortician on the ground, whose laughing had settled down to frequent giggles. "Oh that was delightful, dear," he giggled, circling around them and grabbing Sophie by the shoulder. He inched towards her face, a devious smile on his face, "You seem to be quite a natural."

"Y-yeah…" she meekly smiled as she felt herself blushing. His face was too close to hers for comfort, but yet she couldn't stop blushing.

Grell looked at the both of them, anger surfacing on his face. Then he snarled, pulling Sophie away from him and putting her behind his back. She blinked in confusion, not used to Grell being so protective of her. "Are you done yet? I'd like to get on my way," he snarled.

"Oh I _see~_" he giggled as Sophie looked at the two of them confused. "I guess I can't keep the two of you waiting. Come over here please." He said, ushering them over to a coffin lying on the other side of the room. "This is one of my latest… _visitors~~_" he giggled, lifting the coffin lid and setting it against the wall.

Grell let out a shriek, shielding his eyes from the body, but Sophie just stared at it, somewhat intrigued. The body had been hacked up, but the mortician had sewn him back up. He was a rather young man, wearing a fancy suit and tie. "Hmmmm…" Sophie said, touching the stitching on his neck. "So he got pretty chopped up… by claws?"

"That's correct dear," the mortician chuckled, leaning against the wall. "What else do you see?"

"Well since it's claws, about the size a man, I'd say it was a demon. Also by the aura that was left behind, it seems to be the work of a demon, right Grell?" she asked, looking over at him.

Grell coughed in his sleeve, feeling sick to him stomach, but he nodded. "That's right. We're here investigating a demon spotted in the city making contracts with humans and quickly devouring them without fulfilling the contract."

Sophie frowned at his statement. "Well that isn't good. If you're going to make a contract then you should fulfill it," she shrugged, not caring at all that it was a demon or not. "Is that it with our little investigation? Are we supposed to catch this guy too?"

Grell looked at the mortician suspiciously as he chuckled under his sleeve. "Well… I hope not. I don't want to get my hands dirty with _demon_ blood," he gagged.

Sophie frowned, "I don't see why demons are so evil to you reapers. It's _'demons are bad'_ and _'demons can't be trusted._' I'll have you know there are some actual trustworthy ones out there," she huffed.

"What's with that attitude?" Grell huffed back. "And they **are** filthy creatures –"

"_**Nuh-huh**_," she shook her head, crossing her arms. "Have you ever met one? Actually have a conversation with a demon? No, that's what I thought. The only reason to hate a demon is because they steal human souls, but that's it. If it wasn't for that, then they are demons out there who are nice and who are mean, just like us." Then she let out a sigh, rubbing her forehead, "Sorry…" she frowned to herself, noticing her outburst.

"Don't worry about it," the mortician said, closing the coffin, "it was very entertaining, _heh heh~~_" he chuckled.

"Yeah, well we should get going, right Grell?" Sophie said, giving him a weary smile.

He looked at the mortician, then back at Sophie. Then he let out a defeated sigh, "Whatever…" he grumbled to himself.

Sophie smiled happily as they began to leave, "Do come back for some tea ~" the mortician chuckled.

As Grell walked out, Sophie poked her head back in. "Tea? Would you serve those delicious biscuits with that tea?"

"But of course~" he chuckled, amused by her sudden appearance.

Then Sophie giggled back, "Great! Perhaps I'll find time then… oh and by the way, you should probably stitch that guy back up around his sternocleidomastoid muscle. There seems to be some goo coming out of that." The mortician looked at her shocked as she just giggled, closing the door behind her. Then she ran back to Grell, who looked irritated. "Is something wrong?" Sophie asked with a pout on her face.

"You know who what was right?" he grumbled to himself.

Sophie looked at him confused, "… n-no. Who was he? I was meaning to ask you that."

"_The__Undertaker_ of course." Then Grell shuddered to himself, "they say he's a reaper, but has recently retired from duty. Instead of taking a peaceful retirement to some tropical place, he's busy making coffins and burying the dead! Doesn't that sound creepy?" he practically shrieked. Sophie giggled, and then laughed. Grell looked at her confused, "What's so funny?"

"I don't see what's creepy about that. Our job is to kill people and a mortician's job is to clean them up and bury them. To me, that job isn't too far away from this one…" Then she giggled, "Though the name _**Undertaker**_ should spell it out for you that he's a mortician. I think I'd be a fun job," she shrugged, walking faster than Grell.

His mouth dropped in shock as he walked faster to catch up with her. "Well I _**prefer**_ seeing _crimson__red~~_" Grell giggled to himself.

Sophie giggled, "How am I not surprised?" she smiled, casually walking down the street towards the shinigami realm.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Now the Undertaker is back. WOOT! I don't know how long I'll write on this arc… but it'll be a while. I don't know how I'll write the next chapter, but I'll figure it out (if you have any ideas don't be afraid to comment!). Anyways, yeah do you guys want a Halloween special? If not, then their Halloween thing will come later in the story, but I figured I'd do it now since its Halloween. Should I? It'll be written eventually, but I'm just asking. Though I wonder if I'm writing Grell correctly… I'm feeling that I'm not getting his _Grelliness_, you know?**

**Now to go… see you next time! If I don't have another one up by Halloween, have a great Halloween! Go to some haunted houses and get scared! I know I had some fun doing that X3 **

Joke – _"How to treat the flu"_ (found online X3)

_Make sure you get your daily dose of fruits and veggies._

Take your vitamins and bump up your vitamin C.

Get plenty of exercise because exercise helps build your immune system.

Walk for at least an hour a day, go for a swim, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Wash your hands often. If you can't wash them,  
>keep a bottle of antibacterial stuff around.<p>

Get lots of fresh air. Open doors and windows whenever possible.

Try to eliminate as much stress from your life as you can.

Get plenty of rest.

_OR_

_Take the doctor's approach. Think about it...  
>When you go for a shot, what do they do first?<br>They Clean your arm with alcohol...  
>Why?<br>Because Alcohol KILLS GERMS.  
>So...<em>

I walk to the liquor store. (exercise)  
>I put lime in my Corona ...(fruit)<br>Celery in my Bloody Mary (veggies)  
>Drink outdoors on the bar patio..(fresh air)<br>Tell jokes, laugh...(eliminate stress)  
>Then pass out. (rest)<br>The way I see it...

If you keep your alcohol levels up, flu germs can't get you!  
>My grandmother always said, "A shot in the glass<br>is better than one in the ass!"


	13. The Contest

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I'd like to say, sorry that my last note was rushed. I was on my way to a corn maze and I wanted to post it up before I went, but here's the next chapter! How did you feel about the last chapter? No one really said anything… so I'm just wondering. For me, it seemed a bit slow… or tedious, but everything (I guess) had a reason for being written. Well this time there's going to be some action and HOPEFULLY the story is going to move further. Show the character's powers and such. I want to get back into writing the romance stuff, but action isn't that bad either. **

**As for the Halloween special thing I said about, I'm probably just going to wait till I get around to writing anything creepy. I don't know when I will though, but a scary graveyard and a bunch of people scaring each other _will _be in this story =3 Perhaps it'll be a Thanksgiving special? I don't know, but it just depends on when I need it in the story. I think it'll be a lot later then right now, but I think I'll add something creepy in the next chapter. I don't know yet… still up for debate (since you guys aren't really telling me what you want and stuff) So if you want something creepy that'll be it! =D As always, enjoy the chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

"What are you talking about?" Sophie grumbled to herself, taking a sip of the whisky drink in her hand.

"Mr. Shezmu is holding a contest for his next apprentices. It's like a scavenger hunt. You move out in groups of two against everyone else competing. You have to defeat all the competitors and take the item they are holding, but they have to give it to you willingly. The team that defeats the others in two days time wins!" Alex gasped, obviously excited about the event. "There is nothing in the rules that says we _**can't**_. It starts at midnight, Saturday morning, and ends at midnight on Monday morning. I know it's cutting it close with our classes, but do you think you could be my partner in the contest?"

Sophie let out an agitated sigh, staring into her half-drunken glass. "Are you sure we _can_? Grell wants me to train this weekend and I heard from you earlier that Mr. Tyrant wants you to train also."

Alex chuckled, "Well we'll work around that! I'll come up with something… but can you? I know this isn't incredible to you, but for me it is! To be the apprentice to a world-renowned supernatural is one of my dreams! Just think of the moves he would teach us! What do you say?"

Sophie thought for a second, before setting her whisky down on the table. "Well…" she said as she placed her elbows on the table and leaning in closer to Alex to whisper to him. "If it's that important to you… I guess I can."

"Yes!" Alex yelled happily, practically jumping out of his seat. "You will **not** regret this Sophie!"

Sophie smirked, "Well let's get some ground rules down before you sign us up." Alex nodded, settling down in his seat. "First off, this can't be in the way of our studies. Before the weekend make sure all your homework is done and any assignments due are turned in ahead of time or ready to be turned in on time. Second, we need to come up with a plan for our mentors. Since Grell likes his dear _Will~iam~_ so much, I think that won't be too hard." Then she sighed, "Lastly, I want you to promise that you'll have my back in this event. If you have my back then I'll have yours. Deal?"

Alex nodded, holding out his right hand, "That's a deal."

Sophie happily smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. "Okay, so what's the plan for our mentors?"

Alex thought for a second before showing off his sharp demon-canine teeth. "Have Grell meet us in London square Friday night. Then just leave everything to me." He smirked. Sophie nodded, taking a quick swag of her drink before setting the empty drink on the bar table.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

After an hour of detention as she went over the plan with Alex and after going to the infirmary for her Friday checkup, she walked up the stairs to Grell's cubical and was happy to find him finishing his papers. "Hello Miss Grell," she smiled happily, noticing everyone had already gone home.

"Hello Miss Sophia," Grell smiled back, stacking his papers to the side of his deck, "just finishing up some late paperwork."

Sophie nodded, leaning against the wall of his cubical. "Hey Grell… would you like to go out tonight? It's the weekend and I was wondering if you weren't busy…"

Grell looked at her suspiciously, before letting out a squeal and flinging his arms around her waist. He picked her up, swinging her around the office. "Of course dear! What's the occasion?"

"Well…" she looked away, embarrassed, "I wanted to go shopping with you –"

"_**Shopping!**_" Grell gasped, "Of course I'll go shopping! What for?"

"I'm just tired of wearing suits all the time," Sophie shrugged, "and I was wondering if you'd help me shop for some decent clothes. Perhaps some for school… though I don't know what I could wear, but also just for casual wear. Plus," she smiled at him, "we've only argued and train since we've been mentor and apprentice. I want to get to know you a bit, you know?"

He smiled, "Alright Sophia…" Then he giggled again, quickly grabbing his coat, "Let us not squander! The shops will be closed in a few more hours!... Oh you **must** see this cute little shop in the square. It has the _perfect_ outfits for a young lady," he swung her around, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her out of the office, down the stairs, and out the front door.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie stared at the three bags she had in her hands. One was hers and the other two held the clothes Grell bought. Grell swung around, the two bags he had in his hands almost hitting pedestrians in the face. Sophie giggled, grabbing his arm. "Don't hurt anyone!"

He smiled mischievously, "Oh _sorry~_ officer. I didn't know I was causing trouble." The face he made had Sophie giggling again. "Look a café! Come on Sophia, let's get something to eat. I'm starving!" Grell yelled, grabbing Sophie's hand and dragging her over to one of the tables outside of the café.

As Grell ordered, Sophie looked at her watch to check the time. _'__8:35pm__' _she thought to herself, _'__we __only __have __less __than __half __an __hour __to __sign __up __for __this __event. __Just __where __**is **__he?__' _Sophie frowned to herself.

"Sophie," Grell said, snapping her out of her thoughts, "What do you want?"

"Oh!" she exclaimed. "Do you have any Irish whisky?"

"We do madam," the waitress said.

"Then get me some whisky then," Sophie smiled happily. The waitress nodded, leaving them to get their orders. Grell looked at her suspiciously as he evaluated her. Sophie looked at him with curiosity to his constant staring at her. "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering why a young lady like yourself is drinking whisky?" he frowned.

Sophie smiled, "I have a low tolerance of alcohol. Plus I'm used to drinking it other than water. I like having alcohol with my food, especially when it compliments my food. I just thought we were having a chill day," she sighed to herself, making circles on the table with her finger. "I'm just being me right now," she smiled at him.

He nodded, and then chuckled. "I wondered about you. Why don't you wear your glasses all the time, like right now? Aren't you blind?"

"No," she chuckled, "I'm not. That's the point. I can see completely fine **without** any glasses. I actually do a lot better **without** glasses on. I don't know if it's genetic or not, but I just don't need them. They're only for show." She frowned, "Can you keep a secret?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die!" Grell giggled, crossing his heart and holding his right hand up.

Sophie giggled back, "Ever since I woke up and became a shinigami I've had to go to the infirmary every day."

"Every day?" Grell gasped, slamming his hands on the table. "Why haven't you told me!"

"Actually I figured you would know by now," Sophie shrugged, "since you're my mentor. I thought you had gotten my medical forms and etcetera when you were assigned to me." Grell looked at her sheepishly, obviously not reading over that material. She smiled, "Either way, I don't go every day anymore, but I have to go because of my heart. Even though I've healed form the injury, they still want to make sure I'm not pushing myself too hard and that I'm doing what I can to keep myself healthy. Also…" she chuckled to herself, "I learned something else from them."

"And what's that?" Grell asked, leaning over to the table to hear her better.

"I'm a half-breed," she said rather quietly. Then she chuckled to herself in embarrassment. "I've only told a small group of people, perhaps only three people, so I don't want word to get out that I'm a half-breed. I'm a mix between a human and a reaper, which is why I _technically_ didn't die. I'm dead, but not. It's a bit weird to explain."

Grell smiled, "You don't have to be nervous when you're talking to me sweetie."

"I know," she sighed, "I just… don't want a lot people to know. Plus I'm still trying to figure out **what** I really am. How am I able to not go blind, I don't know," she shrugged. "Just something I'm finding out about myself. I know everything that I can possibly know about me can be found in my lost memories, but I just don't know if I want to find it all out."

Grell reached across the table and gripped her hand. Sophie looked up, sincere green eyes looking into her blue/green eyes, "I don't think its right to **not** want to find your memories. I think, through time, you'll be able to find it. Besides girl," he giggled, leaning back in his seat, "You're a fighter! If you want something then you have to _take__it_."

Sophie giggled, "Yeah I guess you're right," she smiled. Once their order of pastries and drinks came Sophie looked around the plaza looking for Alex. To her surprise, she noticed that Alex was walking down the street with William. As soon as Alex noticed her, he gave her a wink and walked towards the café. "Hey Grell look," Sophie said, pointing over to William and Alex. "It's Alexander and Mr. Spears. Should we invite them to sit with us?"

"Ohhh!" Grell practically squealed, "Of course. William! _Dear__Will~iam~~_ over here!" He waved, about to lunge at them if William tried to run.

William just stared in surprise, staring suspiciously at Alex who gave him a sheepish smile. "Hello Sophia, Mr. Sutcliff," Alex said, grabbing a chair from an empty table and sitting down. "We were just walking around and _loll__and__behold_ we stumble onto the two of you! What a small world, huh?"

"Yep," Sophie smiled, "Mr. Spears aren't you going to sit down?"

He let out a sigh, "I suppose," grabbing a seat and being forced to sit next to the overly excited shinigami. "Miss Ioreta, is that whisky I see?"

Sophie smirked, "Yes it is sir. Irish whisky is one of my favorites. Why? Do you want to get some?"

"No," he said gruffly, "but I would like if you put your glasses back on. It's highly undignified if you don't."

"_No_," she said gruffly back. "It's my time off and I'll do as I please. Right Grell?"

They all looked over at him, as he slightly shrunk in his seat. "Of course dear," he said with a giggle. "Don't be so hard on them _Will~_. They're only _newbies_," he smiled sweetly, wrapping his hands around William's arm.

William just glared at Sophie and she glared back. "Besides, aren't you blind right now? I can understand how Mr. Agon doesn't need glasses, since he's a half-breed, but you Miss Ioreta are **not**."

Sophie smirked, "And how do you know that?" She glared into his eyes, causing him to flinch slightly, "You haven't looked into my files, so you don't know. Besides information like that should only be disclosed between a student and his mentor, right Alex?"

Alex coughed, "Yeah sure…" He shrugged, "I don't particularly care though. Everyone knows I'm a half-breed anyways. Speaking of halves…" Alex said changing the subject, "I saw a beautiful pair of shoes in the window at about half price. I wondered if you wanted to go see them Sophie."

She shrugged, "Sure, if that's okay with Grell. Grell can I?"

"Of course you can dearest!" he giggled, "Just don't get into _trouble~~_"

"Now wait a second!" William said as he got their attention, "We aren't done with our training Mr. Agon. We still need –"

"I thought this was my time off!" Alex frowned. "Besides, I wanted to hang out with you so I could get to know you, **not** to train and go over paperwork. Just _**relax**_," he smiled. "Now Sophie," he said, turning to her and picking up her bags for her, "are we going?"

"Sure," Sophie shrugged. "Just leave those two bags here. It's Grell's," she winked at him, running off with Alex with one bag slung on her hand. "I can't believe that worked!" Alex laughed happily, grabbing Sophie's shoulder and swinging her around with him as they walked down the streets.

"I can't either," Sophie smirked. "How did you get Mr. Tyrant to come here anyways?"

"Said something about bonding, but all he wanted to do is train me," he grumbled. "That's why I was late… sorry."

"Hey no problem," she chuckled, "we still have time. Let's just sign up so I can put this bag away before the contest starts." He nodded, linking arms with her as they casually walked down the street and towards the dissolute side of town.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"… Every team will consist of two players. Every player will be holding a colored feather, which your teammate will have its colored pair. You may stay with your teammate or not, but the goal is to collect all the feathers from the other players before time is up. There are seven teams and seven different feathers: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, and violet. The contest will start in two hours, _sharp_. Every team will be given a place in London in which you will start the contest. Once Big Ben strikes midnight the contest may begin. Now the groups," Albert said, looking over his list. "The Red Team will be Alexander Engjëll and Sophia Ioreta." He waited till the pair walked to the front and gave Sophie their bright red feathers. Then he gave Alex a slip of paper with their location. "Here are your feathers and your coordinates. Wait there till the clock strikes midnight." Then he leaned into their ears so only they can hear, "And good luck."

"Thank you," the both of them said with a bow, quickly walking out of the shabby building and into the empty streets of London. They looked at their coordinates as they walked down the street, "We seem to be on the edge of town, close to the cemetery."

Sophie looked at her watch, noticing the time was 10pm. "We still have two hours. Since we're in the area, do you want to go to the Undertaker's place?"

"Undertaker?" Alex asked, as they walked down the street. "You mean a mortician?... sure I guess," he shrugged. "Why?"

"Well we have two hours to kill," Sophie shrugged, "and we might as well sit and discuss our strategy. And by the way," she said, thinking to herself, "I didn't know your last name was Engjëll."

"Well it is," he chuckled to himself, "I'm using my middle name at the academy, but my true name is Alexander Agon Engjëll."

Sophie nodded in understanding, "That's okay. I know I changed my name so I'm not judged. Even more so, since Serbus seems to be a powerful shinigami predecessor. Well," she sighed, "here we are."

They stood in front of the shop, Alex hesitant in going in. "Are you _sure_ it's safe?"

Sophie giggled, "Probably! I don't know, but the guy who runs the place is nice." She smiled, opening the door and walking in. "Undertaker? Are you awake?" She let out a sigh as she walked into the dusty building, not noticing anything. "If it's a bad time, then we'll just leave –"

Sophie tried to scream as thin-boney hands grabbed around her waist and mouth and pulled her into a coffin. Alex jumped back in shock, before running across the room and leaving the safety of the nearest escape route behind. "Sophie!" he yelled, "Let her go!"

"_Back for more?~_" he giggled, tickling Sophie's sides. She began kicking at him and tried to get away, unable to say anything.

Alex growled, walking towards them. "I don't know who you are but –"

"Aren't you that half-breed that they let into the academy?" he asked, his grip on Sophie not wavering as he kept poking her sides.

"Why… yes," he said. "I'm Alexander Agon –"

"You mean Alexander _**Engjëll**_, _right~~_" he chuckled into his sleeve.

Alex eyes went wide, "Yes but –"

"How do I know? I just have a _knack_ for knowing information," he giggled, letting go of Sophie's mouth.

"Stop it!" she kept giggling, tears coming down her face. "I'm ticklish!"

"I noticed," he giggled, poking her side yet again.

"Agh!" she giggled, unable to get free.

"Now why are two young shinigamis doing at my shop?" he said, letting Sophie calm down in his grasp.

"I just wanted to pay you a visit," she said, letting in deep breaths as she began. "You said that I'd get some biscuits if I came back," she smiled, "So here I am!"

"_Oh I see~~_" he chuckled, stepping out of the coffin and letting go of Sophie. She stumbled onto a coffin, quickly sitting down before she fell over. "I didn't think you would come back, seeing as no one comes by **just** for a chat."

"Well sorry for coming in so late at night," Sophie coughed. "We were just in the area and –"

"Say no more," he said, holding a long black nail to Sophie's mouth, "you can tell me about it in a second. I'll just get some tea for the three of us," he giggled in his sleeve, briskly walking away.

Sophie let out a sigh, ushering Alex over to sit next to her on the coffin. "What a weird guy," Alex commented.

"Yep," Sophie smiled happily, "Isn't it cool? I like him… he's not all depressing and gloomy like all the other shinigami."

"He's a shinigami?" he asked.

"Yeah," she shrugged. "I learned that the other day… perhaps on a Tuesday? I don't remember, but he's apparently retired."

"Oh…" was all he said, sitting back on the coffin. He took out his red feather, twisting it around in his hand and staring at it. "Do you think it was a mistake to join this contest?" He frowned, noticing Sophie looking at him confused, "I mean… I doubt Mr. Shezmu wants **me** to be his apprentice. He probably just made the contest up for you."

Sophie frowned, "Don't say that." Then she let out a sigh, looking at her own feather, "I don't know… that's probably true, but even if that's true I'm **not** going to leave you behind," she smiled at him. "Besides, I like the color red. Not love it, but like it," she giggled.

Alex let out a sigh, "If you say so," he said, still twisting the red feather in between his fingers.

"Here you go," the Undertaker said as he popped back into the room with a small tray full of three beakers and an urn of cookies. He giggled, watching as Sophie went directly for a beaker of tea and the urn of cookies. She dipped the bone-shaped cookie into the tea, happily snacking on the sugary goodness. Alex followed nervously, unsure about the beaker, but after taking a bit of the cookie he was hooked and was eating the cookies and drinking his tea happily. The Undertaker set the tray down on a nearby coffin, grabbing the last beaker and drinking out of it happily as he swung his legs to and fro on the coffin he sat on. "So I couldn't help but overhear that you're in a contest?"

"Oh yes," Sophie said, setting the tea down and finishing the cookie she had in her hand. "It's a contest being held by someone we know. Do you know a demon named Mr. Shezmu?"

He looked at them confused, and then nodded, "Yes I know the name. Why?"

"He's holding a contest for anyone who wants to be mentored by him," Alex said excitedly, setting the tea next to him. "I don't know if you know this, but he's a very powerful demon –"

"You could say that," Sophie shrugged, drinking some more of her tea.

"What do you mean?" Alex glanced at her as she wiped crumbs off of her face.

"Well…" she shrugged, "Has he ever come off as a _demon_ character to you? I mean for today's society."

"Why no," Alex said honestly, "I even asked Julia and she doesn't know about it. Why? Did he tell you?"

"Perhaps," she shrugged again, "think of it this way. He has obviously been around for a few thousand years, right? Well the description of demons back then isn't one of an evildoer but as a sort of a _'demi-god'_. So if he was a demi-god and a reaper is a god of death, what would that make him?"

"So he **could** be a death god?" Alex said, understanding her logic, "but how do you know that Sophie? Did he tell you?"

"Yeah," she said simply as she sipped her tea, "I just wanted you to get to your own conclusion on the subject." She looked over at the Undertaker, who seemed to be eying her suspiciously. She couldn't tell if he was eying her because of her knowledge or something else, but she didn't really care. Then she let out a sigh as she drank more tea, "He told me that he got tired of the rules and regulations that were created over the years. I also looked up the name Shezmu in the books he keeps." Sophie smiled, "It says that a Shezmu is an ancient Egyptian god of execution, slaughter, blood, oil, wine, and perfume. He would help Osiris to send souls into the afterlife. If he associated with Osiris… then that must mean, from the sights of a human, that he's a Death God." Then she sighed again, "It's sort of weird though. Finding out that he trained my father."

"He trained your father?" Alex gasped.

"Yes," she said blankly, "and offered me a proposition to be his apprentice, but I told him no because I like Grell already and I'm already overloaded with homework… but I think this is just a way to train me," she grumbled under her breath.

"How so?" Alex asked, drinking the rest of his tea.

"You haven't been reading his journals like I have. Mr. Shezmu has… _unusual_ methods to train his students. He has you overexert yourself to the point of collapsing, then go beyond that point to unleash your true powers. If I train under him, sure I'll be able to fight like my father, but do I **want** to? I want to learn my powers on my own, but I already read them out of a book. He probably expects me to be **just** like my father, but that's unlikely. I don't have the willpower as he did," she sighed. "I don't know Alex… sometimes I wonder what my purpose is. If I don't have one, then why am I still alive? If I do, then what is it? That's what gets me."

"Hey," Alex said, rubbing the back of Sophie's back, "Don't say things like that. Everyone has a purpose and you just have to find yours." He chuckled to himself, "**I** have anything to be living for. I'm just a hybrid out of a love that shouldn't have been. A love that cannot exist in our world…" he sighed.

"Now who's being negative," Sophie grumbled. "There are probably half-breeds out there like you! If not that, then they **were** here. That's just something you need to look up. Don't say you have no purpose. Everyone has a reason of being there… or at least that's what I have believed," she shrugged. Then she looked over at the Undertaker, "Well it seems we're getting a little mushy over here. Sorry about that."

"No problem," he said, grabbing a cookie and munching on it. "Carry on. It's not a bother to me," he said as he smiled his famous Cheshire cat smile.

"Yeah well…" Sophie thought to herself, "We better devise a strategy for this thing…"

He nodded, thinking for a while. "Well from the looks of the competition most of them are demons. I saw Chaz in there though… and Julia!"

"I'm guessing the first day won't be so hard," she shrugged, "so I'm guessing they will strike at night. We'll have a few hours before the sun comes up, then we better take shifts on who sleeps and who stays awake. We don't want anyone sneaking up on us. We'll let them come after us, but let's keep an eye on things so we know how strong they are. That's probably what other teams will be planning, so we'll just see what happens."

"I can use my demon powers to constantly be on the lookout for any teams. If we need to, I can use my reaper powers to speed up and slow down time," he shrugged.

She looked at him confused, "I didn't know you could do that."

Alex smiled triumphantly, "There's a **lot** of things you don't know about me Sophie."

She smiled, thinking about it, "Even if you can do that, don't use those powers until they start attacking us. It'll be two long days of constantly being on our guard and I don't want you to pass out on me," she smirked. "From my own training, when I close my eyes I can see a few miles away. My eyes turn from blue to green constantly and my irises will shrink to one and double to two. I can be fast when I need to be… but that's about it. I haven't learned anything that I read about from my father, and I haven't bothered to tell Grell that I could do other things," she sighed. "I'll figure it out along the way, but isn't there a rule that we can't use our scythes?"

"Yep," Alex shrugged, "Only our physical strengths. If you can wield your own weapons, then those can be used also."

"Okay…" she thought, "because it may be difficult to not use our powers then… hopefully I can summon a scythe then. What about you?"

"Claws," he smirked, wiggling his hands, "but I don't use them often. I've tried summoning my own scythe, but it usually doesn't happen. So I'm not going to count on it," he sighed.

Sophie nodded, "Okay. So I think we have everything planned out. What time is it?"

"About 10:45," Alex said.

"What!" Sophie groaned, "We still have another hour… hey Undertaker, do you need help with anything?"

"Nope. Finished sewing up three bodies and cleaning two for their _big days_," he giggled to himself, "but if you need something to do, there's a coffin I need to bury. I was going to do it tomorrow, but I guess I can do it today."

Sophie smiled, "Great! Where is it?"

"_You're sitting on it~_," he giggled hysterically, causing Alex to jump up in fright.

Sophie laughed at him while the Undertaker continued to giggle. "Cool. Shovels are in the back?"

"Yes. I'll bring them out for you," he said, skipping towards the back and singing a happy tune.

Sophie shrugged at Alex as she grabbed one side of the coffin. "Go ahead and pick up the other side," she insisted, as he meekly grabbed the other side and picked it up.

"Why is it so heavy!" Alex cursed himself.

"Heavy?" Sophie said as they carried it, "It's not heavy."

"I thought you said you're not using your powers till absolutely necessary," he smirked.

"I'm not using my powers," she giggled. He looked at her wide eyed as she continued to giggle. "Don't give me that look! Now let's do this before midnight," she smiled, walking out of the building and towards the cemetery, where the Undertaker was waiting for them with a shovel in each hand.

!#$%^&*()

Grell giggled, clinging to William's hand. William groaned in pain, annoyed that their students left them alone. For hours they waited, but it began to get dark so they had to leave. Grell on the other hand couldn't be more ecstatic. It had been too long since they were left alone, especially on a quaint night like tonight. The moon was high in the sky, illuminating their path. They came upon the local graveyard, where Grell tried to move William away from the gate. "What is it _William~_?" Grell frowned, groaning as he was pulling him towards the gate.

"There's just something I want to see," he said simply, opening the gate.

It gave a_ 'creak'_ as it was opened, causing Grell to squirm away. "Let's not go in."

"Why Mr. Sutcliff. Are you _afraid_?" William smirked, before he went back to his monotone face.

"No!" Grell squealed.

"Then come on," he shrugged, walking into the graveyard. Grell paused, before running in after him and clinging to his arm. "Now Mr. Sutcliff, don't tell me that a Death God is afraid of a graveyard."

Grell growled at him, "No," he said with a huff, "it's just very eerie at night. And the name is Grell! I told you to call me Grell, Mr. _**Spears**_. Besides why do **we** have to here?"

"_**Shush**_," he said, putting a finger on Grell's mouth. "Be quiet. You're _too_ loud," he finished, setting his hand back to his side. Grell touched his burning face in shock before following quietly behind William. William stopped, causing Grell to stop behind him and almost run into his back. He looked over William's shoulder and looked at the tombstone:

_Ellen Ioreta_

_February 14, 1826 – December 6, 1861_

_Loving mother and daughter_

"_Today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23: 33 – 43_

"Is that your _girlfriend_?" Grell huffed in anger.

"No," he glared at him. "If you haven't noticed, this is **your** student's ancestor. See the last name?" Grell's eyes went wide, noticing the _Ioreta_ at the end of her name. His eyes wandered, noticing another grave.

_Sophia Serbus_

_November 25, 1852 – April 23, 1870_

_Daughter to the Undertaker and Beloved by all_

"_I won't ever forget you, little maiden." Anonymous_

"Serbus?" Grell asked.

"That's Sophia's grave," William simply said, causing Grell to jump back.

"What! How do you know that!" he shrieked, quickly stopping when William sent death glares at him.

"She told me," William sighed. "Her name in our records is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, but she changed the name when she woke up. Don't you know that?" he glanced at Grell. He mumbled to himself, looking meekly away from William. "Of course you don't," William grumbled, "such incompetence."

"So this is where her body was buried?" Grell asked.

"Maybe," he shrugged, "but I've been investigating and Ellen is her mother… but her father… I can't find any records on. If there **are** records then I am unable to access them."

"Undertaker?" Grell said quietly.

"Excuse me?" William glared at him.

"Just reading," he giggled, "just noticing the inscription on her tombstone. See…" he pointed.

William leaned in, noticing the writing. "Oh…" he frowned. "So she must be the Undertaker's daughter."

"Should we tell them?" Grell asked.

"No," he shook his head. "She has only been dead for a few months. Even if the Undertaker is retired he's a powerful shinigami and would probably kill us, and Sophia would not believe us… it's better to wait before they are told." He concluded. "Now let's get going. I want to sleep before my shift tomorrow," William grumbled, leaving Grell alone at the graves.

Grell was still in thought, putting his fingers on her name. Then he noticing fresh flowers laid on her grave. "Forget-me-nots?" he thought to himself, soon noticing that William ran off. "_William wait for me!_" he yelled, running down the dirt road and running to William as he walked out of the gate.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, poking Alex in the cheek to wake him up, "It's your turn," she said as he stretched.

"It's 7pm already?" he groaned, sitting up.

"Yes it is," she grumbled. "Almost a full day down, but now the sun is going down. Do you see anyone yet?"

"Nope," Alex shrugged, "I didn't pick up anyone… We have only four feathers… right?"

"Six if we count our own," she grumbled. "The contest is almost semi-completed and we _still_ haven't really defeated anyone."

"What about Julia?" Alex asked.

"Well she said that she was tired of this and decided to go home. That's the only reason why we have another one. And Chaz…" Sophie thought to herself, "he was just a weakling. So was his partner; couldn't even stand up to us without their _**precious**_ scythes. At least Julia and her teammate put up a fight," she smirked. "It'll be about the time everyone will start to bring out their A game. We've been going easy, but so have the other groups."

"That's true…" Alex sighed. "3/7 completed… go nap Sophie. I'll keep guard." She nodded, closing her eyes and lying down in the bushes, where they were currently hiding out. Alex jumped into a tree, where Sophie had been earlier, and sat there, keeping watch from the outskirts of London. He stared off, his eyes turning from green to red. He stood perfectly still for a few hours, watching as the sun set beyond the horizon. He looked over at Sophie, who wasn't really sleeping but had her eyes closed. She was on her guard too, in between being asleep and being perfectly awake.

Then Alex heard rustling coming towards them and he jumped down to shake Sophie awake. "They're coming." She nodded, opening her eyes to show her double-iris blue/green eyes. Then out from the trees appeared a pair of demons with sharpened claws. Alex and Sophie evaded the attack, the pair separating them so they were attacking them one on one. One of them attacked Alex, who put his own claws up in a counter attack. "You're going to have to do better than that!" he laughed, throwing knifes at the other demon.

Sophie jumped back, evading the attacks. "You're going to have to do better than that to defeat me!" the demon hissed, scratching her arm.

She yelped in pain, feeling the blood drip from her arm. It was a deep wound and she cringed in pain, gripping her arm as blood came down. "Sophie!" Alex yelled, almost getting struck himself.

Sophie glared at the demon, her eyes staring angrily at the demon. "You'll pay for that," she snarled, quickly standing back up and evading the next attack. She stood tall, closing her eyes and beckoning her energy. The demon lunged at Sophie again, aiming for her chest; and then lightening struck the place, the other two in the background hitting the ground in panic. The lightning struck Sophie's hand, a scythe appearing in her hand.

Sophie held the long scythe in front of her face, stopping the demon's attack just in time. The scythe was a third taller than Sophie was, and the handle a small wooden handle like their miniature death scythes are. It was simple death scythe, but held a great aura. She pushed the demon away, holding the scythe high above her head. Her eyes glared into the demon's frightened red eyes, the color yellow swirling intensely in her blue/green eyes. The demon backed away in fright, "Okay we give up!" he grumbled, throwing his green feathers at her. "J-just don't kill me…" he whimpered.

She giggled, gladly taking the feathers, "Thank you," she smirked, the feathers disappearing in a black haze that came from her fingertips. The demon ran off with the other one, disappearing into the night.

Alex walked over to her, his eyes widened in bewilderment. "W-wha –"

"Well I guess it **did** work," she giggled to herself, "but I think that gave away our hiding spot… come on," she said sighed. "It's not over yet."

As soon as she said that she sensed two more groups coming in from behind, causing her to grab Alex's hand and head towards the town. "Awe shit," he grumbled, feeling the groups as he sensed them closing in from a few feet away.

Sophie let go of his hand, jumping onto the top of the buildings. A black haze followed her, disappearing as she stopped. She looked at her clothing and noticed that a black robe was now around her body, tied around her by a black ribbon around her neck. "Wow…" she thought to herself, examining the robe, the scythe, and the black haze that was coming from her hands. "Wasn't expecting this…"

"Sophie come on," Alex grumbled next to her.

"Sorry," she chuckled sheepishly, before the smile on her face disappeared and she looked stern and serious. Jumping over to him, she looked at the wound on her arm. "It's going to take a while to heal," she grumbled to herself.

"That's pretty deep," Alex frowned. Then he looked over, "Come on, I sense that a few of them turned into wolves." Sophie nodded, grabbing a piece of cloth and tying it around her arm. Then they jumped away, blending in with the inhabitants in London.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a groan, gripping her arm tightly. The blood hadn't stopped flowing and the sun had begun to come up. "Well I think they're done chasing us," Alex sighed and walked over to Sophie, who was sitting against one of the buildings in an alley way. "How's the arm?"

"Still bleeding," she sighed, causing him to frown. "I guess my reaper powers in healing haven't fully developed yet," she frowned.

"Or perhaps that's as good as it'll get," Alex shrugged, "seeing as you're half human."

Sophie nodded, opening the bloody cloth to look at her wound. "I'm going to have to sew it up then."

"You can do that?" he asked, walking over to her and investigating her wound.

"Yes," she sighed, "but it won't be easy. It's on the arm that I write with, so I won't be able to sew it myself."

"Could I?" he asked, looking at her wound. The gash was deeper then it was originally, due the constant running from the other teams. There was only three teams still out there, the Red, Blue, and Violet teams. Alex grumbled to himself, "I shouldn't have asked you to do this. Now you're bleeding to death and we have four demons after us."

Sophie smiled, "It's not your fault Alex. I wouldn't blame you for this… besides I agreed to this anyways," she shrugged, "I could have said no."

He sighed, helping her off of the ground. "So what do you want me to do?"

"Go and get some alcohol. Pure alcohol is best, but vodka will do," she smiled. "I'll stay here, but do hurry back. I don't know how sneaky our competition is." Alex gave her a nod and ran off with lightening fast speed. Sophie let out a sigh, tiredly leaning against the wall. She looked through her messenger bag, seeing a needle and thread kit at the bottom her of bag.

She had made it as soon as she came into the academy, to sew up pieces of clothing that were falling apart. She didn't know why she felt the need to have that particular kit, but something in her told her that this is the best situation to use it. Sophie closed her eyes, wondering where Alex was. She felt something unnerving, leaving the safety of the alley and walking into the street. After wandering through the streets for a few minutes she saw Alex being cornered by three demons. Why they banded together to defeat them made Sophie frown, but it was probably because they held the other competition's feathers. She ran at them, standing in front of them as they came towards Alex. "We're in a crowded place in _broad_ daylight," Sophie said with a smirk, "Shouldn't we fight where it's less crowded?"

They looked at each other with nods, "Fine _**reaper**_. We'll settle this on the rooftops, but if you don't show up in two minutes we'll come after you, _with_ or without a crowd," the demon bared his canine teeth, jumping onto the roof.

Sophie turned around, "Are you okay?"

Alex nodded, handing her the vodka bottle. "They cornered me as I walked out of the tavern. I can't sense the last demon, so we should be on the lookout. These demons are pretty powerful… are you sure you're up for this?"

Sophie took another piece of cloth from her bag, tying the cloth tightly on her arm. "Yeah I'm sure. We can't let them overpower us while we're so close. Come on! We'll finish this thing together, alright?" she smiled.

He let out a sigh, her smile overpowering him, "Alright," he smiled, "but if you pass out on me, then it's over."

"Okay," she said with a smile, jumping onto the roof. Alex followed in pursuit, standing next to Sophie with his arms crossed. "So why are you teamed up against us? Isn't this supposed to be teams of two?" she smirked.

"We thought about that," one of them said, standing foreword, "and the rules don't _say_ we can't team up. Besides," he smirked, as quick as lightening grabbing hold of her hurt arm, "we _all_ can smell you from miles away," he drooled, sniffing her arm.

She kicked him a few feet away as the other two laughed. "In the first place," said the only woman demon there, "we didn't understand why _**reapers**_ would be in this contest. The man is a legendary _demon_, not reaper."

Sophie smirked, "Then you obviously don't know the man behind the legend." Then she let out a giggle, "How primitive. If the four of you plan on being his apprentices then you'll have to get past us," she smiled slyly, summoning a scythe in her hand.

"You can't do that!" a young demon boy said from behind the woman. "The rules say you can't have scythes –"

"But I wielded it. There's nothing in the rules against that," she smirked, holding it high above her head. "_Let's dance~~_" she laughed, throwing the scythe down and slashing the air. A whirlwind picked up and threw the demons away from the roof, flying in different directions. Then they heard a bird above them, the raven flying down and attacking Sophie. "The missing demon…" she said to herself, dodging its attacks. The other demons had transformed into their animal forms. There was two wolves and one raven, all of their eyes beaming red with anger.

Alex grumbled under his breath, "Sophie watch out!" The wolves ran at her, teeth bearing in anger.

Sophie quickly dodged, the ravens going after Alex. He turned into a dark brown fox, breathing black fire at the ravens. They avoided the attack as he jumped into the air, almost biting one of the raven's feet off. Then they came down on him in anger, trying to peck out his eyes. Sophie slashed at the wolves, causing them to back off. She had to come up with a plan and fast, or else they will both have to forfeit or end up dying. She took out her bleeding arm, cutting the wound deeper. "You smell that demons," she smirked, licking some of the blood up into her mouth, "that's the smell of a _human_." The wolves immediately licked their lips, running after Sophie. Then the ravens followed in pursuit, leaving the fox with a battered up nose.

Sophie took off, the pain in her arm going numb. She was running as fast as she could, the demons gaining on her. She closed her eyes, her feet feeling the pain of her running. Then she opened her eyes in shock, hearing a neigh coming from the streets. It was a black horse, holding the same eerie aura as she did. Then she jumped down from the roof, landing on the back of the horse. They took off as fast as they could, avoiding the pedestrians along the way. "Come on…" she frowned, noticing that the ravens were gaining on them. She closed her eyes, trying to come up with a plan. "…ut est!" she realized. "You keep running and I'll take them down," she said into the horse's ear, getting a neigh in response. As her scythe disappeared a bow appeared in her hand. A container of arrows was summoned on her back, being secured by a black leather strap. She grabbed two of the arrows and aimed at the ravens. She shot at them, both of them falling from the sky. Then she looked over at the wolves, shooting two at them. She got one, but the other one was on their tail. The wolf jumped and bit down on the horse's ass, causing it to jump up in panic. The arrows and bow disappeared, replaced with a sickle. She stabbed into the wolf's back, causing it to cry out in panic and let go of the horse. Then she pulled on the reins, trotting back to the fallen wolf. She jumped off of the horse, watching as the wolf turned back into its human form. "Now," she said, her foot stepping down on the demon boy's stomach, "the feather?"

He whimpered in defeat, dropping his violet feather for Sophie to take. She grabbed it, the feather disappearing in the black haze. "I-it's been great competing with you," he sighed, coughing up blood, "but I don't think I'll be seeing you anytime soon…" he frowned, closing his eyes.

Sophie took out the sickle from his back, the sickle disappearing in the black haze. "I'm not so sure about that," she smiled sweetly, closing her eyes and concentrating.

Black haze grew in her hand, turning gray to white in a blink of an eye. The demon didn't even notice, already accepting that he was going to die. She pressed the white glow on the demon's back, causing it to cringe slightly. The wound on its back quickly healed and disappeared, leaving the demon in a pool of its own blood and a large cut on its clothing. Sophie opened her eyes and looked at where the horse was, seeing that it had vanished. Then Alex jumped down from the roof, a scratch from a bird's claw being visible on the bridge of his nose. "I got a blue feather," he sighed as he tucked the feather away in his pocket, "but the other raven escaped. Same thing with that wolf… are you okay?"

Sophie nodded weakly, "Just tired… come on. I need to sew this up before they come back with a vengeance, she said, standing up from beside the wolf.

They both looked down on it, "Will he live?" Alex asked her.

"Yeah, "she nodded, "I don't see why not," she shrugged.

"I saw you striked him with a sickle," he frowned, "and those arrows were made out of the same material as a death scythe is. The raven I took the feather from wasn't dying, but this demon looks to have bled to death."

"Don't worry about it," she said simply, "He'll be fine… just…" she closed her eyes, her body going limp.

"Sophie!" he yelled, grabbing her body. He stared at her in worry, seeing her eyes flicker open again. They were blue/green, the yellow disappearing in her eyes. They were beginning to gloss over, her body growing weak. "It must be the blood loss," he frowned, picking her body up bridle style and disappearing farther into the alley.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie bit down on the cloth in her mouth in anguish as Alex poured the vodka on her wound and cleaned it up with a rag. "I'm almost done," he said, brushing her hair and trying to calm her down. She nodded as the pain from the alcohol stung in her arm. "Now to sew you up…" Alex frowned, grabbing the needle and thread and looping the thread in the needle. He poked the needle into her arm, causing her to yell out in pain. "Sorry," he said meekly, trying again. He poked into her skin again, causing her to growl at him, anger in her eyes, "Sorry," he said again, attempting to try again.

"Just give it to me!" she growled at him as she spat out the rag, grabbing the needle from Alex's hand with her right hand and began to sew into her left shoulder. She cringed slightly, feeling the needle go into her skin, but she slowly stopped cringing, quickly sewing up the massive cut in her arm in nice, clean weaves. Alex stared at her in fascination, watching as she skillfully sewed up her arm. "You don't _**stab**_ through all the skin, just the top layers. That's just dead skin tissue," Sophie said as she finished sewing up her arm. "Now tie it off for me," she sighed, handing the needle and thread back to Alex. He knotted the thread and cut it off with his teeth, putting her kit away in her bag. Then she stuffed the piece of cloth back in her mouth as Alex dumped some more alcohol on her arm. She flinched, biting down on the cloth in pain. Once he was done he cleaned all the blood from the wound, helping Sophie's arm back into her shirt. "Thank you," she said simply, buttoning up her white shirt, "I don't think I'll be able to wear this suit again," she frowned, putting her suit coat back on.

"Probably not," he laughed, drinking down some of the vodka. He handed the bottle over to Sophie, who drank down the rest of it and threw the bottle against the wall. He looked at his watch, "10pm… two more hours. You think they'll strike?"

"I don't know," she sighed, slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder, "but let's head for the academy so I can sew up that cut on your nose. I don't know if they'll follow, but we should be getting back around now."

He nodded, helping her up off of the ground as she stumbled back. "Here I'll carry you," he said, waiting for her to jump onto his back. She frowned, jumping onto his back as he carried her piggyback style. Sophie closed her eyes, sleepiness and constant blood loss taking over her body. "Just go to sleep and I'll get us there," he said over his shoulder, letting Sophie fall asleep on his back.

He walked a few miles nonstop, not coming into contact with any of the demons. Alex let out a sigh, his deprivation of sleep starting to come over him. "Sophie?" he said quietly, moving her body slightly. She didn't stir and he smiled. "Don't worry, we're almost there." Then his eyes went wide, quickly noticing a presence behind him.

Sophie jumped off of his back, pushing him to the ground. She summoned her scythe in her hand, blocking the wolf from ripping at her back. "Alex run!" she yelled, pushing the demon away.

Alex gasped in fear, quickly taking off towards the safety of the shinigami realm. As he ran he turned into a fox, gaining speed as he took off towards the white buildings. Sophie turned back, scythe at the ready. The wolf growled at her, his claws digging into the dirt, "You killed little Fillin, you bitch!" Then he jumped at her and tired to claw out her eyes.

Sophie jumped back, slashing her scythe at him. He ran around her, trying to find an opening. She closed her eyes and could feel his aura running around her. The demon jumped at her, eyes glowing red in anger. Sophie dodged just in time, grabbing his foot; she threw him down at the ground, the scythe aimed at his head. He whimpered in fright, then glaring back up at her. She glared back at him, her blue/green eyes fiercely looking back at him with a yellow haze behind it. "I did not kill him," she said simply, his eyes going wide, "you should probably check back on where you found him. He's probably sleeping, but if you don't give me your feather you're going to be seeing him in the **next** life."

He narrowed his eyes, "Only if you let me go."

"Why should I trust you?" she asked, keeping the scythe close to his neck.

"Because I have my word as a wolf," he said simply, "or is it that you reapers don't _believe_ demons can be trustworthy?" After a few seconds, the scythe disappeared and Sophie stood up, still fixing her eyes at him and making sure he doesn't make any sudden moves. The wolf changed back into his demon form, letting out a sigh. "Here," he said, holding the feather out to her.

She glared, before taking the violet feather from him. "Thank you," was all she said.

Then he chuckled, scratching the back of his head, "I didn't think you would believe me. Usually your kind would kill only us, especially young and weak wolves like me."

"I don't believe in judging a book by its cover until I read the contents of its pages," she simply said, the feather disappearing in a black haze. "I can see your soul is noble, not pure but virtuous enough," she smiled. Then she felt something unnerving coming from Alex. "I have to go," she said simply, summoning the black horse.

He chuckled, "Wait!" he said, his arms crossed. She turned around, grabbing the reins of the horse. "My name is Adalwolf, but I go by Adolf now," he smiled, showing off his sharp-canine teeth.

"Nice to meet you Adolf," she nodded to him, jumping on the horse. "My name's Sophia, but I like to go by Sophie," she smiled, before cracking the reins and taking off towards Alex. The horse ran towards one of the buildings, finding Alex trying to fend off the raven.

The raven noticed Sophie and it flew towards her. "You almost killed Byrne!" said the raven, striking at Sophie's head. She took out her scythe, swatting at bird to fly away. Then it flew up towards the sky, about the dive down on her. Sophie took out her bow and arrows, aiming at the raven. It evaded her attacks, a young woman's laughter coming from its beak. "Is that the best you can do?" it laughed, diving down. As she did a pilum appeared in Sophie's hand. She gripped the handle tightly and threw it at the bird. It struck her, the demon falling from the sky and hitting the ground. Sophie jumped off of her horse and walked towards her, pushing her demon body down with her foot. "You wench!" she squawked at her, gripping her chest in pain.

Sophie knelt over her, grabbing the pilum by the handle, "Give me your feather," she said roughly, moving the pilum back and forth in the demon's chest.

She cried out in pain. "Okay!" she squawked, her hand revealing the blue feather. Sophie took it, the feather disappearing in a black haze. "You… you _reaper_," she glared at her, falling into a deep sleep.

Then Sophie pulled out the pilum, the weapon falling next to her and disappearing in a black haze. "Merle!" Sophie turned quickly, seeing a tall man gripping his hands in anger. "I'll kill you," he growled, "I'll kill you, **you **_**revolting**_** shinigami**!"

The demon started turning into a raven, until a young boy ran up behind him and grabbed his waist. "Don't do it!" the boy cried out, burying his face into the older demon's back.

"Fillian… h-how can you be alive?..." the demon frowned, noticing another demon showing up behind him. "Adolf…" he frowned, turning his attention back to Sophie, "Let me go Fillian. I need to kill her," he hissed under his breath, his knuckles turning white from his grip.

"J-just watch," Fillian said, "P-please…" he began to cry, Adolf coming up from behind him and rubbing the back of the younger boy's back in comfort. They suddenly heard Big Ben ring, midnight finally coming. The four demons, including Alex, turned their attention to Sophie, who was still leaning over the dead demon's body.

Sophie let out a sigh, closing her eyes. A black haze was created in her left hand, slowly turning to gray and lastly to white. Then she pressed the glow into the raven's chest, the wound on her body slowly healing. Sophie opened her eyes, her one-iris eyes showing a crystal blue with a yellow haze swirling in her soft eyes. Then the glow stopped in her hands, with Sophie still looming over the demon. Gradually the demon opened her eyes, her tired red eyes coming into contact with Sophie's bewildering crystal eyes. "Y-you…" the raven said quietly, being helped up by Sophie.

Sophie smiled at her, as she nervously smiled back. "Merletta," they heard, Byrne grabbing her in a hug.

"Byrne," she cried, burying her face into his chest. "I-I thought I was done for," she sobbed as he brushed her hair through his fingers.

"Hush it's okay," he said softly, "It's over…" Then he looked at Sophie, who had a weary look on her face. "Thank you," he said, brushing Merletta's hair to sooth her soft cries, "I didn't think you would revive her…"

"I don't judge a book by its cover, but by the contents of its pages," she smiled. "I don't know, but I could tell that her soul was a lovely soul and I couldn't let a good soul die an unnecessary death."

He nodded, "Well," he sighed, "you truly are a great being to not kill us, and I hope the best with your training with Shezmu. You deserve it."

He held out his hand and Sophie gladly shook it, "Thank you," she smiled, looking over to see Alex walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her tired body.

The other two demons waved over to them, "Well let's go home, Fillian," Adolf smirked.

"Alright," he giggled, following him back towards the human realm. "See you later, you swankers," Adolf laughed.

"Oh I wouldn't be one to talk, ass licker." Byrne smirked back. Adolf growled at him, before a laugh came from his lips and they disappeared. "Well let's go," Byrne said, picking up the passed out Merletta. "We'll see you around?"

"Sure," Alex smirked, "We'll go out for a _**murder**_ sometime," he smirked, causing Byrne to laugh as they disappeared into the human realm.

Then Alex and Sophie looked over, noticing an ominous figure walking out from the shadows. "Great performance," Shezmu said, gradually walking over to them. "A shinigami helping demons, just a soul I want to train," he smiled.

"Thank you sir," Sophie bowed, reassuring Alex that she could stand up on her own.

"I want you to show up tomorrow after your training with your mentor, Sophie," he said, about to walk away.

"Wait," she said, causing him to turn around, "what about Alex?"

"You showed the most growth Sophia –"

"But he is my teammate," she frowned, "and this was his idea to sign up in the first place. If I'm going to be trained, then Alex will be trained with me," she crossed her arms, glaring at him.

Shezmu looked at Alex, who was astonished by her response, and back at Sophie, whose blue eyes were glaring intensely at him. "Fine," he said simply, turning back around. "Don't be late," he finished, disappearing into the shadows.

"W-why did you do that?" Alex asked, looking at her insecurely.

Sophie smiled at him, grabbing his hand, "Why wouldn't I?" She looked at him, leaving her red feather in his hand, "You're the reason I did _any_ of this, and I actually grew from the experience. How can I thank you for that?"

He smiled, handing her his red feather. She giggled, holding it happily in her head. Then he pulled her in a quick kiss, her face turning as red as the feather she was holding. He chuckled, "How about you promise that we'll have each other's backs?" Sophie smirked, taking out her death scythe and slightly cutting into her arm. "W-what are you doing?" he asked her with a worried tone in his voice.

"Isn't this how you demons make a pledge?" Sophie smiled at him sweetly. "_Ego pignus habere dorsum lenta sub condicionibus et latere tuo bonis malisque temporibus iuxta valent_," she said, dripping her blood on the feather.

He smiled, taking out his death scythe and doing the same to her feather. "_Et _ego pignus habere dorsum lenta sub condicionibus et latere tuo bonis malisque temporibus iuxta valent__," he smiled, letting the blood drip down onto the red feather in his hand. Then they gave their feathers back, doing the same thing to their own feather. The red feathers had turned darker color, turning red/brown from Sophie's blood and a dark red from Alex's, which turned the feathers from bright red to a dark crimson-violet color. Alex kissed her cheek, the feathers disappearing in their hands. "Come on then," he smiled, "we better get to sleep for tomorrow's classes."

"Not unless you let me sew up that cut on your nose first," she smirked, giving a quick peck on his nose before she took off, running towards the building. Alex laughed with her, running after her and grabbing her in a hug. Then they slowed down and skipped into the white building, walking to their dorm rooms for the night.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: So what do you think of Alex and Sophie? Relationship wise. I just want you, the reader's, standpoint on the subject because I'm just writing the material and I don't know what you guys are thinking… yeah. Just wondering X3 Should they become more then friends or just say friends? That's my real question =3**

**I know Grell and William don't know about the Undertaker till later in Kuroshitsuji, but I need them to be involved somewhat so Sophie can regain her memories. Still unsure how she'll do that, but she will! As always, I hope you love this chapter. I think it's the longest chapter yet! Sorry about that, but the battling and stuff took longer than expected ^^; Aren't you happy for Grell and William? They actually got to be alone! Hazzah! Not good for William, but Grell was definitely ecstatic =D**

Engjëll – Albanian – angel

_ut est_ – Latin – _that (is) it_

Fillin – English – little wolf

Adalwolf – Old German – noble wolf

Adolf – German – noble wolf

Byrne – Welsh – raven, descendent of Bran

Pilum – ancient Rome – javelin used in the Roman army

Merletta – English – blackbird, feminine pet form of Merle

_Ego pignus habere dorsum lenta sub condicionibus et latere tuo bonis malisque temporibus iuxta valent_– Latin – _I pledge to have your back during the tough situations and be by your side during the good and bad times_


	14. The Pack

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: UGH! I'm suddenly in a mood to write a Halloween thing again… should I just skip ahead?... I think it's going to happen guys. _I__don__'__t__know~~!_ *cries in corner* Anyways, there's a bit of a time lapse from the competition. As I put in the story, it's around summer time now. After this chapter, it may have a time lapse again… but then again I'm unsure. The time before hand I just had you guys come up with your own theories on the day, but now it's definitely the summer. So… yeah! I think that's all I can say right now. Hope you enjoy the story!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a groan, snapping her pencil in two in frustration. It had been about a month since the contest, but her left arm still hurt, causing her to write with her right hand instead of her left._ '__This __doesn__'__t __even __look __like __words!__'_ she grumbled under her breath as she looked at her notes.

The bell rang and she quickly got up, running into Chaz in the process. "Watch it!" he yelled at her.

"Sorry," she huffed, about the leave the room.

"Oh Sophie," he smirked slyly, "are intimidated by my breathtaking splendor?"

"The only thing I'm impressed about is how you can be defeated by, let me see… _ten __demons_," she smirked to herself, scratching her left shoulder.

He growled under his breath, "Shut it."

"Nah," she smiled back, running off into the hall. Evading the shinigamis passing by, Sophie finally made it to Grell's office before she ran out of time. "Shit!" she yelped, sliding a bit too far from Grell's office. Then she ran in, almost out of breath. "Sorry for being late Grell," she breathed.

"Good thing you came by," Grell giggled, "I was going to have to start without you," he smiled, grabbing a few forms from the table.

"What are we doing today?" she sighed, scratching her left arm again.

"We are visiting the Undertaker again for information," he grumbled under his breath. "I don't see why _**I**_ have to do this. He's so _creepy~!_" he complained.

"Perhaps you just have to give him a chance," Sophie shrugged. "Now what is this information we seek?"

"We've spotted a demon wolf pack right outside London. We're supposed to investigate if they had eaten any humans or not." Then Grell shrugged, "I don't see why that's a problem. I just don't want overtime!" he yelped.

"Don't worry about it," Sophie shrugged again, scratching her left arm. "Now can we get going? We can discuss everything there if we need to," she smiled sweetly, causing him to let out a sigh.

"If you say so," he frowned, noticing her scratching her arm again.

!#$%^&*()

"Undertaker?" Sophie called into the room, standing up tall and stiff when Undertaker popped right in front of her face. "What the heck!" she practically yelped, falling over into Grell out of shock.

He giggled happily, closing a coffin he had been working in before they came by, "The _heck_ is that you're back! Been a while, but _still~~_" he giggled into his sleeve, ushering them into the room. "So why are my two favorite shinigamis here _this__time?_"

Grell coughed in his sleeve, getting sick from the smell of death that lingered in the room, "We're here to investigate –"

"The demon wolf pack?" he asked, a giggle escaping his lips when Grell's mouth dropped. "You're not here to visit little old _me_ this time?" he whimpered.

"Sorry Undertaker," she let out a sigh, scratching her left arm. I've just been too busy that –"

"Say no more," he responded, holding his long black nails in front of her mouth, "I understand."

"So what do we have to say this time?" Sophie asked contently, sitting down on a coffin and scratching her arm.

Undertaker sat down across from her and looked at her suspiciously, causing her to stop scratching and stare at him with uneasiness in her eyes. "Why do you keep scratching your left arm, _my __dear~~?_ Is something bothering you?"

She looked over at Grell, who sat down next to her. She looked back at the Undertaker and slowly nodded, scratching her arm again. "I-It happened at the contest –"

"What contest?" Grell asked, causing Sophie to freeze up.

"Hummahh-huh…" she coughed, startled by Grell. "You know the weekend where Alex and I had disappeared from the academy for the weekend?"

"… yes," he frowned, "Why? I saw Alex coming back with a stitched up nose."

"Which **I** sewed up for him," she smiled in triumph. "He doesn't even know how to sew properly, how incompet – I mean **stupid** he is," she giggled meekly, letting out a sigh as she began fussing with her arm. "Over that week we were in a contest, we both came out with deep cuts. Alex got one on his nose and I…" she sighed, looking over at the Undertaker, "got one on my arm."

Suddenly Grell grabbed her shirt, causing Sophie to yelp and involuntarily push away from him. "Let me see it!" he fussed.

"N-no!" she yelled, pushing him away. Sophie fell off of the coffin, her head slamming into another coffin.

She rubbed her head in pain, the stinging in her arm coming back from landing on it. Sophie groaned in pain, letting a rough cough escaper her mouth. Then she felt hands wrap around her body, helping her up off of the ground. "You shouldn't be so rough with your students," the Undertaker said, setting her back down on the coffin she was sitting on.

"But she never tells me _**anything**_!" Grell grumbled under his breath, "You're **always** hiding something from me Sophie, and I… just hate it," he rubbed his arm, looking away from them.

Sophie frowned, rubbing her arm and looking away from the Undertaker's gaze with an outrage look. "If you show me the wound, then I'll consider it _payment~~_" he giggled into his sleeve. Noticing her emotions weren't weaning, his laughter gradually ceased, a black nail lifting her head up to stare up at his long bangs. "Please…" he said, with sincerity in his voice.

She blinked bewildered, noticing a faint light green glow coming from his eyes, but she quickly nodded in understanding. "You may not like what you see…" she sighed, untying her necktie and taking off her suit coat. Sophie set her glasses onto of her coat, unbuttoning her shirt, "It has gotten worse than it originally was… I think," she sighed, taking her left arm out of her shirt so they could have a better look at it, keeping her shirt wrapped tightly around her body.

The Undertaker lifted Sophie's arm closer to his face, examining the puss that was coming out of her arm. The cut and the skin around it were red, mostly because of Sophie constantly scratching and picking at it. "I've seen worse," he chuckled, poking the puss with his finger. Sophie cringed, ripping her arm from his hand in protest. He giggled into his sleeve, noticing the angry look in her double-iris blue/green eyes. "What was it that scratched you?"

"A demon," she shrugged, cringing in fear when Grell turned her and started shaking her.

"Please Mr. Sutcliff," the Undertaker said, putting Grell's hands down, "Let her continue."

Sophie looked at the Undertaker, a smile growing on her face, but then she looked down at the ground meekly. "It was Saturday night and around the time the sun was going down. Alex and I were on the lookout for the other groups, seeing as it was us against four other demon groups at the point. Two of them attacked us, separating us from each other. I got scratched by the demon, which I thought was a small scratch at the time. I got angry and scared them off… well by summoning a scythe," she shrugged. "Once we ran off and got away from the other groups, that's when I noticed how deep the wound actually was. Because I'm just a newbie or because I'm half-human, I wasn't healing as fast as I had hoped. Alex got some vodka and we cleaned it up when we got the chance that night, which **I** had to sew **myself** up with my weak hand because Alex didn't know how to sew up someone's flesh," she grumbled under her breath. Then she let out a sigh, "I-I don't know… Alex's nose healed up quickly and he was able to take the stitches off. He actually has a nice scar on his nose, but I haven't been as luckily. I don't know what's going on, but my arm still hurts after a week or whatever when it happened. I haven't been able to rest and heal up, so that's a reason why it's still there."

She avoided the Undertaker's gaze on her, looking up with curiosity as he stood up to grab a bottle from his shelf. He grabbed a rag, pouring whatever was in the bottle on the rag and soaking it. He felt her shift away from his touch, frightened of what was in the bottle. "Don't worry. I'm a _professional~_ at this," he giggled, his face turning serious as he pulled her arm closer to him so he could work on it. "You've done a lovely job sewing yourself up, but I'm going to have to take it out." Sophie looked over at Grell with a worried look on her face. He looked rather uneasy himself, but just looked on as the Undertaker patted the rag on her shoulder. She cringed slightly, biting down on her lip as he continued to clean up her arm. Then he took a pair of scissors and cut the stitches off, exposing her cut to the air.

He expertly cleaned up her wound, cleaning it enough that the puss was collected into the rag and her arm was cleaned thoroughly. Then he took out a needle and thread, sticking it into her arm and sewing her back up. Oddly enough, it didn't hurt and she just watched as he sewed her back together. "H-how does it not hurt?" she asked, as he finished stitching and cleaning up her wound.

"A **lot** of practice," he smiled devilishly at her, and she giggled back with a big smile growing happily on her face.

She put her arm back in her shirt, watching him put his stuff away as she buttoned up her shirt. "Thank you," she said, causing him to turn around and look at her curiosity. "Though I-I don't know how I'll pay you back," she sighed, crossing her legs, putting her hands in her lap, and looking over at Grell.

He still had a worried look on his face, till they noticed the Undertaker walking over. Grell's gaze followed him as he walked over to Sophie, brushing his long-black nails over her face. "No need," he smiled, staring into her crystal blue and green eyes, "It's a treat to _pract~ice_ on a _liv~e __body~~_" he giggled into his sleeve, walking away from her and over to the other side of the room. Sophie felt her face burning up, quickly putting her necktie on and suit coat on to hide the fact that she was blushing. "Now about your question…" he giggled, ushering them over. Grell instantly walked over, as Sophie sheepishly walked over and hid behind Grell, hiding the redness in her face. "There have been a few bodies coming in teared up. _Would __you __like __to __see~~?_" he giggled, Sophie nodding.

Then he opened the coffin, showing an elder man brutally ripped apart into many pieces. The fact that the Undertaker was able to sew him back together was a miracle in itself. "So it's like that guy from the last time we came by," Sophie responded.

The Undertaker smirked, "That's right. It's becoming frequent. At first it was just one every few days, but now it's two every day."

Grell and Sophie nodded, Grell wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Well thank you, but we have to get going," he chuckled nervously, ushering Sophie over to the door.

"Oh, but you didn't stay and _have__tea~_" he whimpered, causing Sophie to giggle.

"Perhaps next time~!" Grell smiled at him, pushing Sophie out the door.

The Undertaker closed the coffin lid, lifting his head up when the door opened again. "And thank you again! I'll see if I come by later!" Sophie yelled into the room, violently being ripped away by Grell. The door slammed, the room getting eerily quiet again. Then laughter filled the room as the Undertaker fell to the ground, laughing his head off as the building began to rumble.

!#$%^&*()

Alex grumbled under his breath as he cleaned a guillotine. Sophie grumbling next to him as she was cleaning a wine press. "I don't see how this is _training_," he grumbled under his breath. "It's like what Mr. Tyrant tells me is training, when it's really a way for him to help him with his _own_ work."

"Training is training," Sophie shrugged, "and why are you so grumpy all of the sudden?"

"_Because_," he said with an angry tone in his voice, "William the Tyrant made me clean the training arena from ceiling to floor today. _**What **__**a **__**hard **__**ass**_. He's just angry that I'm not telling him were my scar came from and also for being **only** a few minutes late. Doesn't he get that I have _other_ things to do!" he grumbled under his breath, scrubbing roughly at the blood that lingered on the blade of the guillotine.

Sophie rolled her eyes, letting her left arm rest by her side as she scrubbed the handles of the wine press. "Whatever Alex," she grumbled, feeling a sting go though her arm. "At least this is a Tuesday and I don't have to go to the infirmary."

"Yeah," he said rather gruffly, walking over to Sophie to help her with the wine press. "By the way, are you going to go out tonight?"

"No," she shook her head, "I'm too tired. You can go, but I just need a break."

Alex nodded, letting out a sigh. "I'm tired too… I think I'll just go and sleep after this."

Sophie nodded in understanding, scrubbing the last bits of blood before it dried on the wine press. Then they lifted their heads, noticing Mr. Shezmu walking into the room. "I see my two apprentices are in grumpy moods today."

"You can say **that** again," Alex murmured angrily.

"I have an assignment for you," he said, watching as they stood up and put their cleaning supplies in a bucket of dirty water. "I want each of you to find time out of your busy schedules to relax, on your own. Just find a serene place where you can meditate for an hour. After the week is up, I want you to report back on your place and tell me if it had worked for you to relax. Any questions?"

"Yes," Alex said, raising his hand. "What's the point?" he grumbled.

"You are **both** in crabby moods," he glared at them, causing them to flinch, "and I don't want to have to put up with it every day. Now be gone," he swatted them away, Alex and Sophie walking out of the room and up old, wooden stairs, Sophie holding the bucket of dirty water.

"I _still_ don't see the point," Alex grumbled to himself.

Sophie rolled her eyes, "Well I'm going to go and do this thing _**now**_, so I don't have to put up with you."

"What does **that** mean?" he growled at her.

She rolled her eyes, "You _already_ know what it means," she said simply, pushing the bucket in Alex's hands and walking out of the Shezmu residence, leaving Alex to stare at the bloody water in confusion.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a sigh, having walked all around London for a place where she could find some peace and quiet. Everywhere she went was crowded with people and was too noisy. She had never found peace back in the shinigami realm, even though it was usually quiet by nightfall. She looked up, noticing her feet had dragged her to an old gate. She smiled to herself, walking through the gate and to the local cemetery. She followed the path up the hill, letting her feet do the walking for her. In the pit of her stomach she felt that this place had held some far off memories, but right now she couldn't quite recall what. The only thing she noticed is that it felt warm and safe, even though it was a place of coldness and undefended death.

Once she got to the top of the dirt road her eyes beamed in awe. The scenery was beautiful, her crystal eyes saw out over the colors of the summer fields and over rolling hills. A smile grew on her lips, feeling a warm memory coming back to her.

"_Marcus," came the heavenly voice of a young woman. Tears began to stream down her face, the water hitting a baby's forehead as she carried it in her protective arms. "Y-you actually came back?"_

"_Of course I did Ellen," he smiled, grabbing her in a tight hug._

"_Oh be careful," she gasped, pulling away from his embrace slightly, "You'll crush little Sophia."_

"_Sophia?" he asked, brushing the baby girl's soft red hair, a perfect combination of his short-curly maroon hair and her mother's long-straight brunette hair. "After your grandmother?"_

"_Of course," she said softly, a motherly smile planted on her face. "She's the woman who taught me all **I** know. About live… about death; about kindness, and virtue… she was a great woman… it was a shame the two of you didn't get to meet. She would have immediately included you in our family, instead of rejecting you." She sighed, sadness in her voice._

_He nodded, giving the woman a kiss on the lips before taking the baby girl in his arms. "Such a beautiful baby girl… Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, you are growing up in such a cruel and demanding world, but I know you'll be a great little light…" He rocked her back and forth, a fatherly smile growing on his face as the baby in his arms giggled with glee. Then he planted a kiss on her forehead, staring deeply into her crystal blue and green eyes, the perfect combination of her parents_.

"_Oh my ~_" she heard from behind her, turning around to see the Undertaker.

She blinked in confusion, lifting off of the tree trunk she had been leaning on. "Oh, sorry," she said timidly, "I-I thought no one was here," she smiled meekly, planning on running off.

"What's a charming young lady _like yourself~_ doing out here in the cold?" he asked casually, walking up the last bit of road to the top.

"I… I'm not sure," she chuckled to herself. "I just needed a place to think, by myself. I figured a cemetery would be peaceful enough to do that."

"Indeed it is…" the Undertaker smiled, looking out to the landscape. "With a beautiful view too…" Sophie nodded, staring off into the distance. She closed her eyes, a smile coming to her face as she remembered her father's eyes. They were double-iris and a deep green. He held a hint of yellow swirling in his eyes, his eyes feeling warm and inviting. She hugged herself slightly, feeling the kindhearted sensation of her father's eyes coming back to her memory. "Should I leave you alone?" the Undertaker said, causing her to look over at him.

"There's no need," she smiled, "I was just feeling a warm memory come back to me… I usually don't feel a feeling of love in my memories." He smiled, watching as Sophie sat down and leaned against the tree. He followed in pursuit, sitting next to her as she thought. "Do you know the feeling of your heart fluttering away to quickly for you to react without a second's notice? That's what that memory felt like," she smiled to herself, rubbing her cold arms.

She stared up at him, her one-iris crystal blue eyes beaming with bliss. The Undertaker's eyes widened, for her eyes remembered her of a young lady. "You're eyes…" he said quietly, brushing her face softly with his black nail. "Just like…" he paused, before chuckling and leaning against the tree as he held his sides.

Sophie looked at him with confusion, "What?" she asked, perplexity in her eyes. "Who do I look like?"

He smiled, grabbing her head gently and giving her a peck on the forehead. Then he leaned back, leaning against the tree again. "My little maidens," he smiled to himself.

She looked over, noticing the authenticity his smile was. Then she chuckled, leaning against the tree and looking up at the sky. "I just saw a memory of my parents… they were so beautiful together. My mom's exquisite human blue eyes… my father's bewildering shinigami green eyes with a mystifying yellow haze in them," she smiled to herself, "It was like seeing the beautiful sunlight and the glamour of the dark… my mother wearing a white dress and my father wearing a black suit… oh they made a lovely pair," she sighed happily, wrapping her coat tighter around her body.

The Undertaker looked at her with curiosity as she dazed off into the distance. "And now your eyes are the perfect combination of the two."

Sophie looked over at him, a soft smile growing on her face. "Yeah…" she chuckled to herself, "That's what I thought…" Then she stood up, grabbing her messenger bag from where she had set it down. "It's about time to get going. It was nice talking to you," she smiled, giving him a wave as she walked down the path.

"Same here," he smiled, a chuckle escaping his lips. _'Oh little Inaya… Sophia… I shouldn't have let those evil things happen to your fragile little bodies… requcescat in pacem, my little maidens,'_ he chuckled to himself, looking back over the fields and feeling the summer breeze blow through his long silver hair.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie smiled, walking into a bar with Alex and Julia. They sat down at a random table, everyone getting their usual drinks and laughing happily at the table. "About time you lighten up!" Sophie laughed, causing Julia to giggle.

"Sorry that I have to spend _**every day**_ with Mr. Tyrant," he grumbled, before laughing along with them. "So I'm guessing you found a place to be alone?"

"Yep," Sophie smiled, drinking down a quarter of her drink, "it's very nice, with a beautiful landscape. So Julia," she said, sipping more of the drink, "how are you?"

"Just fine," she giggled happily. "After I put up a fight, father let me go out on my own for once! It won't be an everyday thing, but at least it's something," she shrugged, drinking down her drink. "You guys have been working hard though. I didn't know you can summon different weapons. That's pretty cool!"

Sophie giggled, "Yep it's pretty cool, but it's hard to control," she shrugged, drinking down the rest of her drink, "I've had to give myself a lot of patience to control my strengths, but it's getting easier as time passes."

"And you can disappear!" Julia laughed happily, "in a black haze, right?"

"Yep," she giggled.

"Well that's pretty cool," Julia said, finishing her drink.

Then they heard commotion coming from the other side of the room, Sophie quickly noticed that they were demons. Then one of them looked over, a smile growing on his face, "Hey it's Sophie!" he laughed, walking over to them and giving her a pat on the back. "And… mister…"

"Alexander, but you can call me Alex," he coughed, drinking down the rest of his drink.

"Ahh yes! Hey guys, these are the half-breeds I was talking about," he laughed happily. "Oh I'm sorry miss… I don't seem to know you."

"The name is Julia, daughter of Shezmu," she smiled, "and you are?..."

"Adolf, from the pack of Liulfr," he smiled at her, his canine teeth showing off its white luster. "So you're Shezmu's kid? I remember seeing you at that contest too, though I didn't have the chance of fighting you."

"Oh I wasn't very strong," she giggled to herself. "Besides, I knew Alex and Sophie would win anyways."

"I see…" he thought, then gave them a smile. Suddenly someone jumped on Sophie's back, causing her to fall out of her seat and fall to the floor. "Fillin, you little rascal," he chuckled, grabbing him by the collar and picking him up. "Don't be disrespectful now."

"Yes Adolf," the boy smiled, helping Sophie off of the ground, "S-sorry…" he looked away sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"No problem," Sophie chuckled, rustling up his already messy light blonde/gray hair.

Fillin giggled back. His bright yellow eyes stared curiously up into her crystal blue eyes. "Why are your eyes blue and not the bluish-greenish… yellowish thing it was during the contest?"

"Oh," she chuckled, "that's because I'm disguising my aura as a humans and this is the color my eyes turn when I do. That way other creatures aren't freaking out over the presence of a reaper in their mists."

"Oh…" Fillin said, confusion still in his eyes.

"It's better if you don't ask," Adolf laughed, rustling up Fillin's hair. "This is little Fillin, a little cub who's being trained to be the alpha male in the Liulfr pack."

"Oh Adolf," he grumbled, "I'm not that important," he said under his breath. Then his face brighten up, coming up with an idea, "Hey would you like to see our pack? I promise as an alpha male that none of them will lay harm on you if you come by." He crossed his heart and lifted up his right hand in a pledge, squinting his eyes and waiting for an answer.

Alex, Sophie, and Julia looked at each other nervously and they whispered amongst themselves. Then Alex deciding to speak up, "We would love to," he smiled, the other two nodding in agreement.

"Oh that's great!" Fillin laughed, bouncing up and down with joy. Adolf smiled, holding the door for them as they walked out of the bar. The moon was high in the sky, its yellow glow shining down on group. Adolf smiled up to the sky, noticing the moon was a waning gibbous moon and that it would be a full moon in a few more days.

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey we're back!" Adolf announced, the group walking into a rocky cave and coming across a pack of wolves guarding the entrance.

"We don't allow outsiders, Adolf," one of them growled, "_**Especially**_ reapers."

"We promise we're not here to hurt you," Sophie spoke up, standing forward, "Fillin just invited us to come over."

"Yes I did," he said with a huff.

"Don't you know that there's reapers coming after us because they suspect us of eating up humans?" one of them growled, nipping at Sophie's foot. "They even killed three from our pack! Now you invite two of them here… you ungrateful –"

"That's enough," said a man, walking out from the inside of the cave. He glared at the wolf, causing the guard dogs to whimper quietly to themselves as they backed away.

"Father!" Fillin giggled, running to his father and grabbing him in a hug. Sophie smiled, seeing the happiness the two of them had together. "I-I didn't mean to cause you harm…" he whimpered slightly, still being carried in his father's arms.

"It's okay Fillin," he chuckled, looking at the three young visitors, "their aura tells me that they're trustworthy. Come on in. it's almost supper time." The three nodded, walking deeper into the cave, with Adolf walking behind them. Sophie smiled, noticing the dinner they had prepared. The texture was that of a lamb of a sheep, not of a human. Perhaps the superiors were wrong about this pack being part of the attacks, but she knew deep down that those humans had been ripped apart by claws, claws as big as a wolf's. She had to get to the bottom of the investigation, before any more innocent lives are lost to the slaughter. "By the way, my name is Wulfric," Fillian's father said, sitting down on the ground, "alpha male of the Liulfr demon wolf pack."

They all gathered around in a circle and sat down, watching as the food was presented to them. Then the wolves gnawed at the meat and ripped into its raw flesh. Alex and Julia did the same without a second thought, but Sophie just stared at her bowl, unable to eat it. "Sophie, eat," Alex nudged her, Sophie frowning.

Wulfric looked up, noticing Sophie wasn't even thinking about eating the food. "You don't have to eat the food if you don't want to. We'll give it to the rest of the pack to eat after we're done."

"I'm sorry if I'm being disrespectful," Sophie said with a bow, "just… I'm not used to eating _raw_ flesh."

"That's alright," he smiled, wiping the blood from his face. "Now let me ask you shinigami, why would you corrupt an innocent cub like my Fillin into having him invite you into our den?"

"I met Fillin and Adolf at the contest last month," Sophie said simply, watching as everyone else around her was ripping into their meat. "Then we ran into them at a bar tonight, and that is why we're here."

"I see…" he said, beginning to gnaw on a bone. "Please tell me, shinigami, why is _your kind_ is trying to kill my pack?"

Sophie let out a sigh, "Well…" she thought, "I'm not part of the dispatch, but my mentor is. We have been gathering information on a string of murders leading up to a demon wolf pack. We aren't sure who, but they suspect the pack is the reason humans have been ripped apart. At first it wasn't enough to be noticeable, but now whoever is killing the humans is ripping them apart at least three times per day. I'm not one to come to conclusions that it's everyone in this pack, but it'd be nice to know so I can try to clear it up with the council, if they allow me."

Wulfric nodded, putting the bone on the ground and wiping his face with a napkin. "I like you," he smiled, showing off his sharp canine teeth, "you're an honest shinigami… though I can see how your kind likes to jump to conclusions. The Liulfr pack is the only pack in London, but we are a wolf pack that doesn't go after humans. We tend to go after livestock, usually sheep and lambs. I don't know who could be doing the killings though… either a rogue wolf or perhaps one of our new requites. We'll investigate on the matter, but thank you for coming by and clearing it up."

"Don't worry about it," Sophie chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "It's the least I can do… I don't see why we don't talk to you guys anyways. We should probably could get to the bottom of this situation without having to go through large extents of killing one another."

He smiled, "You and me both." Then he let out a sigh, his mind going deep in thought. "So tell me shinigami, why does my little Fillin like you so?"

"Well I can answer that!" Fillin said, throwing the bone he was gnawing on to the ground and wiping his face before carrying on. "She revived me. The miss almost killed me… but then she revived me. It was great! I felt so fantastic when I woke up, which is hard to believe I guess…" he giggled to himself.

"Is that so?" his father raised an eyebrow, looking back over at Sophie.

She chuckled, "Yeah…" She smiled happily, "It's just a power that I developed on the spot. He's actually the first being I have revived… but it takes a lot of strength out of me to do so."

"Then why did you do it if you were going to get weak?" Wulfric asked, drinking a cup of water to wash down the blood.

"Because," she shrugged, "I saw that his heart was a good quality soul. My impulse just made me revive him… I can't really describe _why_ I did it. It just happened." Then Sophie cracked a smile, looking over at Fillin, "He's a good cub and I know he'll make your pack proud. His soul didn't deserve to move on, not yet."

Wulfric couldn't help but smile at her, "I have only seen one other reaper act quite like you do. I never believed there was any good in your species, but now I can clearly see it. What is your name?"

"Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, but I go by Sophie Ioreta," she smiled.

"Ahh," he said, realization hitting him, "A Serbus... I can see you've been brought up with great values."

Sophie smiled, a chuckle escaping her lips, "So you knew my father?"

"Yes," Wulfric said, letting out a dream felt sigh. "Marcus was a strange reaper, becoming friends with anyone who seemed to walk by. He told me it was because he only judged a person on their soul and not their physical figure because everyone dies off since we are not immortal but mortal beings. Even if we live a long time, we are still mortal beings. It just takes some longer than others to die."

Sophie nodded in understanding, absorbing his words. "Wow…" she thought aloud, "I can't believe my father would say that…"

"Well he did," Wulfric smiled, "and he was one of my best friends too. It's a tragedy that he had to die. I never found out who the culprit was. No one would tell me."

Sophie frowned, "I'm coming across that _same_ problem," she sighed, "but fear not. I plan on keeping his good name," she smiled happily.

He chuckled back, "Well it's been great meeting with you," he said, standing up. The rest of them stood up, Alex and Julia wiping their faces of the blood on their face. Wulfric stretched out his hand to Sophie, who generously accepted, "Do come back and visit. It's nice to talk to another supernatural being."

"Of course," she chuckled, "I'll see what I can do. Though," she sighed, letting go of his hand, "it's hard to find time anymore."

He nodded, "That's okay. We'll just see you whenever we meet up."

Sophie nodded, following Alex and Julia towards the front of the cave, "I'll see you later!" Fillin waved to the trio causing the three of them to wave back as they walked out of the cave.

"Well that was interesting," Julia giggled, "I've never eaten raw meat before."

"I just can't believe they invited shinigamis into their den, especially a fox!" he laughed. "To think they invited me in… that's so weird!"

Sophie smiled, not quite understanding why there seemed to be tension between other demon groups. "Well I'm just happy we were able to straighten something out. The attacks are still a wolf, or wolves, doing, but at least we straightened out the fact that this pack doesn't know who it is either. I guess we're going to have to catch the culprits before anyone else gets harmed," she sighed, scratching the back of her head. Alex and Julia smiled, showing off their bloody teeth. Sophie groaned in disgust, "I'm not going to be able to get that image out of my head," she frowned, causing all of them to burst out laughing as they walked Julia back home.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat on a couch in the lobby as she read a book. She munched on a box of chocolates, which she had bought the other day and couldn't resist on eating them now. Her mind had wandered into the book she was reading, which was one of the journals she was borrowing from Shezmu.

'May 7th 419 B.C.

'Again I find myself in awe at the complexity of the human mind. I walked amongst the city of Athens, taking in the structures that had been built for their patron goddess Athena. As I did, I came across a man and a young woman conversing in the streets, captivating my curiosity. The woman, even though she looked to be the age of seventeen, seemed to be confusing the elder man with her questions._ "What is someone's meaning in life?" "How can they find it?"_ then even more baffling questions like: _"Does a human deserve to be evil?" _and "_You say a man has virtue, but why does someone need virtue? I have been all over the world and have come across people who don't have __**virtue**__, but still have a form of goodness in them. Does this mean that the term of virtue is unnecessary?"_

'I continued to listen into their conversation as it commenced, since I had finished my collection of souls for the day. I couldn't help but chuckle at a few of their comments, the conversation soon ending as it began to get dark. I decided to walk over to her, to ask her my own questions. I learned that her name was Athena and she was currently looking for a place to stay for the night. I decided to invite her to spend the night, but she had me promise to not rape her in the middle of the night. As I talked to her, her questions and answers to my own questions was very intriguing. She had noticed that I was a Death God and was listening in to their conversation. She also decided to tell me that she was a half-breed, half human and half Death God. At that she decided to show me her true eyes, which was a combination of the true Death God green and a crystal blue.

'Once we got home I showed her to a guest room. I had a servant give her an outfit that would fit her body because she was walking around is strange clothing that I had never seen before. At dinner we continued our conversation, at which I had noticed how beautiful the white stola looked on her body. She didn't seem enthusiastic about the solid white look, but I assured her that it looked fine on her. As we ate she continued to tell me a little about herself. Athena told me that she was looking for her purpose. She was very broad, but she told me that she had come from a different world and she was currently getting by on her knowledge of Latin and Greek. Now that I think about it, I'm unsure if her name is actually Athena, but that's what she called herself. I decided to let her bath by herself and sleep, seeing as she looked tired and had been on her own for quite some time. –'

Sophie felt a poke on her arm, looking up to see Grell looming over her. "What are you reading _my dear~~?_" he giggled, grabbing a piece of chocolate from her stash and sitting down next to her.

"Just a book," she shrugged, putting a random piece of paper in between the page she was on and handing it to Grell.

He frowned, "I don't understand this," he grumbled to himself, throwing the book back on Sophie's lap.

Sophie smirked, setting the book gently on her lap. "It's a journal written in ancient Greek, of course. The journal is dated CLXXVIII, meaning 178. A friend gave it to me, just to read during my free time." Grell blinked into confusion as she put the book in her messenger bag. "At the moment, I was reading about an entry from MCLXXII A.U.C., until _someone_ interrupted me," she sighed, popping a piece of chocolate in her mouth, "So what's up?"

"Ummmah… oh yeah!" Grell giggled happily. "I was about to walk out with a group and kill the demon pack the dispatch had me looking for when I suddenly ran into you. Isn't this your luckily day or what!" he smirked, his sharp white teeth glistening in the light of the white room.

Sophie smirked, "Yeah I guess so…" Then she sat up and jumped off of the couch, slinging the messenger bag over her shoulder and slipping the chocolates into her bag, "So are we going to get going or what?"

Grell shrieked happily, jumping off of the couch and giving her a big hug. "This is going to be fun! _Your first big kill~_" he giggled, Sophie letting out a sigh as they walked out of the lobby and towards the entrance of the building.

!#$%^&*()

In the back of her mind, Sophie knew that this was wrong. She kept her standard scythe in her hand, obviously not telling Grell that she could summon different types of death weapons on a whim. She was with a group of shinigamis as they made their way towards the den on the outskirts of town. They stopped to rest in the woods, a scout or two venturing off ahead of them to investigate the scene. Grell seemed too giddy for the situation, swinging his red scythe around him as he walked. "I think I'll get a prettier death scythe. What do you think Sophie? I was thinking of a chainsaw."

"I chainsaw?" she asked, "What's that?"

"Oh of course you don't know," he giggled, "It hasn't been invented yet, but I'll show you it when I'm able to put it together."

Sophie stared at him, worry crossing her face. Then she got an idea, "Hey Grell," she said, standing up from the ground, "can I go and use the little ladies room?"

"Oh sure!" he giggled, "Go ahead towards town, but don't be _late~_. The festivities will be beginning in about an hour."

Sophie gave him a nod before quickly disappearing into the forest. She made her way towards the caves, being on the lookout for any scouts that could be noticing her. She faded into the trees and landed on the ground, her eyes turning from their double-iris blue/green to single-iris crystal blue and her clothing turning from a suit to a modern-style black and gray dress. She decided to walk the rest on foot, coming up from the other side of the cave. The sky had already gotten dark, a chill going down her spine. As she made it to the cave a wolf jumped out at her and sniffed her. Then another one joined him, circling around her. "Sophie?" one of them said, turning into his human form.

"Adolf," she sighed in relief, afraid that she was going to have to start the party early. "I was hoping I would run into you. Listen, the reapers are moving in and are going to infiltrate your cave in less than an hour."

"I know," Adolf sighed, looking at the other guard. "Go and tell Wulfric about when the reapers will be making their move. I'll go and look for Rudolf."

"Yes sir," the wolf said, running off towards the caves.

"Come with me and I'll tell you along the way," Adolf said, turning back into a wolf and taking off.

Sophie let out a sigh and chased after him, her eyes turning back into her shinigami eyes and her clothes fading back into a suit and tie. "So what's going on?" Sophie grumbled, seeing as they were moving farther out of London.

"We had founded out that Rudolf is the one behind the killings and we were going to bring him in for questioning, but he took off before we could grab him and now he's on the run. He took Fillin with him so he would not be followed." Then he grumbled under his breath, "I can't believe my own brother would do this."

"Brother?" Sophie asked, causing Adolf to stop.

"Yes…" he paused, "My younger brother. He's always been crooked, which is why we had to leave our den in Germany and come here, but this is taking it too far."

"So what should we do then?" Sophie sighed in frustration, "Because I've been ordered to kill the pack. I don't want it to come to this, but I may have to kill your brother –"

"No," Adolf glared his yellow eyes at her, before taking off again.

"No?" Sophie grumbled as she followed, "What do you mean _**no~**_?"

"He is my brother," he said simply, "and he is my responsibility. I don't think you'd understand," he growled under his breath.

"I'm sorry you think that way," Sophie grumbled back, jumping ahead of him. "I'll try to not kill him… but what if his soul is bad?"

"I don't care," Adolf huffed, "just promise that you won't kill him."

Sophie stayed silent, quickly locating two demons making their way towards the hills. "I've spotted them," she said, taking off as fast as she could. She took out her small scythe from her pocket, jumping out from the trees to strike the wolf on the nose with the butt of the handle.

The wolf whimpered, falling to the ground and letting go of the puppy he had clutched in his mouth. Before the puppy could run away, he quickly grabbed him and stepped on his body, ready to tear apart his neck. "You come any closer and the cub gets it," he growled, Fillin whimpering under his grip.

"Let Fillin go, Hrodwulf" Adolf said as a growl escaped him lips.

"Older brother," he chuckled, "good for you to join the party. Now we can escape toge—"

"No Rudolf," he said, "not this time."

"What are you saying Alf?" He whimpered, "I thought we were _family_."

"You need to be punished for what you had done Rudolf. You killed innocent humans that didn't need to be slain. You've brought disorder and death to this pack. You need to go before the shinigamis and tell them what you had done so they will stop the slaughter… please," he said, taking a step closer.

Rudolf growled at him, "You're just like mother and father!" Then he pressed harder on Fillin, causing him to whimper in pain. "_You need to be punished_, by being ripped apart? HAH! I'll have you know that I plan on leaving here, with or without you. I don't know why you've teamed up against me, but I won't let you bring me back there!"

He leaned over Fillin, about to rip his neck off, but suddenly Sophie jumped in and slashed at his side, causing him to let go and whimper to the ground. Then she kicked him off, grabbing the scared puppy from the ground and throwing him to the side. "Don't you _**dare**_ take another life," she hissed at him.

A laugh escaped Rudolf's lips, "And what's a human going to do about that? This isn't your fight!" Then he let out a gasp, noticing the pain in his chest. "W-what was that…"

"A death scythe," she said, "with enough power to kill humans and demons alike."

"W-wha… a _rr-eaper!_" he gasped, "this feeling…"

Sophie frowned. Perhaps she had strike him too hard, but Fillin was in trouble and she wouldn't stand by and let him die. She walked over to the demon wolf's body, causing Adolf to look in alarm. "Sophie what did you do?"

She loomed over him, looking over to Adolf with a sympathetic look on her face, "I'm sorry Adolf," she said simply, before directing her attention back to the barely breathing demon. Her face becoming stern and solemn and she cut into his side, his memories reeling into a book that suddenly appeared in her hand.

Adolf gasped in horror, seeing his brother die before him, "_**You bitch**_," he growled under his breath.

"It had to be done," she said solemnly, closing the book.

Adolf glared at her, "I can **never** forgive you for this," he growled at her, quickly taking off into the woods. Then a light glow came from the wolf's chest, causing Sophie to look over at wonder. She grabbed it in her hand, a bottle appearing in her hand. She carefully put the glowing substance in the bottle, tucking it into her bag for safekeeping.

Sophie let out a sigh, walking over to small wolf and waking him up. "Little Fillin are you okay?"

"Yes…" he sighed, standing up on all fours and shaking the dirt out of his hair. "But Rudolf and… Adolf…"

"I'm sorry," she frowned as she answered him in a comforting voice, "but it had to be done. He was going to kill you."

"I know," he frowned, letting out a whimper, "but… Adolf was so kind to me. I-I can't believe he's gone."

"Hey," she said, kneeling next to Fillin and wiping his tears away, "its okay. We have more important things to worry about."

"Y-your right," he answered, looking over to where they began to hear growling and fighting. "We have to stop this… Come on Sophie," he said, taking off in a sprint. Then Sophie followed, looking behind her at the demon's remains before speeding up to catch up with Fillin.

As they got closer to the fighting they had to stop, unsure what to do. Several demons and shinigamis alike had been injured, a few of the demons already killed. Sophie searched around for Wulfric, seeing him being attacked by a shinigami. He was being cornered into the rocks, unable to escape the scythe that swung at him. "Papa!" Fillin yelped as Sophie quickly hushing him up with her hand.

"Stay here in the bushes Fillin. I'll be back in a second." He nodded, jumping into the bushes and shaking in fear. Sophie looked up, taking off as fast as she could towards the two.

Just as the scythe was brought down on Wulfric, two scythes clashed together with Sophie holding up her small death scythe in defense. "What are you doing?" the shinigami growled at her.

"They are innocent," Sophie said simply, "they are **all** innocent, so stop this attack."

"Don't you talk highly to me, newbie," he growled. "I am the superior here. What proof do you have?"

"This," she held up Rudolf's cinematic record, "It is the **only** demon responsible for all the murderers. I looked over his memories myself. If you don't believe me, then have a look for yourself," she said, throwing the book at him. He caught to book, still holding his scythe up in defense. "Now let them _go_."

"I don't think so," he smirked, "seeing as _demons_ have been a crick in our backs since I've been around."

"Don't you get it!" She groaned, "The perpetrator is dead. The killing should **stop**. This pack of demons have done nothing wrong except for killing sheep every once in a while for a meal. _They don't steal souls_, so why are they a problem? If anything, we should be allies! They have been keeping out other demon packs that would eat human souls."

He glared at her, his green eyes staring deeply into Sophie's own blue/green eyes. She glared back, her eyes not weaning. Then she heard a yelp, noticing Fillin gasping in fear. At lightning speed she stood between the shinigami and Fillin, grabbing hold of the shinigami's blade by the blade and holding her scythe at his neck. "_**Knock it off**_," she hissed at him, the color yellow swirling around in her angry blue/green eyes. He whimpered slightly, lowering his scythe slowly.

"Fine!" he grumbled, "Call off the fighting! Let's go home."

The other shinigami lowered their scythes, quickly fleeing. Sophie turned back to Fillin, her hand beginning to bleed, "Are you okay kid?" He nodded, looking at her hand. She smiled, picking him up and giving him to his father. "Sorry to have bothered you," she bowed.

"I should be thanking you," Wulfric smiled, "for saving my son **and** my own life."

"Hey it's no problem," she chuckled to herself.

"If you don't want to be locked up for your violation of orders, I suggest you come with me _**now**_," the superior growled under his breath, having turned around and took off towards the group.

Sophie rolled her eyes, before directing her attention back to Fillin. She put her hand in his, a smile back on her face. "Take this," she said, a violet feather appearing in his paw.

"I-I –"

"Don't worry," she chuckled, jumping down from the rocks, "I have no need for it!"

Fillin couldn't help but smile, cuddling closer to his father. "Thank you!" he giggled, watching as Sophie took off towards the group of shinigamis, which were making their way back to the shinigami realm.

After finally catching up with the group, Sophie looked down at her hand, cringing slightly in pain. Grell jumped over to her, who was already in the back. "Hey are you okay?"

She looked over him with a smile on her face, but her blue/green eyes was telling him otherwise. "I-I'll be fine Grell… don't worry about it," she cracked a smile, taking out a piece of cloth and tying it around her hand.

"Grell," they heard from the head of the group, the superior speaking to him. "You and your apprentice will have a meeting with the council about this."

"Yes sir," Grell said quickly, grabbing Sophie's hand and retying it for her.

"And I want to talk to your apprentice once we get back," he said, Grell looking over at Sophie with a worried look on his face. Once they jumped down everyone went towards the buildings, except for Sophie and the shinigami. He stared her down, "I don't want to see that display from you _**again**_, is that clear?"

"No," she glared back, "I will do what I think is right. If you can't accept that, then that's your problem and not mine," she huffed, beginning to walk away from him.

He roughly grabbed her hand, his eyes obviously angry with her. "You're not in a position to make demands. You are **not** to disobey orders, is that clear?"

Sophie glared at him, before giving him a nod. "Yes sir," she said simply, roughly pushing his hand off of her arm and quickly walking away.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Adolf tripped on a tree trunk and cursed up at the sky. How could Sophie do this to him? Rudolf had always been a bit difficult, but he always knew that he would do the right thing. Just this time… his emotions were confused on what he should do. Should he go back and apologize? He couldn't think straight, stumbling to a river to drink from the water. He let out a sigh, watching as the water trickled down the stream.

"Why are you so sad, demon?" said a person from behind.

Adolf turned around to see a demon walking towards him, his body masked in the shadows. "My brother had just died."

"Oh I see…" he smirked to himself, cuffing his hands and drinking from the water. "I don't see why you're so mad. Those things happen all the time."

"I guess," he sighed, "but I can't go back."

"So you're a _rouge_," he smirked, a pair of pointy teeth showing in his sly smile. "Well that's too bad. If you need some room and board you can come by my place and rest."

"Thank you," Adolf smiled, deciding to follow the man back to a cave. He wasn't quite sure about this man, but he didn't have anywhere to go and he wasn't up to being picky. "What's your name sir?"

"Oh," he chuckled, his amethyst and yellow eyes glowing from behind his bangs, "Just call me _The Serpent_."

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Oh no! Well I know that was, again, a lot of information, but I hope you guys enjoyed it. Who is this mysterious being? You'll just have to find out later X3 Now Sophie is in a lot of trouble! I wonder how she'll get out of this one. By the way, when I meant modern-style I meant the style in that age. Just so you know! =D**

Guillotine – devise used for carrying out executions by decapitation

Wine press – device used to extract juice from crushed grapes during wine making – said that Shezmu would rip off the heads of the wicked, throw them into the wine press, and be crushed into red wine, which would be given to the righteous dead

Inaya – Arabic – kindness, solitude, or grace

Liulfr – Old Norse – shield, protection; wolf; shield wolf

Wulfric – Anglo-Saxon – wolf power

Athena – Greek – wise; goddess of wisdom and warfare

Stola – traditional Roman garment for woman

Rudolf – German – famous wolf

Hrodwulf – Old German – famous wolf


	15. The Hallows Even

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: First off, let me put this down for you guys to know. If there's a group of words underlined, then that means they're speaking a different language other than English. Since it's hard to translate some languages and have then appear correctly on here, let's just make it easy and I'll have it in English. So if there's a sentence or a conversation that's underlined, then they're speaking a different language. While you're reading the story, I think you'll understand what I mean. If you don't know what the language is, it'll probably be talked about before they start talking, like, "This person is from Russia," or something like that. **

**Sorry that this is a long chapter and wasn't published till today. I'm so ashamed! I just started writing, and before I knew it I had written a LOT of words… so sorry for all the reading. Well here's my Halloween special. The first part is just a summary of what had happened. Some stuff is really graphic, if you think in a graphic mindset, but other than that I think it did its justice in telling you guys what happened. I may go into it deeper next chapter, but we'll just see. I hope you enjoy it just as much as I loved writing it! X3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie groaned, looking at the time on her watch. She was getting a massive headache from the months pervious, having to talk to the council over and over again about what happened with the demon wolf pack. The council took forever, actually locking her up like an animal in a cell and thinking she was a traitor to her own race. That is, until they saw her medical records and found out that she was a half-breed. Even so, being branded a half-breed annoyed Sophie as she got more stares then she had to when she first walked into the academy. She did have to admit, having her locked up in a jail cell was the worst experience she had so far. It brought back ghastly memories, which Sophie didn't vaguely understand. Only thing she kept thinking about as she sat alone in a damp room was how small and confined it made her feel, so much that she would start screaming in the middle of the night and try to escape like a murderous animal. It wasn't her fault; she was purely working on instinct. They even moved her into a white cell, hoping the screaming would stop. It didn't, at first, until she started to calm down. Sophie eventually would push herself into the corner, her knees against her chest as she silently sobbed to herself. After a while they thought everything was alright, until one night. They found her the next morning bleeding on the floor, sending her right to the infirmary. In her sleep, Sophie had cut herself up with her green ring and cut along old wounds, or that's what they had come to assume. The thing that almost killed her was a cut she made into her chest, causing her to faint as she made it deeper. After that she was put into the custody of Grell Sutcliff, not allowed to leave his house but assumed she would calm down if she was in a familiar place.

After a few more weeks and after meeting with the council enough times, they released her, though she was still under constant watch by an elder shinigami. Wherever she went she was followed, annoying her to no end. She had to stay at Grell's place, which didn't bother her at all. Even so, she was too distracted by the overtime they had been giving her to get frustrated about the arrangements. They were giving her so much work that she was unable to meet with Alex and Julia most nights, falling right to sleep when she was done at about midnight. Her day consisted of waking up, going to classes, doing homework, doing overtime, going to the infirmary, and then perhaps meeting with Grell to train if she had the time. Yes, what she had done took the rest of the summer away from her, but she would never say that she **regretted** it. Sophie just wished she could meet with Julia and Fillin and see how they were doing. As to her training with Mr. Shezmu, he would come at odd hours of the night to train her. Sometimes it was a few minutes and other times it was hours. She didn't know how he was able to go to the shinigami realm without being seen as a demon, but at least she was still getting trained by him. Sometimes it was technique and surprise attacks, but other times it was just to talk so she could talk to someone privately without being followed. What annoyed her was even though Grell was her mentor he still had to report back to the council on everything they discussed, but with Mr. Shezmu it was different. He let her be herself and discuss the memories she was regaining, the pain she was beginning to feel, and even why she had cut herself and almost bleed out on the floor. Even though all of that, she wondered how the Undertaker was doing because she hadn't been able to visit him since the incident.

Now the leaves have begun to turn colors and fall to the ground, and by then the problems she had have gone away. The shinigamis stopped following her because they had work to do and they had almost ceased in giving her overtime, seeing that she had learned from her punishment. Grell told her she wasn't being monitored by him, but they wanted to make her stay at his place until they believed she wouldn't hurt herself in the middle of the night. It was back to the same routine from before, though she had to be cautious when she went into the human realm. Sophie wasn't sure if someone was still following her, but she wasn't going to take chances on her being called a traitor. Even if they have been mean to her, she still owed them for saving her in the first place. If they hadn't brought her in to be a shinigami she would have probably died completely and her soul would have left the world.

Then the bell rang, Sophie jumping out of her seat and dashing out of the room. As if on instinct she weaved through the crowd of shinigamis leaving, just avoiding Alex as he jumped out of nowhere to pounce her. "Darn it!" he laughed, getting off of the ground and brushing himself off. "You're getting quicker."

"And you're getting slower," she smirked, still walking at a fast pace so she could get to Grell's office in time. "So what is this surprise attack for?"

"Oh!" Alex laughed to himself, "I almost forgot!" Then he grabbed Sophie's hand, slowing her down as they walked up the stairs. "Okay, so Mr. Shezmu knows that we have been working hard, _especially __**you**_. You know about Halloween, right?"

"Of course I do," Sophie shrugged, "Old All-Hallows-Even. So what about it?"

"Well, if you haven't heard yet, we can dress up during the day! Not only that, but Mr. Shezmu is also hosting a Halloween party, which we are obviously invited to. Though… there is one requirement if we're going to go," Alex said timidly, a smirk on his face.

"Okay what is it?" Sophie grumbled under her breath.

"Well… oh never mind!" he chuckled to himself. "Just go to Mr. Shezmu's house tonight and he'll probably go over the details with you, but he told me to give you this letter to read." Then Alex ran off, rushing down the stairs to make it to his own mentor on time.

Sophie blinked in confusion, looking at the envelope in her hand. It was signed in red ink, or Sophie hoped it was red ink, and it said her name_** Sophia Serbus**_ on the front in fancy calligraphy. On the back it was stamped with Mr. Shezmu's seal, causing Sophie to smirk._ 'Must be official then,' _she sighed to herself, turning the corner to Grell's office. "Hi Grell," she smiled, noticing the paperwork he still had to do.

"Oh hello dear," he said simply, concentrating on finishing his work. "Sorry about this. I asked for some overtime so I can have Halloween night off! You can sit over there and wait for me _if you'd like~_" he giggled, going right back to work.

Sophie nodded, setting her bag down next to her and sitting in a metal red chair the in the corner. She crossed her legs, deciding this was the best time to read the envelope. She used her small scythe to cut the wax, opening the envelope up. The letter inside was a crimson red color, the writing inside written in black and white ink.

'Please join us for an evening of _mystery_ and _enchantment_…

_**The Masquerade Ball of Blood**_

on October 31, 1871

starting under the cover of the night and ending as the sun begins to rise

held at The Marquis Shezmu house, _if you dare_

Invitation and costume with masquerade mask **required** for entry

The owner of this invitation may bring one other guest'

Sophie looked inside to find another letter, this one on white paper. It was written in calligraphy, obviously by Mr. Shezmu's own hand. It was written this time in black ink, letting Sophie let out a sigh of relief.

_Dear Sophia,_

_If you get this letter, it means Alexander has completed the task I sent out for him. I have realized from all the hard work you and Alexander had been doing that it is time for a little break. I would be honored if you and Alexander would come to our Masquerade Ball, which we host every year for Hallowe'en. We invite many different species, so do not be afraid of coming if you think it will be a party only for demons and humans. I will have friends coming in from different lands, so I expect the upmost formalities from the two of you._

_Being said I have a challenge for you. Come by the house after you are done with your studies with Alexander and I will go over the details with you. Julia had selected cards with words on them out of a hat for me to give to the each of you. The cards associating with you should be inside of this envelope. Use the cards to fill in the words to the sentences below:_

_**Your costume will compose of -1- wings and a -1- mask. Your emotion will be -2- for the day. You must act -2- the day of Hallowe'en, but you are free to stop when you are let inside the party.**_

_Julia convinced me to come up with this challenge for the two of you. You will be given your wings when you come by the house today. I hope your cards are good cards. She would not let me read the cards so I do not know what you and Alexander got. It will be a treat to see what you dress up for the ball. _

_Your Mentor, _

_Shezmu_

Sophie let out a sigh, reading the two cards that were slipped inside of the envelope. Sophie frowned, letting out a groan in desperation. "_**Really?**_" she grumbled to herself, slipping the cards back in the envelope. "Now how will I pull **that** off?..." she thought to herself, Grell curiously looking up from his work.

"What's that my dear?" he wondered, Sophie giving him the crimson red letter to read. He read it over, a squeal escaping his lips. "You have an invitation to _this_ party! **You**?"

"Yes," Sophie looked at him as she raised an eyebrow. "Why are you so startled?"

"You _obviously_ don't understand what this invitation is for," he huffed with jealousy. "The Masquerade Ball of Blood is one of the **greatest** parties anyone can be invited to, especially for Death Gods like ourselves. You need an _exclusive _invitation to get in and everyone in checked at the door. I hear the party is simply _di~vine_ if you're invited. I just don't see why a _new~~bie~_ would be invited."

"So this is _ex~clusive_?" Sophie chuckled to herself, sitting back in her seat in thought. "I never knew that…" A sly smirk appeared on her lips, "Well you can come if you want."

"Oh really?" Grell exploded, jumping out of his seat and almost knocking over the stack of papers he had on his table.

"Grell!" Sophie gasped, grabbing a few of the papers before they fell to the floor.

"Sorry dear," he apologized, picking up the papers that fell on the floor, "but _really~?_ You're not toying with me, are you?"

Sophie set the papers down and looked over at him, noting a deep serious look on his face. "Yes Grell," she chuckled, grabbing the rest of the papers from the ground and putting them back on his desk. "Since you're my mentor and you obviously want to go, why not?" she shrugged, gasping as Grell flung his arms around her.

"Thank you!" he laughed, squeezing Sophie tightly.

"Grell…" she coughed, "What did we say about the _**tight**_ _hugs_?"

"Sorry," he said, letting go of her slightly, still having her in his embrace, "but I'm so excited! What will I wear? How should I dress?"

She chuckled, pushing away from him, "Don't worry, we'll go shopping over the weekend. Besides I know a friend of mine will want to go shopping for costumes with me, so let's just do it together."

"Oh this is amazing!" he said, wrapping his arms around himself. "Though I **do** wonder, why not invite someone else? Don't you have a little _**crush**_ you want to spend the _night with~~?_"

Sophie looked at him confused, "Well… I don't think highly of my classmates, so why would I invite one of them?"

"Not that," he said in a whisper, "but… that kid dear _Will~iam_ is apprenticing."

"You mean Alex?" her eyes went wide, before she started having a laughing fit. "Him? No! He's just a friend. Besides, I know he has an invitation too."

"I see…" Grell said, scratching the bottom of his chin in thought. Sophie stared at him confused, not liking the look on his face. "_Oh young love_," he sighed, "Then who will _Alex~_ invite?"

"I don't know," Sophie shrugged, "everyone **I** know is invited already… and don't give that accent in Alex's name. That's creepy," she shuddered. "Isn't there someone _you_ want to invite?"

"Me?" Grell asked, pondering over the thought. "Well… oh you newbie wouldn't understand."

Sophie smirked, "I think I would. Who is he?" She stood up higher on her tipple toes to be close to Grell's height, seeing that he was very tall for any normal reaper. "Spill it, _please~~?_" she tilted her head, batting her eyes in a puppy-like fashion.

Grell bit down on his lip, quickly giving in. "William," he said quietly in embarrassment.

"Oh," Sophie chuckled, taking the invitation from the table and putting it back in the envelope.

"Oh? Oh!" Grell practically yelled.

"It's not like no one knows _Gre~ll~~_" she smirked, putting the envelope in her bag. Then she directed her attention back to Grell, an all knowing look on her face, "I know _perfectly_ well from the moment I met you. It just took you longer for **you** to admit it." Then she chuckled, "If you want him to come, then Alex can invite him. Simple as that… though we'll have to keep this from him so he has an awful scare when he arrives."

"But I doubt you can get Will~ to go," Grell sighed, slumping down in his chair.

"Oh trust me," Sophie smirked, "I have my ways. Plus remember Alex is his apprentice. He will probably come up with a way to get him to come. Don't worry about it," she smiled happily, causing Grell to smile back.

"I suppose…" Grell sighed, "but what am I going to wear!" Sophie let out a laugh, wiping a tear from her eyes as Grell jumped around the cubical, causing heads to turn over to them and roll of the eyes when they noticed where the yelling had been coming from.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, staring at herself in the mirror. "I-I'm not sure about this Julia," she frowned, looking over her costume yet again.

Julia giggled, "Don't worry about it!" she smiled, swinging around in her own costume. "I think it looks beautiful on you. I like that black rose clip you have. It makes a nice touch." Sophie cracked a smile, still evaluating the outfit. "Now let me help you into the corset!" she giggled, helping Sophie slip on her costume. It was about 4:45am in the morning, the sky still dark. Julia convinced Sophie to have a sleepover with her so they could help each other with their outfits. While Julia's outfit was simple, Sophie's costume seemed awfully complicated. She had a black corset with a dark crimson color added in the color, the **only** corset Sophie was going to invest in and the most expensive of her purchases. They had raided the fabric that the shinigamis kept for their suits, which to this day Sophie still didn't understand why they have all the different types, and with the help of Grell they made costumes out of the fabric. Grell made himself his own dress, which slightly horrified Sophie that he'd wear a dress but then again it was Halloween, and he helped with picking out fabric for Sophie and Julia.

The fabric Sophie picked out was a soft black fabric for a skirt that was underneath the corset and was lengthened to flow down freely and rested slightly above her ankles. She had gotten crimson lace fabric and used it beneath the black fabric, which was seen from a slit Grell made her cut that led up to about her knees so she wouldn't stumble in her heals. Sophie was rather proud with the choice of fabric, for the skirt would flow and didn't pouf out to make her feel uncomfortable, unlike the style at the time where the dresses were poufy and too big on the wearer. She wore black high heels that looked like sandals and thus showed off her feet. She had a black choker around her neck that had a silver skull hanging in front of the choker, accentuating her neck and shoulders; for the corset pushed up her breasts and she had no shoulder covering. She had long black laced gloves, reaching up past her elbows slightly. She wore her hair down, her auburn hair combed and waved more than usual. She had the black rose clip in her hair on the right side of her face, pulling back some of her bangs from her eyes. The bangs on the left side of her face flowed in front of her eyes slightly, giving a mysterious look to her face. She had painted her nails black with one coat of crimson red on top; both her fingers and feet had been painted. She had earrings hanging from her ears, silver with crimson red incrusted jewels she borrowed from Julia. Lastly she had her green ring off of its chain and on her finger, resting on the opposite finger of her ring finger on her right hand. It fit perfectly like a glove, the green in her ring and the blue/green in her eyes giving the wearer a mysterious look to them with the blacks and reds.

Sophie turned around once Julia had helped her into her black corset and helped Julia into her own costume. Julia's costume contrasted Sophie's, as it shied away from the gothic colors Sophie had and going with light forest greens and blues to fit the color of her hair. They used the colors light green and forest green for her dress; the dress lengthened down to her ankles like Sophie's did. She straps on her dress went over her shoulders, the dress staying together with the skull belt she always wore. They added light green lace fabric to accentuate her dress, cutting the bottoms of her dress to make it look like it had been tethered. She wore white/silver high heeled shoes, designed in the same style Sophie's was. She had painted her nails with a combination of hazel and forest green, the green added at the top of her nails in a French manicure type fashion, which she had painted on both her hands and feet. She added some silver jewelry on her neck and her ears, the gemstones being the color of green. Sophie sat down on the bed with Julia in front of her on the bed. Sophie took Julia's long forest green hair and began to braid it, adding bits of flowers and leaves in her hair. The colors were mostly yellow and orange, adding a few colorful flowers they had found along their walk yesterday to put in her hair. At the end of the braid Sophie tied it with a hazel colored hair tie, adding a hazel ribbon in a cute little bow. The ribbon matched the other bowed ribbons they had added to her outfit at the ends of her dress and ties on her shoulders, which kept her dress in place.

Julia giggled with glee, spinning around in her outfit and putting on the flower crown, which Sophie helped her make. Sophie sat down at her mirror, quickly putting on makeup. "What time is it Julia?" she asked, adding foundation to her skin.

"5:20am," Julia said with a giggle, before sitting down on her bed and watched as Sophie applied makeup to her face.

"Good," Sophie chuckled, "I have forty minutes till classes start. Though I can't believe you're making me act so horribly…" she grumbled to herself.

Julia giggled, "I _knew_ you would say that. I was hoping to draw the word_ 'cute' _for you, but it didn't work out like that."

Sophie sighed, putting her attention back to her makeup. She added a light red to her eyes, putting it on her eye lids and right below her eye, rubbing the color out beyond her eyelid and slightly toward her eyebrow. Then on the outer of her eyes she added a slight hint of black eye shadow, brushing it into her eyes and combining it with the read. Then she added black liquid eyeliner to increase the shape of her eyes, causing her eyes to pop out from behind her makeup. Then she added black mascara, her eyelashes becoming surprisingly long. Then she added a mocha color to her cheeks and red lips to her mouth. Then Sophie sighed, standing up and grabbing the wings Julia had for her. They were black feathered wings, big enough to be seen as she walked but small enough to not fan out from her body too far and cause a nuisance as she moved around. "So what am I supposed to be?" Sophie asked, looking at her whole outfit in the mirror and spinning around in her costume.

"Just whatever," Julia giggled, "just as long as you have the black wings, which reminds me that I have the three masks for you. They are on the table over there."

"Thanks," Sophie said, grabbing the three masks and putting them in her messenger bag. "So what do you mean, _'Whoever displays their emotion the best will get a prize'_? What's the prize? How will you even know who was displaying their emotion the best today?"

"Oh we'll know," Julia giggled, jumping up and down with glee, "Don't worry about it." Then Sophie summoned a black cape out of a black haze and wrapped it around her body, and soon after grabbing her glasses out of her bag and putting them on her eyes. Julia looked at her strangely, wondering what she was going. "What are you doing?"

Sophie chuckled, putting the cape over the front of her face so it was barely visible. She wrapped the cape tightly around her, her messenger bag slung over her shoulder just beneath the cape. "Well if I'm going to show off that emotion you're making me do, then I'm going to have to bring out an element of _surprise _to my audience, now won't I?" Then she looked at her watch, "It's about time I get going _dearest~_" she blew a kiss in Julia's direction, Julia quickly giggling.

"Oh wow," she giggled, "I wasn't expecting that."

Sophie smirked slyly, "Why do you think I went for this corset design for my costume, to show off my natural curves, of course." Then she gave her a wink, "I'll see you at the party Julia."

"Okay," she said, following Sophie out of her room and down the hallway, "I'll see you there!" she waved to Sophie, who disappeared into the rising sun.

)(*&^%$#!

Alex let out a sigh, standing in the hallways in his costume. He was wearing a completely white outfit: white socks, white shoes, white suit pants, a white shirt, a white suit and tie, white gloves, and white feathered wings on his back, which looked exactly like Sophie's wings except them were white and not black. He grumbled, running his hands through his cleaned hair, hating what he had become. "I can't believe I'm wearing this," he groaned to a male shinigami whom he was talking to, "I look like an angel version of William for pete's sake!"

"That's what happens when you hang around the man all day, I guess," the other shinigami shrugged. "Well it's about time I head to class."

"Okay," Alex sighed, about to walk with him to their classroom, until the doors flew open. Light from the sun shined into the hallway, blinding all the students walking in the hallway and shielding their eyes from the sudden amount of light. Then the doors closed, revealing a person wrapped in a black cloak, hiding their eyes.

The shinigami began walking down the hall, their heels clanking loudly down the hall. All at the same time, black nails grabbed the cloak and thick glasses, throwing them off of their body. The waves in their auburn hair flew with the motion of the cloak, the black cloak and glasses disappearing into a black haze. Their outfit was revealed, her black wings seeming to the flapping along with her movements. Sophie brushed her hair away from her face dramatically, memorizing the shinigamis in the hallway. She looked over at a group of students, blowing them a kiss and giving them a wink, her one-iris blue/green eyes catching their own eyes, the yellow tint in her eyes swirling around and causing some to gasp in wonder and causing others to faint. Then she noticed Alex, and she walked over to him with her hips swaying back and forth. "_Hey Alex~ander~~_" she smiled, getting rather close to him.

"W-oh," was what escaped his lips, Alex still in a slight state of shock. Then he restrained himself, standing up tall and adjusting a pair of thin silver glasses on his nose. "Hello Sophia," he huffed, his voice very plain with no life hidden in them.

"Oh what's the matter _Alex~ander_?" she asked. "_Am I fright~ening~ you~~?_" Sophie smirked, rubbing her black gloves against his chest, rubbing up and down them suggestively.

"Not at all," he twitched, annoyed with her actions. "I'm guessing you were at Julia's house last night?"

"Oh what does that matter?" she smiled, "_Are you jeal~ous~~?_"

He coughed, "No," he turned away, looking over to the male shinigami for help.

"By the way," Sophie began, walking her fingers up his chest. "I plan on winning, so don't expect me to back down, _okay?_" she smirked, poking him in the nose, giggling when he rubbed it irritated. Then she pulled out a white mask, the front was rimmed with silver colors and shimmered slightly in the light. "_See you later~_" she said as she handed the mask to him and blew him a kiss, casually walking down the hall and mentally knowing she was scaring him.

"Come on," he huffed; noticing the strange look his fellow peer was giving him. "What?"

"What does she mean winning?" he asked, causing Alex to cough slightly.

"It's nothing," he said, pushing his glasses up as he straightened up, "just a competition." The shinigami just looked at him confused, as Alex rushed quickly to his next class.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie walked into Grell's cubical, jumping onto his desk and swinging her legs around, causing him to jolt back startled. "S-sophia?" he gasped, before a chuckle escaped his lips, "What are you doing?"

"Oh _nothing~_" she said simply, paying around with a cup holder of pens. "It's just about time we should head out. _Are you ready~?_" she smirked, her blue/green and yellow eyes staring deeply into his own green shinigami eyes, causing him to flinch slightly with her allure.

"If you can kindly get off of my desk and sit over there," he sighed, "I'll be only a minute." Sophie frowned, sliding off of his desk and walking over to the red chair she usually sat at, setting her messenger bag down. Grell watched her out of the corner of his eye, noticing that she was blowing kisses as other shinigamis walked by and simply flirting with anyone that came by. "May I ask where you learned such display?" he couldn't help but ask, never seeing this behavior from Sophie before.

She turned around in her chair and slanted her legs to the side and leaning in closer to Grell, giving him her undivided attention. "On my own," she smiled happily, "_and __**you~**_" she quickly followed up, giving him a wink and a giggle right after. "I'm just acting, like you've taught me to do. Besides, it's been a _fun~ day_. I think everyone was stunned at my appearance and a few students and a teacher fainted from shock. A few teachers asked me to put my glasses on, but I just said that it _wasn't part of my costume_. _Oh I __**love**__ Halloween!_" she giggled happily into her hand again.

He giggled with her, writing his signature on a form and putting it off to the side, "Sounds like you're having a good day."

"Yep!" she smiled happily, rubbing her eyes, though she was careful to not rub out the makeup on her face. "My eyes are getting tired though. Having to keep up the green and yellow in my eyes is giving me a _horrid_ headache."

Grell chuckled, "Then why don't you turn your eyes back to how they are normally?"

"Because then I won't be as _all~uring_ as I am now," she giggled, swinging her legs to and fro. "So why aren't you wearing a costume?"

"My boss won't let me wear my costume because it's _unprofessional_," he grumbled.

Sophie smiled, "Well then you'll be **that** much more _appealing_ when we show up at the party."

He chuckled back, "Alright. Thanks Sophie." She gave him a nod and leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms and falling into a deep sleep. Having to stay up because of her sleeping over with Julia and helping decorate the house exhausted her, though she wore a content smile on her face as she dreamt. Then she felt a little nudge on her arm, seeing Grell's face leaning close to hers with his sharp teeth smiling at her. "_Kawaii~ You're so cute~~!_" he giggled, causing her to let out a sigh.

"So you're ready?" she asked, letting out a yawn and stretching.

"Yep!" Grell said in triumph. "Just in time too. The sun is beginning to go down."

"Oh good," she giggled, jumping out of the chair and grabbing her bag, "let's get going then. Julia won't want me _late~_" Her comment earned her a chuckle from Grell, which Sophie returned with a giggle. Then they walked down the hall, heading to the room of fabric where Grell hid his outfit.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Didn't I say you would have _fun~_ in that dress?" Sophie said with a sly smirk on her face, as Grell flipped open his black Spanish fan and twirled around in his dress. Grell wore a Spanish style crimson red dress, having black frills added around his dress to accentuate certain parts of his body. Their dresses were identical in color, but Grell had more red in his dress, which made him stand out as the fiery reaper he naturally was. Sophie had helped him put his hair up, curling his hair and putting it up in a messy bun, adding a red rose on his bun that was slightly darker then his hair for contrast. Unlike Sophie's gloves that you can see her painted nails, Grell had long black gloves on that covered his hands, though he did paint his hands and toes red to match. He wore stiletto red heels, which Sophie wondered how he could walk around in them so easily.

"I wasn't expecting this! So many people looking over at me, oh it's like a _dream~~_" he sighed, spinning around in his costume.

"Don't forget your mask," she smiled, Grell quickly putting it on as they walked up the steps.

"I know!" he shrieked, giggling happily along with Sophie as she just plain out laughed. The mask Grell had was red, which had a small red wooden stick for him to hold over his face. He still kept his red glasses on though, Sophie knowing he wouldn't be able to see without them. The mask had a long red feather attached to the top with a black design on the front.

Sophie smiled, putting her mask in front of her face. Her mask was black with a crimson red design added on the front. She had it on a black stick, making it easier for her to hold. It was a simple mask; showing off the color of her eyes as she saw threw them. She didn't need a lot added to the mask, since she already had black wings that caused people to look over in interest. They stood in front of Albert, who was looking at a list of names of the people who were invited. "Name?"

"Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus."

He chuckled, "I know that," he smiled at her, his red demon eyes looking through his black mask. "You brought a guest?"

"Grell Sutcliff, my mentor at the academy," she smiled happily. "Grell, this is Albert. He's the head butler here at the Shezmu residence."

"It's a pleasure to meet you, _Miss Grell_," he said with a blow.

"Oh the pleasure is _**all**_ mine," he giggled happily that he called him a she. "I'm a man though."

"I already know that," he gave him a wink, causing him to flip his fan open and fan his blushing face. "Have a good time Sophia. Julia is waiting for you somewhere."

"She is?" she asked, "Why?"

"She needs help… well she'll tell you," he chuckled, ushering them into the house and halting the next group that was waiting outside.

Once Sophie was announced in with Grell and walked into the room, she let out an exhausted sigh. "Finally!" she huffed, letting out a yawn.

"Finally what?" Grell asked curiously, gasping in awe slightly at the large room.

"I don't have to ask _all~uring~~_ anymore!" she giggled happily. "It's fun, but it's not me! Come on Grell. I think I need to go and talk to Mr. Shezmu and tell him I'm here."

He nodded in understanding, following closely behind Sophie as she walked through the crowd of people, seeming to know where Mr. Shezmu was. Sure enough he was standing next to a door watching the festivities, noticing Sophie as she hustled past the crowd with Grell behind her. "Sophia!" he smiled, Sophie smiling back as she came to a halt in front of him.

"Hello Mr. Shezmu," she curtsied, Grell following in pursuit.

He chuckled "You didn't have to –"

"I know I didn't have to be proper," she smiled sweetly, "but didn't you say that you _expect the upmost formalities~?_ Well there you go," she giggled.

Shezmu smirked, Grell deciding to butt into the conversation. "Don't mind me being rude, but what relationship you have with my little apprentice?" he huffed slightly.

"Who is this Sophia?" Shezmu asked her, not really paying attention to his question.

"Mister Grell Sutcliff, my mentor at the academy," she smiled to him. "And Grell," she said, causing him to look back over at her, "This is Mister Shezmu. He is my mentor too."

"Wha?" he gasped, "You are with another man! Sophia how **could** you?"

Sophie giggled with his outburst, Mr. Shezmu chuckling along with her. "Hello _Miss Sutcliff_," he smirked, kissing his hand. Grell blushed, looking slightly away from his face, "I'm glad you're been treating my student well. You get the upmost praise from her."

"I-I do?" Grell blushed, "Well thank you," he giggled.

Then Mr. Shezmu let go of his hand, looking back between the two of them. "Have fun," he smiled, "and also don't forget that there's tricks and traps all over the hallways of the house."

"Oh did you add in the guillotine I suggested!" she gasped.

"Of course," he chuckled, "and the wine press. Go ahead and grab some wine if you want."

Sophie smirked at him, "I'm not sure if I want to drink **that** wine, but thank you for the offer. I'll think about it." Then they bowed to each other, Sophie and Grell walking off across the room.

Sophie looked around the room, taking in the bulk of the room. It was a rather massive ballroom, the room walls painted a light gray with the tiles on the floor having red and black colors, making exquisite designs. The room has been lit low; the only lights around the room were by candlelight. Everyone there was dressed up and it was hard to tell who was human and who wasn't. Sophie did notice a few humans, but the room was mostly composed of supernatural beings. She looked around, looking for Julia's costume. She let out a sigh, not really noticing her. She looked over to Grell, whom she could tell was enormously excited. "Hey Grell," she began to say, causing Grell to look over, "Unless you want to hang out with anyone, I'm going to go find Julia now."

"Alright Sophie," he chuckled, "and I'll come with! I don't you getting into a lot of trouble."

"But Grell," she smirked, "that's what I do best," she gave him a wink, causing him to giggle.

"Okay my dear. Lead the way," he ushered her, Sophie giving him a nod as they left the room.

They started to walk down the corridors, Sophie evading anything that may trigger a trap. They turned a corner, almost running into Julia, "Sophie!" she yelled, swinging her arms tightly around her.

"Hey look what I found," she chuckled back, hugging her just as tightly. "… okay you can let go now," Sophie grunted, coughing slightly before turning back to her. "So Albert told me you needed my help?"

"Oh yes!" she chuckled, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her down the hallways. Grell walked behind them, careful to not trigger a trap. "I need help with my makeup!" she pretended to cry softly, Sophie causally rolling her eyes. "And perhaps I'll fix up my hair… oh I don't know!"

"Now calm down," she chuckled, "I'll help you." Then Sophie turned around to Grell, "Hey Grell, do you want to help Julia with her makeup while I do her hair?"

Grell let out a gasp, jolting towards them and grabbing Sophie in a hug. "Of course I will!"

"Yyyes!" Julia giggled, grabbing Sophie in a hug too.

Sophie gasped, the air in her lungs quickly leaving her. "Okay, okay," she sighed, the two of them slightly letting go. "Let's head to your room now." Julia nodded, taking Grell and Sophie's hand and pulling them up the stairs and towards her room.

!#$%^&*()

Okay, let's do this!" Julia giggled, walking down the hallway and back towards the ballroom. Because Sophie had helped her with setting up a few of the traps and triggers, she knew where they were in the main parts of the house. This time they were taking a longer route, a route that would take them through an extremely hazardous part of the house. Julia took off running, pausing before she turned a corner. "Well this is it. Hopefully we won't _die~_ or something," she giggled, taking off past the corner.

Just as Julia made a turn, she ran onto a trigger and set off a trap. She began to fall through a hole in the floor, Julia letting out a gasp of surprise. Sophie gasped, running towards her and grabbing her hand before she fell through. "I got you," she said with a strain in her voice. Then she pulled her out, Grell just coming around the corner and noticing what happened. "Let's just do this slowly, okay?" she gasped, rubbing her eyes and helping Julia up. She nodded in response, moving closer to Sophie as they walked along.

They had walked on for a while, coming close to the ballroom. Sophie grumbled to herself, getting fed up with the way they were walking. "Okay I've had it," she said, "I'm running it!"

Julia looked over at her, a smirk coming to her face, "Finally! Okay let's go!" Then they took off in a dash, running right into a string of arrows flying past them. Julia dropped down to the floor, covering her hands with her face as she slid across the floor. Sophie did differently, jumping through the air and evading the arrows flying by, almost getting cut up in the face. Grell quickly followed after that, taking out his scythe to stop the arrows from hitting his beautiful face and costume. Then they stopped, right at a corner, and Sophie and Julia began to laugh hysterically from the excitement.

"Oh boy this is fun!" Julia giggled, grabbing Grell by the hand as he made it over. Sophie chuckled, just as they heard a rumbling sound. They looked over to see a door closing, their only way out. "Come on!" she yelped, gripping Grell's hand tightly and pulling her along with him.

Sophie followed behind them, jumping over a trap door that was triggered by them. They almost made it to the trap door when a guillotine was triggered, falling directly for Julia. Sophie growled, running as fast as she could towards them. A black haze appeared in her hand and she summoned her long scythe, stopping the guillotine just as Julia dropped to the floor in fright. The three of them stood silent in shock, Sophie letting out a gasp. "Stop that door!" Sophie yelled to Grell, Grell giving her a nod and stopping the door with his scythe. Julia let herself up and Sophie passed by the guillotine, letting go and letting the blade fall all the way through the floorboard. Grell held the door open for them, quickly jumping through as the doors slammed shut. They all let out large breaths as they looked around the dark room, but their rest was cut short when they heard pendulums starting to swing back and forth, the ends sharp to the touch. They went slowly, weaving and dodging past the pendulums.

They ran through the door, coming back into the ballroom. Sophie and Julia looked at each other, Sophie looking tired and leaning on her scythe. Then they began laughing, high-fiving each other. "Oh my god let's do it again!"

"Yeah!" Sophie laughed along with her, still leaning against your scythe. "Just don't get chopped up by a guillotine!"

Sophie looked over at Grell, who looked as if he was going to start yelling at her. "What's that scythe? That's not a confidential death scythe! You're going to get in trou –"

Sophie put a finger on his mouth, silencing him. "Don't give me that look," she frowned, noticing how angry his green eyes looked. "It's not really a scythe… in your terms, I guess," she shrugged. "It's something that I made out of this black haze stuff I can create."

"Black haze?" he asked, Sophie standing for a second. She concentrated on her hand, a ball of black haze growing in the palm on her hand. It drifted around Grell, freaking out Grell as he tried to move away. "Eeek! Get it away!"

Sophie smirked, the haze disappearing in a second. She let out a sigh, leaning against her scythe bored as he directed his mind back to the situation at hand. "Now what do you expect me to do?" she asked, "Call it a _black~ haze~?_ _Black~ au~ra of __**death~~**_, I suppose? I just made it up. It's not like it's a death scythe. Not made by the superiors. I can't really register this… stuff," she sighed, moving some of it through her fingers.

"Sophia," she heard her name called, turning around to see Mr. Shezmu looking at her sternly, and his gray eyes coming into contact with her blue/green with yellow tinted eyes. "What are you doing?"

"I was showing Grell my power," she sighed, "I had been found out." Sophie shrugged, letting the scythe disappear from her fingertips.

"Sophie saved me" Julia said, defending Sophie, "with her scythe. I know you told her and Alex to not show off their true potential, but it was an emergency."

"Yeah," she sighed, "sorry…" she mumbled to herself, scratching the back of her head.

Mr. Shezmu began to chuckle and then laugh out loud. They looked at him wide-eyed as he wiped a tear from his eye. "You're just going to have more _overtime_, aren't you?"

"Yes," she frowned, having learned to hate the word. "Oh geeze, don't tease me," she pouted.

He laughed, ruffling up her hair, "You scoundrels. Go and run along now." Then he left, leaving a confused Grell next to them.

"What do you want me to do Grell?" she sighed.

He thought to himself, before saying something, "I don't think there's much I can do," he shrugged. "I'll take your word on this, but don't complain if you run into problems."

She smiled happily, looking back over at Julia. She was looking towards the door and Sophie turned her attention to the door, which made Grell look over with curiosity too. There was Alex and William, standing at the door and being talked to by Albert. He didn't seem to be letting them in, mostly because of Alex's grim attitude. He looked into the room, seeing Julia waving and Sophie smirking at him deviously, sticking her tongue at him. "They're not letting my _poor Will~iam_ in," Grell pouted.

"Albert is just giving him a hard time," Julia smirked, getting a giggle from Sophie. "Hey let's go do something now."

"Yeah," Sophie responded. "You can wait for _Will~iam~_ to come in. I'll just be around."

"Okay," Grell said, Sophie giving him a wink as she followed Julia out of the ballroom.

!#$%^&*()

A black hand gripped a coffin lid, paralyzing a couple. The hand retreated back into the coffin suddenly, the silence causing the woman to shiver in fright. Then a person popped out, holding a knife towards them, "Boo," was all the person had to say to get the couple to scream and run towards the ballroom. Sophie laughed, jumping out of the coffin. Julia high-fived Sophie and the two of them noticed Alex finally making his way there. "Finally his _fluffiness_ has arrived," Sophie smirked, causing a grumble to come from Alex's lips. "Oh what's the matter? Still grumpy?"

"Knock it off," he grumbled, sitting on top of the coffin in defeat. Sophie and Julia looked at each other, till they started laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You're just so grim still~!" Julia giggled, causing him to sigh. "Oh don't be like that. It's over, so have some fun!"

"Alright," he said, cracking a smile as he jumped off of the lid. "So who won and what's the prize?"

"Prize?" Julia thought. "Well… the winner is Sophie and the prize is a bottle of red wine and perfume."

"Sophie?" Alex grumbled, "Why? It's never me, is it?"

"Don't be so jealous," Sophie rolled her eyes. "Just give him the prize Julia. He's so _prideful~_" she snickered, causing him to narrow his single-iris green eyes at her.

"I don't need it," he grumbled to himself, causing Julia to snicker.

"It's okay. You **both** won! It was a bit hard to decide on the winner though. Besides," she shrugged, "who cares who won! As long as you had fun, right?"

"Yep," Sophie giggled, and then she rubbed at her eyes. "Well I'm obviously tired," she sighed, closing her eyes tightly. When she opened them again they were crystal blue, a yellow tint swirling in her eyes. "Well I'll take the perfume then. Alex can that the wine and we all win!" Julia cheered; grabbing Alex and Sophie's hands and pulling her to the room were their prizes were. Oddly enough, it was in the dining room. She picked up the bottle of perfume, Sophie sniffing its fragrance. "So yummy," she sighed, putting it in her pocket for later.

Alex popped open the wine bottle, seeing that the date on it was 1683. "This could be expensive…" he thought as he found three wine glasses.

"Oh yes," Julia shrugged, "but whatever. We have a lot of those, so help yourself! It's a very tasty wine if you ferment it for a while."

Alex poured the wine into the three glasses, the three of them picking them up. "To us," he said, holding up his wine glass to us, "that we stay by each other till the bitter end."

"To us!" Julia and Sophie said, clanking their glasses together and drinking some of it down.

"You know," Sophie began, tasting the wine skillfully, "this would go well with some cheese and grapes. Maybe some olive oil and bread." She sighed to herself, trying to recall where she had something like that before.

"Well let's go back to the ballroom and finish the bottle there!" Julia smiled, Alex corking the wine as they head back.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat down on a couch in the ballroom, setting her plate of food beside her on a table and getting comfortable. She grabbed a piece of cheese, chewing it in her mouth as she drank some of the wine. She sighed happily, loving the sensational taste in her mouth. Alex and Julia soon sat down around the couches, eating their food as they drank down the red wine. The couches were rearranged in a small circle, so if anyone wanted to sit down they could join in conversation. The couches were made in a way that you had to lay on your stomach, which was fine by Sophie because this arrangement still seemed familiar to her. "This is **really** good," Julia sighed, admiring the taste in her mouth. "Say Sophie, how did you know that those products would go great together?"

"I don't know," she shrugged, eating some more cheese and wine. "Just something I picked up, I guess." Then she sighed, setting her head down on the edge of the couch. "I think it's a Mediterranean style of eating food. Either Greek or Roman… I don't remember…"

"Well either way this is great!" Julia said with a smile plastered on her face, "I would have never thought of eating this together."

Sophie nodded, closing her eyes and dropping grapes into her mouth. She wore a content expression on her face, finally happy that she could relax after all this time she was a shinigami. Sure, she had moments of rest, but just hanging out and enjoying each other's company and _relaxing_, well that hadn't happened since she woke up and lost her memories. Which made her realized: how much longer will it take her to regain her memories? She hoped it wouldn't be too long because she had an unnerving feeling that she'll need to know about herself soon. She felt something gently jump down on her stomach, causing her to open her eyes and come into contact with a small wolf cub with light blonde hair and gray hair. "Hello Fillin…" she smiled, the wolf whimpering as he jumped down from her stomach so she could sit up slightly.

"Hello Sophie!" he giggled, turning into a human. He was wearing typical clothes any noble boy would wear, except for the necklace around his neck. In the center was a violet feather with small sharp teeth on either side of the feather, and all of this was attached by a long leather string, which settled neatly on his chest. He put his mask on his face, letting out a yawn. "I saw you sleeping and I was going to join you."

"Hey I wasn't sleeping," she said, putting her hands up in defense, "I was just resting my eyes –"

"Yeah _sure~_" he rolled his eyes, before letting out a giggle.

"Hey do you want some wine or something?" Alex asked, pouring out a glass for Fillin.

"Oh no!" he said, putting his hands up in defense, "I'm okay –"

"But we would like some," Sophie heard behind her, looking up to see two demons walking over.

Fillin grumbled to himself, one of them looking over at him and rustling up his hair. "I thought I told you to leave me _**alone**_," he groused at them, "besides father is here too. Why do I need _babysitters?_"

"Because your father is busy and knew you would wander off," one of them sighed, scratching his nose. "So are we getting that wine?"

"Not until you tell us who you are," Alex said rather gruffly, glaring at them as the one standing farther back backed up slightly.

"My name is Bardulf and this is my little brother Ralph. We are part of the Liulfr pack, and have been with them for several decades now. We are in charge of watching Fillin now, since Adolf left –"

"They were at the competition Sophie," Fillin said, grabbing a grape, which Sophie handed to him.

He popped it in his mouth, Sophie deciding to eat some of the bread that she had on her plate. "You were in the competition?" Bardulf asked, scratching the bottom of his chin.

"Yes I was," she shrugged, "and we had obviously won, right Alex?"

"That's right," he said, sipping some of the red wine.

Ralph gasped, realizing who she was, "So you're the shinigami that had those menacing blue/green and yellow eyes. I'm _soooooo_ sorry for scratching you!"

He whimpered, looking up confused when Sophie started chuckling. "So it was you? I didn't know you knew Fillin." Then she sighed, rubbing her left arm. Ralph bit down on his bottom lip in shame, before she looked up at him with a smile on his face. "Don't worry about it Ralph," she chuckled to herself, "It's healed up now. It's like it _never_ happened." He let out a sigh of relief, still having a worried look on his face. "Oh!" she realized, "I have something for the two of you then, Julia you too. I almost forgot to give you these. Just hold out your hand, alright?" they nodded, giving her a confused look.

Sophie concentrated, a black haze appearing from the ground and swirling around the three demons' hand. They looked down, seeing the feather they had lost during the competition. Bardulf and Ralph were given green feathers and Julia was given a yellow feather. Fillin giggled, looking at the feather in Bardulf's hand. "You have to find a place to put it now!" he laughed, leaning against Sophie with a smile on his face.

Alex looked over at Sophie, before taking out two glasses and filling them with red wine. "Try this. It was made in 1683 and is awfully tasty."

Bardulf nodded, grabbing the two glasses and handing one of them to Ralph. Fillin giggled, noticing that Sophie had finished off her cup and ate her fill of the food on her plate. "Well if you'll excuse me," she yawned, "I'm going back to sleep." Then she laid back down, shifting so her face was facing towards the table.

Fillin turned back into a wolf and laid down next to Sophie's arm, cuddling into her chest and falling asleep with her. Bardulf and Ralph sat down at the end of the couch, where Sophie's feet was. Sophie put a hand on Fillin's necklace, rubbing his hair gently as they started falling asleep. Julia couldn't help but let out an_** 'awe'**_, close to running over there and embracing them. "_So cute~~!_" she giggled.

Sophie grumbled, "I'm trying to sleep you know." She continued to giggle, Sophie just ignoring her as she fell right to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

She felt a gentle poke on her side, Sophie letting out a groan in protest as she slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times, her crystal blue eyes adjusting to the light, and gasping as she noticed the two demons that were waking her up. "Oh hello, Byrne and Merletta. It's been a while."

"Yes it is," Merletta giggled, playing around with the wings Sophie had on her back. "I didn't know you turned into a raven while we were gone."

"Oh I need to give you guys something," she sighed, picking up the sleeping Fillin as she sat up on the couch. She laid him down on her lap, getting an _**'awe'**_ face from Merletta. "Hold out your hands for me," she said, Byrne and Merletta looking at her confused as they complied. Sophie summoned the black haze, the haze circling around their hand. Then blue feathers were placed in their hand, Merletta's eyes beaming with joy.

"Wow!" she gasped, grabbing Sophie in a tight hug.

"C-choking," Sophie coughed, "not breathing."

"Oh _sorry_," she giggled nervously, completely letting her go, "but thank you. Right Byrne?"

He chuckled, putting the blue feather in his pocket, "That's right. Thank you."

"You're welcome," Sophie smiled, feeling Fillin shift around on her lap. She smiled, setting him down on Ralph and stretching. "Well this has been fun, but I should probably be a little bit social with everyone else. I **think** that's where Alex and Julia wandered off to."

"I _think_ that's what they said," Ralph said with a shrug, "I'm not exactly sure."

She nodded, getting up and looking at Byrne and Merletta. "Why don't you sit and talk to Bardulf and Ralph? They were in the competition too."

"Alright," Byrne said, letting Merletta sit down as he went to get them some refreshments.

Sophie let out a sigh, looking around the room and wondering what to do. She walked amongst the gathering looking for Alex or Julia, even Grell or William really. She didn't know if there were other shinigamis there, but if there was then she didn't recognize them. "Sophia," she heard her name called, walking over to Mr. Shezmu. He was talking to a few people, Sophie noticing they looked very noble in their outfits. "This here is one of my apprentices, Sophia Serbus. Sophia, this is the family of Teutas, a good friend of mine."

"Greetings," she said, giving them all a bow.

"Miss Serbus," the eldest man said, giving her a bow and kissing her hand. She smiled at him, noticing his solid light blue eyes. "If you don't mind me saying, but you have the most gorgeous blue and green eyes I've seen."

"Oh," she blushed, "t-thank you," she smiled at him, as he let go of her hand and straightened himself up.

"Does she know any Irish?" he asked Mr. Shezmu, causing Sophie to smirk.

"Cén fáth nach tú iarraidh orm féin?" she said, causing him to look back over to her in a slight state of shock.

"So you know Irish?" he smirked, "When did you learn it?"

"Well…" Sophie thought to herself, "Greek and ancient Greek was my second language. Latin was my third language. Though… I guess I learned it because English was my first language. I don't know. I don't really remember where I learned it," she sighed to herself.

"You know ancient Gaelic?" he asked, switching from Irish to Gaelic.

"Si," she smiled. "Ancient languages come easy for me. Once you get the basics, anything can be an easy language. Then you can learn the modern languages just as easily!" she giggled quietly to herself. "Though everyone understands Irish, but Gaelic is a nice language."

"Did you know, young Serbus, that we have a festival around this time too," he asked, wondering what she would say.

"Non señor," she said simply, her eyes looking at him with curiosity, "What is this festival?"

"The festival is called Samhain. It is an ancient celebration for the end of the summer harvest. It was like our New Year, celebrating a good harvest. In ancient traditions, this was also a time when we believed that our world and the world of humans would become visible to them. In other words, they would be able to see us for what we really are. Mostly it would be us Celtic fairies they would see, but there were other beings that would come to life for them. Then the Christians came and tried to change our beliefs. So what we did was change the name, to All Hallows Even and All Hallows Day. So that's where this way of dressing up in gruesome costumes and scaring each other came from," he smiled to her, wondering what her answer would be.

"Wow," she said, thinking to herself, "Eu nunca souben que… So I could technically call today Samhain and it would be correct?"

He chuckled, "Yes it would, but it's not like this is the only day for the dead. There are other cultures that have celebrations around this time for celebrating the dead."

"Seino," she smiled to him, "I just didn't know that there was a _Samhain_. First time hearing about this; I really enjoyed it."

"Estou feliz que fixo," he chuckled. "I will be taking my leave now," he said, giving Mr. Shezmu a bow.

He gave him a nod, watching as the family walked off. "I didn't know you knew Gaelic," he said, causing Sophie to look up at him with a smirk.

"There's a lot you don't know about me, I guess," she smiled at him, watching as another family came up to them.

"Hello Mr. Shezmu," the head of the family said, giving them a bow.

"How nice of you and your family to have made it all the way from Turkey," he smiled, nodding to his family.

The man turned his head to Sophie, quickly noticing her, "Ve kimin bu kıza?"

"This is my young apprentice, Sophia Serbus. Sophia, this is the family Koray. They have come all the way here from Turkey, but they do not know how to speak English."

"Yani iyidir," she smiled at him, "I can pick up the language easily."

"You know my language?" he asked her, causing her to look back over at him.

"Well you are neighbors to the Greeks, right? Well Greek is my second language. I think I may have visited or something, because Turkish seems simple to me."

He chuckled heartedly, looking over to Mr. Shezmu, "You have a good apprentice."

"Biliyorum," he smiled to her, causing her to blush slightly. "Well enjoy the festivities. It's great to see you again."

"And the same with you," they bowed, leaving them alone once again.

"Oh there you are Mr. Shezmu," said someone coming in.

"Hello Earl Phantomhive. I am glad you were able to make it," Mr. Shezmu smiled as they gave each other a handshake.

"Did you meet my fiancé? This is Rachel Durless," he beamed, letting Mr. Shezmu kiss her hand.

"Charmed," he smiled to her, letting her blush slightly, "and this is my apprentice Sophia Serbus."

"Hello," he said with a bow, kissing her hand. "It's lovely to see you."

"Thank you," she smiled at him, looking up at Mr. Shezmu.

"Please enjoy the festivities Young Earl. I hope to be at your wedding when you hold it."

"Of course," he smiled, linking his arm with Rachel's and walking off into the crowd.

Sophie let out a sigh, feeling a horrible case of lethargic taking over her. Then she felt something poke her in the stomach behind her back, causing her to jump foreword and yelp in protest. "What tha –!" she paused, noticing who it was and letting out a frustrated sigh. "Undertaker, geeze…" she grumbled.

"Oh don't be grumpy," he smirked, poking her in the cheek, "I was only _play~ing~~_" he giggled into his sleeve as a slight smile appearing on her face, but she was still a bit mad that he surprised her. "Good evening Shezmu," he said, giving him a bow.

"Undertaker," he smirked, "I wasn't expecting you to come."

"Well… I was in the neighborhood," he chuckled, "also I wanted to meet a few people here. You _know_ this is the only time I can now," he giggled into his sleeve.

Mr. Shezmu smiled at him, noticing the Cheshire cat smile on his face. "You seem to be having a good retirement."

"Yes I am, thank you," he smiled, turning his attention back to Sophie. He poked her on the nose, giggling when she rubbed it in discomfort. "_I'll be seeing you around~~_" he chuckled, walking away from them and into the crowd, the sea of people quickly separating as he walked by.

Sophie let out a sigh, rubbing her tired crystal blue and yellow eyes. "I think it's about time I head home and get some sleep."

"Alright," he said to her, "go and sleep. You need the rest." She smiled at him, giving him a slight bow as she walked back into the crowd, trying to make her way to the front door.

Suddenly someone walked in front of her, blocking her path. "Hello Miss Serbus," he said with a bow.

Sophie smiled to him, giving a curtsy, "Hello."

"My name is Patrick Teutas," he said, kissing her hand, "the eldest son in the Teutas family."

"Oh I see," she smiled, about to walk around him.

"There was something I wanted to warn you about," he said, not letting go of her hand.

She looked at him unsure, turning back to him and crossing her arms. "Yes, what is it?"

He leaned into her ear, frightening her slightly. "Watch out for demons, _shinigami_. They will be coming for you soon enough," he whispered into her ear, causing her to step backwards slightly.

"What do you mean by **that**?" she growled slightly, not liking his comment.

He chuckled, giving her a courtesy bow. "I'm just warning you. I can tell by your aura that you will have a problem of demons coming after you _soon enough_. Just watch your back," he smiled to her, "and by the way, you _do~_ look like a Celtic fairy, especially with those wings of yours." He chuckled, Sophie frowning as she rushed for the entrance and walked out.

She rubbed her head in frustration, not liking what had been said. _'Geeze, I forgot to find Julia and say goodbye. I should better wander back in,' _she sighed, about to turn around back for the mansion, until she heard commotion just outside of the gate. She walked around, a frown covering her face.

"What does that demon think he is?" Chaz growled, turning back to his group. "Not letting us in, I even have an invitation! It's _**all**__ your fault_ Skyler," he hissed, the woman stepping back with panic on her face.

"I-I'm sorry!" she trembled, "I figured we could all get in. I-I heard about the party from my roommate and –"

She gasped, tears filling up her face as a hand flew onto her cheek and slapped her. She looked at him frightened, the group just standing back and watching. "You little bitch," he hissed, about to slap her again. As his hand flew down it was stopped, Chaz turning around to see Sophie glaring at him with anger in her blue/green and yellow eyes.

His eyes narrowed as Sophie glared back at him. "If you were a _proper gentlemen_, then you wouldn't be going around and slapping poor, defenseless ladies," she growled at him, flinging his arm away. Then Sophie crouched down to Margaret, who was crying on the ground. "Here, let me help you up," she gave her a sincere smile, Margaret's eyes widening before she accepted the hand and was pulled up.

"Why you…" he growled, taking out his death scythe, "I'll kill you for that!"

He ran at Sophie as her back was turned, Margaret gasping in horror and pointing to Chaz as he ran at her. As Sophie took out her own student scythe to defend herself from him, Albert stepped in out of nowhere and grabbed Chaz' weapon that caused him to widen his eyes in horror. "What a disrespectful young boy," he shook his head as if this was all a nescience, talking over to Sophie and not at Chaz. "You say you have an invitation?"

"Y-yes," he said, handing him the invitation in his hand.

He read over the name, looking at him cross. "You're Gregory Felipe, huh?"

"Yeah," he said with confidence, causing Sophie to roll her eyes.

"I'm going to go back inside. Come on Margaret," she said, grabbing her hand.

"W-wha –"

"Just do it," she sighed, pulling her with her. Then she whispered in Albert's ear. "They're phonies. You better not let them in," she said gruffly as she began to pass by.

"I know," he chuckled, causing Sophie to smirk, "I'm just going to toy with them for a while."

Sophie nodded, pulling Margaret along with her. "Come on inside. I'll clean up that bruise on your face." She nodded, accepting that it wasn't the time to argue and walked in with her, Margaret keeping her mask on her face and covering her cheek. They walked through the halls, Margaret astounded that she knew the place so well. Then they stopped at a door and Sophie pulled out a key with a grimacing looking skull on the end. "Mr. Shezmu wanted to keep some of the doors locked, but he won't mind if we come inside and fix you up," she smiled at her, letting Margaret walk in first as she turned on the light. Margaret gasped, looking around the room.

It was a large room with bookshelves lining the room and an office table at the end. Sophie chuckled and locked the door behind her and walked in, walking to a bookshelf and pulling on a book. The bookshelf opened, causing Margaret to jump back slightly. Sophie smirked, grabbing a torch and lighting it with her black haze. Margaret was just in shock. After knowing her for about a year, she never knew about Sophie's connections **or** her powers. She had recently heard she was a half-breed, but that was all she had found out about her. They just kept to themselves most of the time, though Margaret had wished to get to know her more. Margaret would keep to herself nowadays, not allowing Sophie to know her troubles with Chaz and his group. She followed Sophie down the hallways, keeping rather close to her. "I-I didn't know…" she sighed, causing Sophie to glance over at her a smile.

"I guess I have been neglecting you. I'm not usually home because I'm training here and spending the night." Then she looked back at Margaret, who was looking at the ground timidly, "How **are** you Margaret?" She bit down on her bottom lip, keeping her eyes away from Sophie. She sighed, "It's okay if you don't want to tell me. Even if you don't think so, I **do** care." Margaret looked up at her, a tired smile starting to grow on her face. "Oh here it is!" Sophie paused, almost passing the door. She opened it, walking into a bathroom. Margaret blinked in confusion, walking in as Sophie set the torch on a stand right outside and turned on the light, the room being illuminated in its red and white color. She had Margaret sit down on the white toilet lid as she went through the medicine cabinet, grabbing some ointment and a band aid for her cheek. "I usually don't come in here. I just don't like the color combination," Sophie shrugged, "but since you're here and I don't want to disturb anyone, I'll just be in here just this once," she smirked, letting a sigh escape her lips as she cleaned up her face.

They sat there in quiet, a frown on Sophie's face when she noticed the deep scratch Chaz made on Margaret's face. Now that she looked harder, she noticed a few other scratches and bruise marks on Margaret's body, but she decided to not comment on them. Once she was done she washed her hands and put the stuff back, Margaret watching her as she did. "I-I'm sorry if I'm a nescience," she sighed as she looked to the ground.

"You're not," Sophie said, a chuckle soon escaping her lips, "I'm sorry about how I treated you when I met you, Margaret. I had all my memories taken and was very frustrated about having to be a shinigami. I just don't like it, the shinigami realm. Everyone is stuck up and annoying." She smiled at her, "but I'm sorry for treating you badly. I shouldn't have, and I know that now. I've barely noticed that you have been having problems. If I had known, maybe I would have done something to help you… anything…" she sighed, noticing Margaret wasn't giving her eye contact. Then she knelt down, so they could see eye to eye. Margaret's green eyes looked tired and depressed, her eyes slightly warming up when looking at Sophie's eyes. Her crystal blue and green eyes looked sincere, with the yellow tint in her eyes just mystifying her and pulling Margaret in. "No one should be treated that way, even you," she said, a smile showing up on her face as she took Margaret's hand. "I've never told anyone this before, but I remember when I was a human that I was abused once. Kept in a confined place and beaten every day… every hour. It is one of the reasons why I died, but I made it through and survived, and I know from the first time I met you that you are a fighter. So why don't you put a smile on your face, alright?" she smiled, Margaret's eyes beginning to water.

"Y-you were beaten? By whom?" she looked at Sophie with a hopeful look on her face.

"I don't know," she sighed, "I'm still trying to uncover that mystery, but it was the kindness of others that got me out of there. You see what I'm trying to say?"

Margaret blinked for a few minutes, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Y-yes…" she bit down on her bottom lip; Sophie looked at her with a sweet smile on her face.

She grabbed her in a hug, rubbing her back as she began to sob. "It's okay," she said quietly into her ear, "Let all the tears out. It's okay…" Margaret gripped Sophie's clothes, making her shoulder wet with her crying. Sophie just knelt there rubbing her back, humming softly to her as Margaret cried her heart out.

!#$%^&*()

"Well I guess I'm back at the party," Sophie let out a sigh, Fillin jumping up when he noticed her come in.

"Oh you're back!" Fillin giggled, turning into a wolf and jumping into her arms.

Margaret yelped back slightly, surprised by the sudden transformation. "Who's the square?" Merletta asked, chewing loudly on some pumpkin seeds.

"Margaret Skyler," Sophie smiled as she ushered her to sit down on the couch, and Sophie sat right next to her, setting Fillin on her lap as she sat. "She's my roommate at the academy, but I really don't know much about her so…" Sophie thought, before she came up with something. "I know she wants to go into General Affairs, is that right?"

"Y-yes…" she said softly, looking timidly at the ground, "but I won't be able to pass this semester. I missed a test, and they won't let me pass unless I ace my final exam in order to graduate, but… I don't think I will be able to meet the quota." Margaret sighed, fiddling around with her fingers as she waited for a reply.

"I didn't know that," Sophie said quietly, leaning back on the couch.

Fillin jumped onto Margaret's lap, freaking her out as she flew back into the couch. "Sophie will help you!" he giggled, wagging his tail about. "W-on't you?"

"Of course," Sophie smirked, "I can help you with the work. You just have to buckle down! Hey I can also find someone who's in general affairs to help you. I think I may know some people," she thought to herself.

"That's okay," she said nervously, "I-I don't need special treatment –"

"Nonsense!" Sophie interrupted her, "You need a tutor and you're going to get it. You want help, right?" Margret gave her a slight nod, a smirk coming to Sophie's face, "Well I'm going to give it to you! Plus I expect you to graduate next year, got that?"

Margaret looked down, before a smile came to her face, "O-okay," she smiled meekly.

Then Sophie let out a sigh, scratching the back of her head. "Weren't you going to go and _sl~eep_?" Byrne smirked, causing Sophie to let out a groan.

"Well _**yeah**_, but I can't seem to find Julia…" she said quietly, looking around the room. Just there at the other end of the room was Julia and Alex, talking amongst themselves. Sophie smirked as she got up and quietly walked across the room, starting to jog towards them and slide against the floor. Then she jumped and grabbed Julia from behind, causing her to yell in fright and freak out Alex in the process. "I finally found you!" she giggled, poking her in the cheek. "Geeze… where did you run off to?" she sighed, letting her go.

Julia looked at Alex, "Well…" she shrugged, "you were sleeping so we didn't want to bother you. Plus you looked so cute!"

Sophie grumbled as she crossed her arms and pouting dramatically, "No I don't," she huffed.

"See! There it is again!" Julia clapped, hugging Sophie in a tight hug.

"Agh!" was what escaped Sophie's lips as she was gripped a little too tightly around her waist. "C-hoking, not breathing," she huffed, Julia letting go and Sophie stumbling backwards, getting caught by Alex from behind.

She was starting to get very dizzy, her insomnia finally catching up with her. "You look like you need to sleep more."

Sophie groaned as she stood up and rubbed her head, before letting out a cough. "Well I _was_, but I needed to find you two to say goodbye. Also I need your _**help~**_" she smirked, Alex and Julia raising an eyebrow.

"And what would that be?" Julia asked, a giggle escaping Sophie's lips.

"I'll show you in a second, come on," she grabbed her hand, pulling Julia with her across the room. Alex followed behind them, coming to the couches they were previously sitting at. "Margret, this is Julia Shezmu. Her father is the one who organized the party," she smiled at Margaret, a smile escaping her lips, "And Julia, this is Margret Skyler. She's my roommate at the academy."

"So this is your roommate…" Julia thought, sitting down next to her, "what happened to your face?"

"Oh that," she said, shrugging it off, "I-it was nothing…"

Alex sat on the other side of her, letting out a sigh, "It was Chaz, wasn't it?" Margret's eyes went wide, before she gave him a nod. He let out a sigh, having noticed her nervousness, "I don't see why you hang out with him. Why don't you hang out with **us** for a while?"

"Yeah!" Julia giggled, "Do you like pubs?"

"P-pubs?" Margret said, twiddling with her fingers, "Y-yeah I do."

"Well good! Just meet me at this house every day. Alex and Sophie always come over about the time it gets dark, so you can come with us too. How does that sound?" They all looked at her, wondering what her answer would be.

Margret cracked a smile, giving them a nod. "Y-yes, that sounds nice."

"Good," Sophie sighed, leaning over the couch. "I think it's about time I head back. I'm so…" Alex rolled his eyes, snapping a hand in front of her face. "So tired," she finished, making Julia giggle. "Well have fun Margret. Julia, show her around a bit."

"Of course," she said giving her a salute, before a giggle escaped her lips. Sophie nodded to them, leaving them to talk amongst themselves. Then she sighed, walking out in a drone like state back out the front door, passing by Albert and disappearing into the London fog.

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**A/N: I think the reason it got long was because of the things I wanted to add: such as a haunted part of the house, explaining everything and tying everything together, describing the costumes, and etcetera. I felt the need to introduce Margaret back into the story. I talked about her perhaps once and never got back to her. I feel so horrible about that! Just because I needed to do that, this story will extend into the next chapter, but won't be the _whole_ chapter. The Halloween part of the story is mostly done with anyways, just some mushy stuff to be said and things to discover.**

**I hope you guys had a fun time on All Hallows Even! What did you do? Did you _trick_ or did your _treat?_ Comment of course and tell me what you think. Once again, sorry it took _sooooooo_ long to finish. Was just a lot to write and I got busy on Halloween. Didn't have time to finish it, but that's okay. You guys don't hate me for that, right? =S… =D**

Ralph – English – wise wolf

Bardulf – English – bright wolf

Teutas – Celtic – Thoth, Mercury; essence of all things

_Cén fáth nach__tú__iarraidh orm__féin? _– Irish – _Why do not you ask me yourself?_

_Si_ – Spanish/Gaelic – _Yes_

_Non __señor _– Spanish/Gaelic – _no sir_

_Eu nunca souben que_ – Gaelic – _I never knew this_

_Seino_ – Gaelic – _I know_

_Estou __feliz que fixo_ – Gaelic – _I am glad you did_

Koray – Turkish – ember moon

_Ve kimin __bu kıza?_ – Turkish – _And who is this girl?_

_Yani __iyidir_ – Turkish – _That is okay_

_Biliyorum_ – Turkish – _I know_

Patrick – Latin – patrician, noble


	16. The Rest

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Warning: Some violence and suggestive adult themes. Also some William T. Spears torture, but that's just part of the story. I decided to continue to stay off of the main plot this chapter, wanting to add a better relationship with Sophie and a few of the other characters in the story. I'm trying to take the advice and not have a bunch of people liking Sophie, which makes her that much closer to being a Mary-Sue character, but I am going to say that I'm _trying_ not to. A lot of people don't like her actually, but the people she has nice relationships with are usually characters with names. Just saying… if you think she's loved by all. Nope, she's not. Just an average newbie shinigami going to an average shinigami school X3 **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter because I like the messages I put in this chapter. Now you know her relationships with the Undertaker and William. I'm so happy with this chapter actually. Some parts made me feel all warm and happy while I wrote them (not the bad scenes, but the good ones =3)**

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Sophie let out an exhausted sigh, leaning against a tree at the top of the cemetery. She looked out over the hills, the sky a beautiful shade of purples and blues. The moon was high in the sky, its orange glow making its way on the landscape and illuminating it. She slid down the hill, tumbling down into a field of flowers at the bottom. She giggled to herself before letting out a sigh, relaxing amongst the flowers. She summoned her black cloak, wrapping it tightly around herself as she closed her eyes and went into a deep slumber.

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Julia pulled Margaret along, introducing her to everyone she knew at the party. Then she made her way to her father and Mr. Shezmu looking over at her with curiosity. "And who is this?" he asked, just as Julia came to a halt.

"This is Margaret Skyler, dad," she giggled, looking over to Margaret. "This is my father, Mr. Shezmu. He's currently training Sophie and Alex right now."

"Y-you are?" she asked, rubbing her arm. "I-I didn't know Sophia knew so many demons…"

"Is that _all_ you shinigamis think about?" Mr. Shezmu sighed, Margaret flinching back at his firm comment. "Of course Sophie knows about demons, and so should you. Apparently all you kids are taught these days that demons are the enemies. What about some moral ethics, the difference between good and evil?"

Margaret let out a cough, a frown plastered on her face, "I-I'm sorry if I offended you –"

"No it's okay," he sighed, "I was just expecting more from my **own** race, that's all."

"Your own race?" Margaret asked, a chuckle coming out of his lips.

"I'm a Death God dear, but those people you call the council was trying to control my intentions," he grumbled to himself, "so eventually I quit taking chromatic records, but I still take souls."

"You do?" she wondered, "but how can you? Doesn't a chromatic record hold the memory and the soul of a person?"

"Not necessarily," he smirked. "You see, in the ancient realm there were five aspects to the soul, but only two are the main important ones for a Deaht God, a Ka and a Ba. A _ka_ is a person's vital essence, as to put into today's terms is a spirit. It can tell the difference between a living and a dead person, as death would occur when the _ka_ left the body. The _ba_ is different. The _ba_ is a person's personality, similar to a soul. It's the aspect of a person that was believed to live on after the body died. It was believed it was not part of a person, _but__the__person__themselves_. To put this into today's terms, a cinematic record is would be called your _ka_, but there is also a _ba_ that stays in the body when someone's memories are taken away."

"Then why don't shinigamis take the _ba_ too?" Margaret asked, a sigh coming from his lips.

"There is actually a specific class of Death Gods I am a part of. Nowadays you shinigamis are unable to take a _ba_ because you don't possess the powers to do so. You must be trained specifically to do so, which you shinigamis just assume that we are demons in the way we have to judge a dying soul. I think your term for them, in your own kind, would be a legendary shinigami or something to that extent. They possess a yellow tint in their eyes when they take a person's _ba_, a bit different then the double-iris green eyes normal shinigamis have." He looked to Margaret, noticing she was trying to evaluate what he said, "That is to say, in my lifetime I have seen all sorts of beings with the yellow color, now ranging from shinigamis to demons and angels. Under the species of _Death__God_ do these beings operate because you **must** be a shinigami to take a _ba_ and evaluate them. If you are a demon or an angel then you simply cannot do so, since this is not the job you were given to do on earth. An ordinary shinigami can also obtain the yellow color over lots of training and time, but that _**does**_ take time and effort."

"So…" Margaret thought, thinking about the information she was given, "so what do you do with the _ba_ once your obtain it?"

He chuckled, interest coming to his features, "Well… there's a place, if you want to call it a second world if you want, and where the souls of any being dwells once it has died for good. In the ancients and where I came from, they called this place Field of Reeds, like a Christian depiction of a heaven. You can only go there if you are a pure soul, but nothing less. As a Death God, your job is to guide the soul into the next life. If that soul isn't intended to go on, then it stays on earth once again either being reborn as a new soul or ending up in hell and eaten if it's a truly evil soul. We can see if the soul is good or evil just by looking at a human's eyes, that's the easiest, or looking at their aura. This privilege of departing is not just for humans, also for supernatural beings that end up dying. Nowadays shinigamis who have to do this job only go for very pure souls and very evil souls, which makes their job easier in the end. Any other soul is left on earth to be reborn or remain as an incorporeal." He chuckled to himself, letting a sigh escape his lips soon after, "I still do this job, but it would be easier to do if I was taking the _ka_ too… but alas your council is every _'__exclusive__'_ and wants to keep to themselves. A few have decided to stay with them, but there's that bridge that makes it that much harder to operate."

Margaret blinked a few times, trying to process all the information. Then she coughed, "So, who are these Death Gods then that have this power?"

"Well…" he sighed, thinking it over, "I think you may know these few. The Dark Centurion, The Silver Dove, The Black Rose, and The Undertaker. There are many others, but like The Black Rose and The Dark Centurion many have already passed on. Sophia told me that she read those four names out of a history book, but I know of more Death Gods with the yellow color in their eyes that are still around. Usually they go by their title name instead of their real name, just to confuse people." He smirked, noticing the awe on her face. "It's okay if you don't understand all of this. It took a while for Sophia to understand it too."

"So," she began to ask again, "why are you training Sophia? Is there a specific reason to train Sophia and Alex?"

"I trained Sophia's father and Alex…" he thought, then letting out a low chuckle, "Well… let's just say she wouldn't let me train her unless Alex was going to be trained with her. So that's why."

"Okay…" she said, trying to come up with another question. Then she felt something creeping up behind her. Margaret quickly turned around and found long silver bangs less than an inch from her face. She shrieked and jumped away from him, slamming right into Julia in fright.

He giggled into his sleeve, Mr. Shezmu chuckling along with him. "I heard you talking about little old _**me**_, so _I __**had**__ to come and in~trude~~_" he giggled, walking over to Mr. Shezmu. "The party was great, but I think it's time I head home," he said with a Cheshire cat smile on his face.

Mr. Shezmu nodded, "Don't you think it is a little early, Undertaker?"

"Oh no!" the Undertaker giggled "I only need to go home to shoo away any wandering humans trying to get a good scare in the cemetery, and _they __will~~ __get __what__'__s __coming __to __them_," he giggled into his sleeve once again, his smile never weaning. Then he began walking away, waving his sleeve at him, "Goodbye _**Lord **__**of **__**Bl~ood~~**_. _Have __fun __sl~~aughtering __tonight~_" he giggled, skipping away from them. Margaret felt her mouth dropping, a whole wave of confusion coming over her. Julia giggled at her expression, grabbing her hand and pulling her back into the crowd before she could protest.

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"_Mommy, where is papa?" asked a young girl as she sat on her mother's lap in a field of colorful flowers._

"_Somewhere," she said, picking flowers and making a crown out of them. _

_The girl grumbled, giving her mother a big old pout. "I know he's **not**! Please tell me mommy, where is papa?"_

_She let out a sigh, looking up to the sky as the wind passed them by. "He's working… Sophia you have to promise me that you won't think I'm crazy if I tell you the truth about your father."_

"_You crazy mommy? I could never think that," she giggled, curling up against her mother's chest and listening to hear heartbeat. "What does papa do that he can't be with us?"_

"_He is a Grim Reaper, Sophia," she said rather directly. Sophie settling down in thought, and waited for her to continue. Her mother let out a deep sigh, "I was going to wait till you were older, but I have no choice now. He's a Grim Reaper, a Death God… he takes souls once someone dies and brings them into heaven."_

"_Papa… a Grim Reaper?..." Sophie thought._

_Her mother grasped her hands with hers, kissing them softly. "He is always busy and is never able to spend time with us. He told me that he would come back for me, to take me away with him and raise our children in a field full of beautiful flowers, but sadly that never became reality," she sighed, holding Sophie tighter in her protective arms. "I want what's best for you… but I don't know what that is. If I should hand you over to a grim reaper or keep your here… I do not know."_

_Sophie looked up, noticing the tears building up in her mother's crystal blue eyes. "Don't cry mommy," she said, her eyes starting to tear up just from seeing her mother cry. "I-I don't want to leave mommy, even if a hoard of princes knock down our door and ask for my hand in marriage. If it means leaving you forever, then I don't want to go," she said, hugging her mother around the waist as she tried to comfort her. "Don't cry mommy…. I don't want you to cry…"_

_Her mother looked down at her child as she hugged her tightly. She let out a sigh, a smile coming back to her face as she wiped her tears away from her face. "I just want you to have a good life Sophia. It's hard when the world is against you… I don't want you to vanish from this place as my other child had. I just want what's best for you, okay?"_

_Sophie nodded, still hugging her mother tightly. "I know mommy… I just want to stay here." Her mother chuckled, holding her tightly against her chest as her girl fell asleep against her, listening to the sound of her heartbeat thumping away._

Sophie woke up slowly, a warm feeling coming over her face. She stared up to the sky, feeling the cool breeze coming over her face. She noticed a figure out of the corner of her eye, a cloaked man with a black top hat staring down at her. She smiled softly, the man jumping down to the ground to join her in the flowers. "Hello Undertaker," she said softly, still dozy from the sleep she just had.

"I was wondering if you would wake up," he giggled into his sleeve, poking her in the side. She flinched, shifting back and away from him.

"Don't!" she gasped, holding up her hands in defense, "I'm ticklish!"

"_Oh __is __that __so~~~?__" _he said, rolling over and straddling her body as Sophie tried to move away from him in protest.

"No please!" she frowned, her eyes full of worry. She held her hands around her waist, trying to protect her stomach. He smiled devilishly, forcefully grabbing her hands away from her waist with one hand and tickling her sides with the other. Sophie began to cry, tears falling down her face as she was forced to laugh. "Stop!" she kept crying out, trying to pry his hands off of her.

He leaned into her face, temporary stopping the vicious tickling. "What if I don't want to?" He said in a whisper, causing Sophie to gasp from the warmth of his breath. "You have a _most __**exquisite **__laugh~~_" he giggled, continuing on with the torture.

Sophie kept laughing, beginning to cough from the soreness growing in her throat. Starting to ignore his fingers, she began to let out a rasp cough. The Undertaker frowned slightly, taking his hands off of her but keeping her in place on the ground. She turned her head to the side, coughing up a slight amount of blood that was starting to linger in her mouth. "Sorry," she said quickly, coughing a bit more till she felt better. Then she let out a tired sigh, turning back up to the sky and seeing the Undertaker's face getting uncomfortably close to hers. He brushed her cheek, wiping away a small bit of blood that lingered on her lips. He put the blood to his mouth, lapping up her blood with his finger. A devious smile grew on his lips as Sophie cringed, "_Ewwww~~!_" she frowned, "That's gross!"

He giggled into his sleeve, amused by her sudden reaction. "Why would a _reaper_ think blood is gross?" he chuckled, hearing the growl escape her lips.

"It's not that," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. "What are you supposed to have dressed up as anyways?" she decided to ask, hoping to change the subject.

"A mortician," he giggled into his sleeve, causing her to roll her eyes.

"You **are** a mortician –"

"That's what _you~_ think," he giggled, "but this is just a costume as any other."

Sophie blinked a few times, before letting out an annoyed sigh. "Geeze," she grumbled to herself, going back to trying to free herself from his grasp. The Undertaker smirked, eventually grabbing hold of her hands once again and held her down, his black nails and unexpected grip keeping her in place. She glared at him, her one-iris blue/green eyes staring angrily at him. "Why won't you let me go!" she hissed at him.

He leaned into her ear, his hair brushing against her face as he leaned into her face. "Where have you been? I've been _aw~fully_ lonely at the shop." Sophie's eyes widened for a second. The Undertaker caring about her, why? Isn't he a retired reaper or something like that? Why would he care?

She let out a sigh, "Sorry, just some things came up."

"_Like__wha~t?_" he asked, letting go of her hands so she could cross her arms over her chest. He smiled deviously, waiting to get all the information from her.

"Well…" she thought, trying to come up with a place to start. "So you know how Grell and I were looking for the demon pack, right? Well I had actually found them and met the alpha demon. He's a nice wolf and the pack is nice, though I couldn't bring myself to eating _raw_ meat," she shuddered. "Anyways, I explained to him what was going on and apparently no one had gone around investigating farther on the matter. Everyone just assumed that it was the pack to blame for the killings, but really it was a new wolf that had been killing humans." She let out a sigh, looking away from his gaze. "I don't know… killing demons for **no** reason isn't a good thing in the end, right?"

"I guess not," he said casually, his smile still on his face.

Sophie nodded at him, a smile surfacing on her face. "Well, then Grell invited me to go with him to take down the pack, saying it would be _my __first __big __kill~_" she chuckled, "so I decided to sneak off to warn them while the others sat and waited, and the pack already knew about the matter. So I helped one of them find the demon wolf that was responsible, which had run off with one of the young cubs." She let a sigh escape her lips, remembering the dreaded memory. "He… we encountered him holding Fillin hostage. I couldn't stand that he was threatening him, but I stood my ground and watched the matter unfold. They were brothers and I could barely believe that. Having to tolerate your brother, then Adolf was still tolerating his brother while he held a fellow demon hostage. When he was about to kill Fillin and I couldn't stand it any longer. Something seemed to take me over and I pushed him away, saving Fillin and throwing him off to the side. Everything seemed to be a blur as I took the demon down and killed him, against Adolf's earlier protests. Then he cursed at me, leaving us there. I took the demon's soul and Fillin and headed back to the fighting. I stopped a shinigami from killing Fillin's father, the alpha male, but was scowled for stopping him. After that… well," she shrugged, "they brought me in for questioning and whatnot. Then…" she looked to the ground, completely ignoring his gaze. She stayed silent, a sad look on her face.

"Then _what?_" he asked, leaning in closer to her face.

She shook her head, "I'd rather not talk about it," she answered him in a meek voice, his smile fading away slightly. Sophie looked up at him, her expression going from her depressed state to an angry grunt. She grabbed her cloak and wrapped it around her body, shifting to her side only because he hadn't let her go.

The Undertaker frowned, noticing the sadness in her eyes as she just stared at the flowers and grass around her, a hurt look of a battered puppy on her face. "You know," he said to get her attention, "if you tell me what happened, I'll get off of you."

"How about you get off of me _**first**_, then I'll talk?" she said gruffly, a smirk visible for a split second before it quickly left.

He chuckled, rolling off of her body and playfully rolling around on the ground, causing flower petals to fly everywhere. She giggled, a smirk coming to his face as he rolled over and looked her directly in the face. "Now _my __dear~~_ what happened next?"

She gave him a smile, before wrapping herself tightly in her cloak. "I guess I have no choice," she sighed. "The council brought me in and thought that I was a traitor for my actions. So they locked me up in a jail cell… for god knows how long. I… I started to have night terrors. You know how I told you that I'm unsure if my dreams are my memories or not, well the dreams I had were surely real. I felt trapped, sick and tortured. Sure no one there laid a finger on me, but I felt as if someone was. I would cry out in the middle of the night, refusing to let my body fall asleep after a while. Eventually they moved me into a room that was even smaller with white padding expecting my terrors to stop, but it only made it worse. Even though I refused to sleep, the dreams kept coming as I stayed awake in the cell. I started seeing people die, their blood splattered all over the walls of the cell and covering my face. I wasn't dreaming of that before, but just the white… My mind played tricks with me and one moment I was being tortured and the next I was seeing someone I probably cared about dying. I…" She wrapped the cloak tighter around her as she went on. Her eyes began to grow scared, starting to wander away from the Undertaker's gaze as she went on. "I… I don't **know** what happened. In the middle of the night I took my mother's ring and began to cut my arms, then my back, and eventually I started cutting my chest. I don't know what went over me, but at the moment it felt as if someone **else** was doing it to me," she gasped as she shivered slightly. "Then… I don't know what happened. I stabbed my chest and cut myself open with my ring? That's what the doctors told me I had done, but all I remember is crying for someone to stop, blacking out, and waking up with Grell Sutcliff looking at me with a worried look on his face as he gripped my hand tightly. That cell was just torture for me," she said, looking up at him with a scared look on her face. She wanted him to say something, but all he did was staring at her from under his bangs. His smile seemed to linger, but only slightly. Perhaps she said too much, but it was the truth and she was just as honest as she was when she had to explain her actions. She let out another sigh, the silence getting to her, "Because of all of that they made me stay at Grell's place while I waited to be sent to the council. I never really found out why they had taken so long, but they just had me under house arrest until it was my time to talk. Eventually I stood in front of the council, explaining my actions and what had transpired with the demon wolf pack. After evaluating they let me go and go back to the academy, but they had shinigamis watching me everywhere I went. I don't know if it was because they suspected me to be a traitor or because of what happened in the cells, I don't know." She let out another sigh escape her lips, looking away from him and closing her eyes slightly, "I had wasted my summer with this, unable to go out and see my friends, or you. They had me working on overtime and staying at Grell's place, making it so I was unable to properly train… then Mr. Shezmu would show up in the middle of the night to train me. That was good, because he let me talk to him and try to figure out why I went crazy, but it was still hard to not enjoy things like I used to. Eventually the whole mess was forgotten and shinigamis stopped following me around. Actually I have tomorrow off _too_, so I was going to hang out at your shop," she giggled. "You won't mind, will you?"

He chuckled, "Of **course** not," he said, brushing some stray hair from her face.

She closed her eyes, feeling his long black nails lingering on her face. Why she seemed so open to this crazy mortician confused her because she would **never** let anyone else touch her face so casually. "Sorry for being a bother," she sighed, "I doubt you wanted to hear all that… though it was nice to get it off my chest."

"Perhaps it was a _little_ too soon for you to have told me?" he said as he brushed her cheek with his thumb.

"No," she shook her head, "It's just…" Her eyes shot open as she felt arms wrap around her shoulders. She looked in confusion, feeling the Undertaker's warm breath on her back. "Wha –"

"Shush," he told her, rubbing her back, "Don't worry about it, okay?" He let go of her slight, his famous Cheshire cat smile shining on his face, "Now you'll be helping around the shop,_ right~~?_"

She cracked a smile, "Yes I am. Why, did you _miss~_ me?"

"Of _course~_ not," he chuckled, "It's not like the only visitors I have are _as stiff~ as lead_." Sophie giggled, a sincere smile shining behind his Cheshire grin. "Now if you're going to help me, then you'll have to go to bed."

"Bed?" she gasped, pushing away from his grip and crossing her arms, "You're not my father," she pouted. He laughed, standing up and pulling her body up with him. "Hey what are you doing!" she yelled as he picked her up, kicking at him.

He giggled at her, causing her to sweat drop, "Just taking you to bed, like a good _father_ would."

He slung her over her shoulder, walking up the hill and down the road with a skip in his step. Sophie kicked and yelled at him, of course not enough to hurt him, but just to make it difficult for him. "Help!" she yelled into the dead of night, "A _crazy~ mortician_ with _demon~ic eyes~_ is taking me away to _his evil lair~~!" _she hollered, a giggle escaping her lips once she finished.

"_Oh~~?_" he said, turning his head and putting his lips close to her ear, "how would you know that I have_ demon~ic eyes~~?_"

"Oh sheesh!" she grumbled, a smile coming back on her face. "Of course you do! Just the fact that you have me slung over your shoulder like I'm a piece of dead meat and your devious smile just completes the ensemble."

"And what_ if I do this~?" _She yelped, being thrown over his shoulder and falling into his arms.

"Undertaker!" she giggled, settling down in his arms, "Geeze…"

"_**Awww**__, you're finally at a __**lo~ss~~**__ of words?_" he giggled, causing Sophie to grumble.

"I'm just tired," she grumbled, crossing her arms over her chest. He chuckled, opening the door to the morgue and walking inside, leaving his muddy boots at the door.

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Sophie giggled to herself, finishing up her stitches on a dead woman's forehead. She decided to make the scar stand out because there's no way to hide a long cut even with the woman's long hair. She snickered, happy with her completed work. She put some makeup on the woman's face and brushed out her hair, before setting her down back in the casket and crossing her hands. Sophie stood up, wiping off her hands on a rag as she stood up and closed the casket. She let out a sigh, walking from the front of the morgue towards the kitchen where the Undertaker was making a batch of cookies. Her eyes lit up, her hand slowly going for a tray of cookies that were cooling on the stove, only to have her hand flung away by Undertaker's shoulder. She whimpered in protest as the Undertaker snickered into his sleeve. "_What's with that face_, my dear?"

"I'm done!" she giggled, "and I could smell the yummy cookies from the other room… May I _plea~~se_ have one?" Sophie whimpered as she made a sad-puppy look with her eyes.

He chuckled, a cookie appearing from under his sleeve. Her eyes beamed as she grabbed for it, but Undertaker swiped it away from her before she could take it. "Nuh-uh," he said, a _tisk_ sound came from his lips, "you need to help me with a few graves _first~~_"

Sophie whimpered her bottom lip, before letting out a huff. "Oh fine," she crossed her arms and growled, "but I need to go back to the shinigami realm then. I don't want to get my ONLY clothes dirty," she said, pointing to the outfit she was wearing. She was still wearing her Halloween costume, not seeing a need to go back to her dorm for her clothes till now.

"Then_ don't be long~_" he giggled, Sophie letting out a huff as she left the room.

He followed her creepily behind her, watching as she walked out the back door and outside to the cemetery. Sophie let out a sigh, brushing her hand through her hair. Then she summoned her black horse, quickly jumping on it with the dream of sweets on her mind. "_I won't take long~~_" she giggled, grabbing the horse's reins. "Cieo!" she shouted, the horse running off towards the shinigami realm, leaving an inquiring Undertaker behind.

Once Sophie got to the shinigami realm she went straight to her dorm, jumping off the horse just as it stopped at the steps. "Be back in a second!" she waved at the horse as it neighed back, flinging the doors open and running as quickly as she could up the stairs.

Sliding across the newly cleaned hallway, she stopped at her room and grabbed her key out of her bag, opening it roughly to find a startled Margaret asleep in bed. "S-sophia?" she asked, looking at the clock. "Its 9am in the morning, what the heck?" she groaned, sitting up as she watched Sophie slammed the door close and rushed into the room.

Her eyes went wide, only seeing a blur of black clothes fly up in the air as Sophie jumped into some baggy pants and a tan collared shirt. "Sorry Margaret. I'm just in a hurry," she said, her bag falling on her bed as she took out a belt to keep her pants around her waist. "Geeze that corset hurt _**all**_ night," Sophie grumbled, tucking her clothes and everything she had on her at the party neatly away in her footlocker. Sophie looked over to see Margaret looking at her, a tired and confused look in her face. She chuckled, grabbing a few more clothes from her locker. "So how was the party? Have any plans for tonight?"

"Yeah actually," she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "Julia told me to have you meet them at her house tonight."

"Oh I see…" Sophie said, folding up an extra pair of her suit and her pajamas. "But you're going, right?"

"I-I think so…" she sighed, rubbing the back of her head, "why?"

"Then tell them I won't be coming tonight," she said, packing her clothes away in her bag.

Margaret blinked for a few seconds, before it registered in her head, "What?"

"I'm just going to be somewhere tonight," Sophie shrugged, "I'll go out tomorrow night, but tonight I have plans."

"Oh…" Margaret said, before she laid her head back down on her pillow to go back to sleep. "Fine… see you tomorrow then," she yawned.

Sophie tied black boots on her feet and put her green ring back on its silver chain, putting it around her neck and under her shirt. She was about to rush out the door, a frown coming to her face when she paused. "I'm sorry Margaret. I should have been going with you guys tonight, but –"

"Hey it doesn't matter," she said with a sigh, "I'll be fine. Now get going. You're obviously late or something." Sophie smirked, going to the door and locking it. Margaret sat up again, noticing she hadn't left the room. Sophie walked over to their window, opening the window and parting the blinds. Margaret's eyes went wide, watching as Sophie looked as if she was going to jump. "Sophia!" she gasped, grabbing for her hand and pulling her back into the room.

"What the heck!" she grumbled, getting back up.

"What are you doing, trying to kill yourself?" Margaret gasped, being silenced as a black nail touched her lips.

"No," she said simply, standing back up and walking to the window. "I'm just going to have a little fun, that's all," Sophie giggled, leaving Margaret stunned on the floor. Then she leaped out the window, Margaret rushing to the window in fright. "_Woo~~hOOooo~~~!_" Sophie yelled, her horse starting to run. Sophie's black cloak flowed in the wind as she fell and twirled through the air. Then she landed on the back of the horse, the black horse jolting forward in a run. "See you later!" she waved to the window on the 16th floor of the building. Margaret giving her a meek wave back before she closed the window and went back to sleep.

Sophie looked at her watch, seeing that the time was still about 9am. She jumped off of the horse just as she got to the open door, the horse disappearing as she jolted through the door. Her speed was still in a hustle from the excitement as she ran into the kitchen, passing by the Undertaker as she did, and swiped up one of the cookies from the tray with a smirk on her face. Just as she was about to eat it, the Undertaker swiped it from her fingertips and bit into it, causing Sophie to growl at him in anger. "_Record time~_" he giggled, noticing how fast it took her to come back, "but still slow," he shrugged, half of the bone-shaped cookie sticking out of his mouth as he chewed on it.

Sophie jumped up on her tippy-toes, biting down on the cookie that he hadn't eaten and shocking him. She stepped back and chewed on it, a smile on her face. "I can't do work on an empty stomach!" she said with a giggle. "Depriving me of cookies, seriously how mean is that?"

The Undertaker smirked, grabbing a cookie from the tray and munching on that. "Are you ready?"

"Almost," she said, grabbing for another cookie and greedily eating it up. "Where do you want me to set my bag down?"

"In the living room in fine," he said, walking out of the cramped kitchen. "I'll be waiting for you in the main room, _my dear~_" he giggled into his sleeve, walking out of the kitchen with a skip in his step.

Sophie walked into the living room, setting down her bag on the couch. She looked around the room for a second, noticing how familiar the place seemed to be. The books, the desk, even the couch; only something seemed like it was missing, something very important that she could have sworn was always in there but wasn't there anymore. She only went into this room one other time, to help clean up the room and help return some of the cinematic records to the library, but even then something seemed missing. Sophie let out a sigh, meeting up with the Undertaker in the main room. She kept a pleasant smile on her face as she grabbed a shovel from his sleeve and grabbing an end of the coffin, bringing it out the door and towards the cemetery.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out an exhausted sigh, knocking the mud off of her boots and black trench coat as she walked into the morgue. She immediately knocked her boots off of her feet, slipping into some warm slippers that were at the door. She walked to the front of the store, setting her coat on the coat rack. She let out a sigh, noticing that the rooms were as dark as they've always been. Looking out the window she saw the rain coming down, the rain switching from rain to slush and back to rain periodically. She looked back at the coat that she had been touching, a sigh escaping her lips as she stared at it as thunder rolled through the sky. She brushed the dirt that was on the coat, flinching when she felt a pair of hands wrap around her small frame as lightening struck the sky. "Whatever are you doing,_ my dear~?_" he asked, letting her let go of the coat.

"Oh nothing," she said quietly, ignoring his advances to her and walking out of the room.

She walked into the living room, sitting down on the couch and setting her bag on the ground. She rested her arm on the armrest, her head resting on her hand as she sat there in thought. Why did everything seem so familiar to her? It was as if it was from a dream or a far off memory. Perhaps that was why she kept coming back, but regardless she liked coming to the morgue. For one the Undertaker, even though he was retired, was a bundle of fun even if he's a bit weird and silly. Sophie could see why he tried to get her to laugh, since she seemed to be the only one that would do so. Also because she could tell that he was trying to be humorous, trying to get anyone that came by the shop to laugh with him when they wouldn't. There's also the factor that she loved his cooking. How she loved the tasty cookies he would randomly bake! They seemed nostalgic, but once again Sophie couldn't pinpoint why. Then there was just the fact that he seemed lonely. Yes, from first glance you would just see an overenthusiastic old man, but really she could see that he was hiding something. The scars are understandable, since he obviously lived long anyhow. She knew if she looked into his eyes she would get the answer, but she knew he wasn't going to let her do that anytime soon. If only she could read his cinematic record, but she figured it was tucked away safely somewhere in the library where she wouldn't be able to get her hands on it, **yet**. She did know why she kept coming back, because he was kind to her and didn't mind if she broke rules by not wearing her glasses or run around crazy and out of her mind. She liked to have fun, but it always depended on who she met. Sure she can tolerate people, but it was hard to be herself around people she didn't consider close. Perhaps that's why she kept coming back, because he seemed close to her.

She looked up, watching as the Undertaker walked into the room wearing his coat, which she could tell was a different one from what he was wearing before. He obviously had multiple pairs; one for inside and one for outside so one could be cleaned as the other was worn. He went for his lamp and flipped it on, giving her a devious smile as he walked by. Sophie gave him a smile back as he walked over to his bookshelf and grabbed a book, sitting done next to her on the couch. She looked at him curiously as he opened up the book to begin to read it. "What are you reading?"

"Oh just a cinematic record," he said as he turned the cover to face Sophie so she could see the name, "William Spears' record."

She blinked in confusion, curiously sparked on her face. "Oh _really_?" she said, a smirk coming to his face as she leaned closer to she could see the pages. "You mean, William _the Ty~rant_ Spears?"

The Undertaker started giggling, setting the book down on his lap so he could look at her deviously, "Where did you hear such an _interes~~ting_ name?"

"Alex and I made it up," she smiled deviously. "You know William's apprentice?"

"I see…" he said, settling down back into the couch. Sophie let out a sigh, her back resting on the couch in boredom. "Do you plan on staying tonight?" he asked, as he began reading the record.

"I guess so," she sighed, hearing the thunder outside, "I mean… I was going to if you didn't mind."

"Not at all dear," he said, flipping the first page in the book, "stay here as long as you want. _I don't mind~~_" he finished, a smile coming to her face.

She let out a sigh, looking back at the bookshelf, "Is it okay if I pick out a book?" she asked, the Undertaker putting the book slightly down and giving her a nod. She smiled, sitting up and walking over to the bookshelf. She looked amongst the stack of books, a name calling at her to grab the book. "Why is there a second William Spears book?"

He chuckled, "That one in your hand is his book while he was human. The one I'm reading is his current cinematic record, which is going on currently as his life as a shinigami. I know you're probably wondering how I have my hands on it, well I sneaked it out," he giggled into his sleeve.

Sophie picked up the book with interest, sitting back down next to the Undertaker as she opened up the book. "Well cool," she giggled, shifting down into the couch so she could see the words in the book better. The Undertaker smirked slyly, going back to reading the book in his own hand. Sophie blinked a few times, before reading into the first page of the book.

'William Tanner Spears

**Born**, May 21, 1701 in the small village of Saint Bertwald in Cumbria, England

**Parents**, son of Tanner Bertwald Spears and Addison Poppy Penelope Spears

**Other ****comments**, Mother died giving birth to the child, Third and youngest son of the local butcher and leather maker

'William grew up with his two other siblings and father in a small shop close to the outskirts of the town. William always felt out of place, not minding the killing of cattle but the worthlessness he seemed to be to his family. Because his family was poor they all pitched in to raise little William. As he grew up he didn't like to venture outside, thinking the other kids in town were tiresome. His elder brother always teased him, calling him a _shrimp_ and _smarty-pants_ and insisting on messing up his hair when he went into the back of the shop. His eldest brother, whom he called Tanner, would be out back with his father as they slaughtered meat to sell at the front of the shop. His sister usually was at the front, selling to passing strangers looking for fresh meat for the week. Even so, he spent his time making leather, especially belts, and customizing them with his own special tastes. His sister and he shared the same talent of artwork, switching off back and forth on who made the belts for the day. This went on for years, William going about the same routine every day in making belts and interacting with customers when necessary. His sister, whom he called Addie, was better at interacting with the customers as he got older. He didn't mind the customers, but rather liked being somewhere else and working on leather belts all day.

When he was thirteen he decided to head towards London to learn all he could about the world. He had saved up enough money from working around town, doing extra chores no one wanted to do, to leave around the age of eighteen. He wanted to go to learn about business so he could haggle more efficiently and send their leather belts all over the world. With a sweet goodbye, he parted ways with his family and told them he would write them every day he could. Once he got there he was amazed, at the complexity of the town and the excitement the place had open for him. He immediately went into a local monastery to begin his schooling. He wasn't bothered with the fact that he would have to become a priest to get the training he wanted, since he didn't see the point in having kids and raising a family. William didn't care much for religion, speeding through his classes and getting all the knowledge he could from them. All he was there for was to help his family so he kept his distance from people and talked to each one of them professionally, both teachers and peers.'

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The Undertaker looked over, noticing that Sophie had fallen asleep on the couch. He set his book down, having read about half of it, and decided it was about time to go to sleep. He picked up the book she had laying on her chest, noticing she had finished the book. He only glanced at it, having already read the cinematic record he knew what was written inside.

'William was walking from the Patrick's pub he was working at, making his way back to his apartment building. Night had fallen on London, the time being around midnight. He shivered to himself, wrapping his coat tighter around his body. If he had known it would have been cold that night he would have rented a room at the pub as he usually did when it got late, but he decided it would have been best for him to just walk home. The nights around this time of year were usually t pleasant, but only this night was colder than normal. He sighed to himself, wondering if leaving the monastery was the best idea. He was all alone now, having to raise the money to get back home to his family. He hadn't seen them in three years, making him rather homesick. He remembered the box of cookies he had been given the past years on his birthday, a few still leftover in their tin box. He sighed, deciding once he would get home he would finish off the cookies that night.

He looked up to the sky, seeing his breath leave his mouth and blowing out into the wind. William noticed something vanish from the top of the building, but he gave it no heed as he walked on. He looked at his watch, _'24:00,' _he frowned,_ 'the __**witching**__ hour,'_ he sighed to himself. From his intense studies and his own free time of reading, he knew these ghosts and goblins. Tanner used to tell him ghost stories and he had eventually ignored his taunts and wouldn't sleep with fears, but he couldn't help but be cautious during that one particular hour. He knew it was all baloney, but even so the thought of being stolen in the middle of the night by a beast did keep him on edge. Just then he came across two familiar faces, their clothing that of trainee priests.

"If it isn't our little pal, William _**T. **_Spears," the taller of the two chuckled, walking over to him.

William glared at them, taking steps back as they came towards him. He growled under his breath, remembering the constant bullying that one particular person had been doing to him as he was staying at the monastery. It was why he left a few months ago, hoping to rid himself of the man. Then he bumped into something, looking up to see a big, broad man staring down at him. His face was stoic, not a tint of fear in his flaming red eyes. William gasped, seeing what he had walked into. The man grabbed hold of his arms, holding them up behind his head, "What the hell?" he yelled at them, a growl escaping his lips.

"Now you think you could escape me, huh?" the bully chuckled, walking over to William with a devious smirk on his face. "Otis, put him on the ground."

"Yes Father," the man answered, swiftly pushing William into the ground.

He cried out in surprise, the man pressing down his arm on his back. William tried not to show that he was absolutely terrified, but it seemed to be showing since he held a devious smile on his face. "Mister smart man, the top student in your class. You think you can just leave without a goodbye, _oh Will~iam_ –"

"Shut up," he growled at him, his eyes narrowing at him.

"Otis," he said roughly, the man digging deeper into William's back. He bit down hard on his lip, the pressure on his back seeming inhuman. The man pulled up his head, a _tisk_ sound leaving his lips, "Dear William, what smart plan will you come up with _this~_ time?"

He gave Otis a nod, the man looking up at him before taking out some rope. He tied up William, tying his hands and feet together and then his neck. He gagged his mouth with a cloth, keeping William on the ground as he did so. The man next to him shivered, "W-what are you doing?"

"If you don't like what you see then go," the bully said roughly, glaring at the other man. He whimpered as he began to back away, but then he was grabbed by his collar. "On second thought, if you tell a soul of what I've been doing, you'll end up like poor William here, got that?" He nodded, being thrown roughly to the ground. Then he took off into the night, the bully letting out an evil laugh. "What a wimp!" Then he glared at William, noticing that he was still glaring back at him. Then he gave a nod at Otis, the man picking up William's body and bringing him along. William kicked as hard as he could, the man not seeming to mind the constant pounding on his chest and at the back of his head.

William looked up, noticing he was brought into an alley and was roughly thrown to the ground by Otis. His captor chuckled, taking off the cloth from his mouth. William growled at him, "What are you doing? –"

He was suddenly cut off, a swift blow to his head by his captor silencing him. "Don't talk unless I tell you to, _**you dog**_," he glared at him, seeing the anger still in William's eyes, "or else I'll have Otis _ki~ll~~_ you." That's when William's eyes went wide, a smirk coming to his captor's face.

Die? Now! No, he couldn't have that, not yet. He was going to go to his apartment, was going to eat his sister's cookies. He was going to go back home in another month, finally able to help in his family's business. He was going to help his family with the finances, help them sell off their excess supply of cow hides. He was going to go back to leather making, perhaps warming up more as he talked to the costumers. Maybe even find a wife and settling down, yes he planned out the rest of his life. He never thought of death, not yet. William gave him a nod, still glaring at him with anger in his eyes. His captor deviously smirked, a chuckle escaping his vicious lips. "Now then," he said, standing up. "Would you want to know how I get Otis to follow me and obey me so obediently?" he asked, not caring about William's answer. He undid his collar, showing off a marking on his neck. William blinked in confusion as a chuckle came from his captor. "This is a mark a demon puts on a human when they make a contract," he chuckled, "Isn't that amazing?"

William's eyes went wide, before they narrowed. "No it's not, it's vile and inhuman. How could you, taking vows to not serve the devil and all his minions."

"No dear William," he chuckled, "he serves _**me**_, not the other way around. It's very useful, don't you think?" He kept glaring at him, his captor growling at him and grabbing him by his shirt. "You pathetic little puke. What do you think you are _**a god**_? Don't make me laugh!" He roughly pulled his back to the ground, William curling up as pain rushed to his head. His captor straddled him, not caring about William struggling underneath him.

"Otis," he said roughly, "I order you to hold William still."

"Yes Father," he said with a bow, grabbing the ropes that tied William's head and hands and pulling them above his body, William struggling as his arms was twisted rather uncomfortably by the demon.

"Now…" he mused, leaning into William's face, "let's see the _real~~_ William T. Spears in all his glory," he smirked, slamming his mouth against his. He widened his eyes, instinctively biting down on his lips and making his captor jump back. He wiped the blood from his face, a growl escaping his mouth. "You bastard," he growled, punching him in the face. William groaned, until another blow came to his face. He was beaten up for a while, and after another ten blows his captor smashed his lips against William's. He bit down on William's lip, causing him to flinch backwards into the wall. "You're going to have to take this, even if you hate it or not," he hissed at him. Then he went down his neck, slowly unbuttoning William's shirt.

"What –"

"Shush," he said, stroking his face as he breathed into his neck, "Just let it happen." William gasped, feeling him grabbing in a rather sensitive area. He tired pulling back, his captor's mouth biting down hard on his nibble. He gasped, not liking the feeling he was suddenly getting. A great pain was coming from his arms as he was pulled up the wall, as if they were being pulled out of his body. He yelled, startling his captor as his arms were ripped roughly from his body. William continued to yell in pain, his body falling limp in front of his captor. He growled, "What the hell Otis?" he hissed.

"Your contract was to be able to touch William T. Spears, and that is what you've done. It is now time for you to keep your end of the bargain –"

"No!" he yelled, jumping up and letting William's body fall to the ground. William groaned, watching the events unfold in front of his eyes. "You blasted demon! That's not what I meant –" he gasped, the speed of the demon almost knocking him out as he was thrown into the wall.

He let a groan escape his lips, glaring angrily at Otis. "Then you should be more specific when you make a contract with your soul," he licked his lips, licking his neck. Then he bit into his neck, William's bully screaming out in pain as blood was drawn from his neck. Then Otis ripped at his chest, eating some of his flesh and drinking up his blood. He made slurping sounds, making William cringe slightly. He tried to get up, unable to grab anything or untie himself. He was trapped, a shiver going down his spine. The bully was nothing then what this demon would do to him! He watched as Otis finished his meal, eating at his heart before walking over to William. He jumped back, closing his eyes tightly. Then he felt a hand go from his cheek to the rope on his neck, causing him to open his eyes widely. Otis cut the rope with a long, sharp nail, cutting his legs too. "How pathetic," he growled, "to make me do his dirty work. What a waste," he sighed. "So much potential," he finished disappearing into the night.

William gasped, blood coming out of his mouth when he did. He stared at his bully's body, ripped apart and laying lifeless on the ground. Just then something else caught his eye; there was a dark man hunched over the body. "Damn demons," the man grumbled, soon standing up tall and writing in a book. William blinked in confusion and watched, unable to do anything else. "This body doesn't have a record! At least my other target has their records," he sighed, walking over to William. He watched as he gargled up more blood, his eyes going wide as he tried to move away from him. He looked at him, staring into his eyes. "I see…" he said rather quietly, "why they made **me** come to you…"

"W-what?" William said, spitting up blood as he asked his question.

"You are coming with me human," the man said, "but trust me, you won't remember our conversation even if I explained to you what you are becoming." Then he walked over to William's arms, picking them up and putting them on his body. "I'll have to find someone to sew you up, but you'll be back to your normal self in no time," the man smiled. William gasped, suddenly seeing his double-iris green eyes. As he was distracted, the man brought out a sickle and stabbed William, his eyes quickly flickering before he passed out.

'**Cause of Death**, arms ripped apart from body, Blood loss

**Death**, June 5, 1721 in London, England

**Remarks**, died with eyes changing into double-iris green eyes'

The Undertaker chuckled, closing the book and setting it down. Then he moved Sophie slightly, who groaned with irritation. "Undertaker?" she asked, sitting up and rubbing at her eyes. "Oh sorry…" she sighed, looking at the books he was putting away. "Undertaker…" she frowned, causing him to look over with curiosity.

"Yes my dear?" he asked, sitting down next to her as she continued to frown.

"How come… William didn't say anything?" she frowned, "How come… someone would do that?"

Undertaker let out a sigh, feeling rather drowsy himself. "I don't know my dear," he sighed, "everyone is able to sin in this world of ours. It's only unfortunate how Mr. William died, but dying as young as he did and having the knowledge he did made him a good candidate to becoming a shinigami. It is just how life works."

Sophie nodded, starting to shiver from the cold. "I guess…" she sighed, still not convinced.

He smirked, standing up and turning out the lamp. "You seem to have a rough day. How about we go to sleep?"

Sophie got up, grabbing her bag and bringing it with her. "Sure," she shrugged, stumbling slightly as she walked through the house in the dark. She made it to the bed, falling face first on the bed as he turned on the lights in that room. The bed seemed to be collecting dust, but she wasn't bothered since she felt like passing out already. Then she looked up at him as he leered over her, "What?"

"_Nothing~~_" he said quietly, leaning into her body and pressing her down into the mattress.

Sophie groaned, pushing at him. "Don't," she said roughly, not liking his intentions. "I've **never** come here to have sex with you –"

"If that's what you thought I was implying then I'm gravely sorry," he said, rolling off of her and sitting up.

Sophie frowned, sitting up too. "Sorry," she said, "just… after reading William's cinematic record, I couldn't help but –"

He hushed her, pressing a finger against her lips. "It's alright, I understand. I'll just leave then," he said, about to leave the bed.

"Wait!" she called to him, grabbing his sleeve and making his stop. He turned around, a smile on her face, "Don't go, okay? Please stay… _please_..."

Sophie looked at him with worry, watching as he smirked back at her and walked out towards the door. "I'll give you some privacy as you change. _Call if you need me~~_" he giggled, closing the door behind him and leaving Sophie in the barely lit room. She let out a sigh, jumping off of the bed and changing out of her work clothes and into her pajamas. She sighed, looking at her pajamas in the mirror as she put her clothes away. They were silk, homemade by Grell. He said he made them because he was already making pajamas and decided to make her a pair, which she figured the other pair was for him. Sophie smiled, liking the dark blue and black color of the fabric he used. Then she let out a sigh, sitting down on the bed and beginning to comb out her hair. "Are you _ready~?_" she heard through the door.

"Sure!" she called back, still brushing her auburn hair with her black comb as he came through the door.

The Undertaker walked into the room, noticing what she had changed into. "You're not trying to impress me, _are you~?_" he giggled.

"No," she said simply as she rolled her eyes. "These are just my only pajamas. Either that or I just sleep in the clothes I wear throughout the day. Why?"

"Nothing," he shrugged, jumping into the bed. Sophie flew up in the air, having to grip hold of the sheets in order for her to not be thrown off the bed. Undertaker chuckled, watching her as she set her comb back in her bag and settled in the bed.

Then she slipped under the sheets, cuddling herself against the sheets and the pillow at her head. He turned and blew out a candle, their last source of light in the room. She felt long boney hands wrap around her body, being pulled slightly into the Undertaker's chest. She let a content sigh escape her, loving the feeling of being safe and protected in his arms, rather than having to protect other people all the time. It was a nice change of pace, bringing a smile to her face. "Now who's trying to _impress_ _**who**_?" Sophie smirked, hearing a chuckle escape Undertaker's mouth.

"Go to sleep," he sighed, pulling himself closer to her body, her head leaning against his chest and his head resting above hers. She giggled at his reaction, closing her own eyes and deciding to fall asleep and wait till tomorrow to make anymore smart remarks to the Undertaker.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie had a skip in her step as she walked down the white hallways, having had a quiescent day to get her all energized for her classes. Grell couldn't help but giggle, noticing how bouncy Sophie was. "I'm guessing you had a _fun~~_ time yesterday?"

"Of course!" she jumped up excitedly. "I haven't had one in_ a~ges~~_. So where are we going? I was going to go and meet up with Alex and –"

"Oh I _see_," he giggled, causing her to roll her eyes and cross her arms.

"See _**what**__?_" she grumbled.

"_No~thing~~_" he giggled to himself, causing Sophie to frown. "Oh young love," he sighed, causing her to roll her eyes at him.

"Oh god," she sighed, looking up to see Alex and William walking down the hall.

"I didn't know I was a _**god**_," Alex smirked, flicking her nose with his finger. She glared at him, rubbing her now itchy nose. "Sorry Sophie, we'll have to get going later. _**Mr. Tyrant**_ over there won't let me leave till I've finished some more work," he sighed annoyed.

"Whatever," Sophie shrugged, watching as Grell was cuddling up with William awkwardly. Sophie slightly frowned, remembering what she had read that night. "Hey Alex," she began to say, her mentor not even noticing. "Do you need help? Or perhaps William has something for me to do? I'd like to do something while I wait, if you're going to take long," she shrugged, "besides, I have Margaret working with Miss Farah and I don't want to confuse her… yet. So anything?"

"Well…" Alex thought, "I won't be long… probably just the rest of the day –"

"I have some work for you, Miss Ioreta," William said gruffly, pushing Grell off of him. "If you don't mind."

"Sure," Sophie shrugged, pulling her messenger bag higher on her shoulder, "what is it?"

"Only standard forms and procedures," he sighed, "are you good at math?"

Sophie shrugged, "Somewhat. I don't know if I learned when I was a human, but I can get by with basic multiplication and division. Why?"

"Nothing," he said, completely ignoring Grell.

Grell looked around, having ignored the conversation, "What is going on?" he whined in William's ear.

"You don't seem to be giving your apprentice enough work, Mr. Sutcliff," William said, adjusting his glasses on his head.

Sophie smirked, watching the show that was evolving in front of her. "What!" Grell growled, "I give her _plenty~~!_ We only finished early, that's all _Wi~lliam~~_" he giggled, messing up his tie.

William twitched, giving Alex and Sophie a reason to snicker quietly. "I highly doubt that," he said, turning around. "Are you coming Miss Ioreta?"

"Yeah sure," she said, giving Alex and Grell a quick wave before following him down the hallway. "But for the record," she began to say, causing William to look over at her, "we did finish early. About an hour ago," she smirked at him, his eyebrow twitching yet again.

Then he moved his glasses up on his face, a snicker coming from Sophie as he did so. "I see… perhaps he needs more work."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "I would prefer not," she said, "because if you do that, then he'll make me do his work again. He does that when they give him a heavy workload." William looking down at her before quickly looking up and setting his sights down the hall, walking towards his office.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let a sigh escape her lips, as she sat on the other side of William's desk as they filled out forms. She took the chair that had been in the corner to the desk, so she would have something hard to write on. She was used to doing this is Grell's cubical, though she was curious as to why William had his own desk. "So I was wondering," she began to say, writing her signature on a form and setting it to the side, "how come you have an office and Grell has a cubical?"

"Just the specific jobs we do," he answered, talking in his average William-monotone voice. "Grell works in dispatch and I work in finances. I need a desk because I'm here all day, though those in dispatch are usually coming and going on their own time," he sighed, setting another piece of paper on an ever growing stack.

"Why not work in dispatch with Grell?" she asked, setting another paper on her own stack. "It's rather fun, and spending my _whole_ day here for _eternity~_ would get tedious. Are you aloud to move around?"

"Yes we are," he said, deciding to answer her question instead of listening to her rant. "We can move around if our studies were close together. I work on financing for the London dispatch, filling them out and turning everything in at the end of the day. It's a rather easy process to do, though the expenses tend to build up quickly." He sighed, glancing up at her as Sophie was busy writing something down. "Why? Do you want to go into finances?"

"No," she shrugged, "just wondering. I would think anyone could do their own financing though."

"You would have to take a course on mathematics if you hadn't learned as a human. Since I did when I was a human, I didn't have to take a course to know how to do the finances. It was just the easiest job for me to go into," he shrugged. "As you become older you learn different tricks of the trade, but for right now my job is to work on the budget and finances for the average shinigamis in the dispatch and nothing more. I plan on working in dispatch soon, but not yet." He finished, returning to writing down on a form.

"Mr. Sutcliff must **really** raise the expenses," Sophie chuckled to herself, causing him to raise an eyebrow.

"Yes," he said in a stern voice, causing Sophie to giggle slightly. William heard rustling and looked up, seeing Sophie set a massive stack of finished forms to the side. "Done?"

"Yep," she nodded, "anything else?"

"Only the forms I'm working on," he shrugged, passing half of the stack to her. She nodded, jumping right into work and reading the forms. "When did you learn mathematics?"

"As I've said as a human," he said, beginning to fill out the forms again.

"For what?" she asked, reading over a form before signing it.

He let out a sigh, "I was going to help my family, mostly with the expenses of our shop."

Sophie nodded, "So what did you do?"

"Leather work… and local butcher," he shrugged. Sophie looked up at her work with curiously, finally getting him to say something rather personal. "My father and eldest brother would butcher the meat for our village. My sister taught me to skin the animals and make things like belts and coats. My family could have gotten by without me, but I wanted to show them I could do more then make leather. So I left for a town to study business, but my plans ended before I could get home," he finished, going back to diligently working on his forms.

Sophie looked back at the form in her hand, signing it. "So you made belts? Did you put designs on them and such?"

"Of course," he said, as if it was basic knowledge. "Braided, cincture, and Sam Browne belts is what we specialized in. I usually worked on the artwork for the belts while my sister ran the show." William blinked for a second, looking up to Sophie who was busy writing something down. "What's with the questions?"

"I'm just curious about your past Mr. Spears," she shrugged, "can a person be curious? Besides, I'm still looking for my own. I was just seeing if shinigamis regain **all** of their memories or only parts." He moved his glasses up on his nose, stopping when a stack of paper landed on top of his finished stack. "Well I think it's about time I get going. See you later?" she asked, grabbing her bag and putting it over her shoulder.

"Yes, I will see you later," he said, looking back at his papers.

"And by the way," she said, holding the door before she left, "you should keep making art. It can be a great stress releaser if you're stressed," she smirked, closing the door behind her. William blinked stunned, before letting out a sigh and continuing on with his work.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: So I just want to explain a few things first. First off, I'm sorry for torturing William! That wasn't fun to do, but it had to be done. In the fanfics I've read of his past life, he's usually working in business or something of the sorts. I wanted to twist it up, making it so he wasn't the _only_/_oldest_ child and actually have a lot of hardship in his life. In the OVA, he seemed to be rather stern still, so his sternness was either something he grew up with or it grew as he aged. I have it a bit of both, William liking to be alone, but becoming stern when it came to trusting people. Yes I have him as smart, being intellectual even in school and being the top of his class. I have it like that so it gives him a reason to _not_ get the best grades at the academy and get by on a B average. So he's not picked at and ridiculed for being smart, really. Also a reason he hates demons, though I think he just tolerates Alex, since he's half demon and all. **

**Then with Undertaker: Their relationship is a nice one, I think. They joke around a lot, him teasing her and Sophie teasing him back. There are times when it gets rather intimate, but she makes sure he backs off if she feels _too_ uncomfortable. Knowing he's an elite reaper, she figures she can trust him to not hurt her, though she's still somewhat cautious with him. She's still on the border of liking him and hating him, but that's because he hasn't shown his true personality to her. Yes, in this story she knows how to fix up bodies and such. Her reason of staying around is to try to find out her memories, feeling that the morgue is keeping a _lot_ of her memorable memories. She doesn't mind helping him though, finding it a great relaxer and worth her free time then reaping bodies or hanging out and drinking. Anyways, I hope this explain their characters better. If you don't like it, then comment. If you like it, then _do_ comment! I won't mind any comments on this story X3 I think I'll begin to actually go into depth of the plot now, moving on from where she's at... I'll see you!**

Ba – ancient Egyptian mythology – personality, like a soul; aspect of a person that Egyptians believed would live after the body died; not part of the person _but the person himself_

Ka – ancient Egyptian mythology – vital essence, difference between living and a dead person, death occurs when _ka_ left the body; concept of spirit in other religions

Field of Reeds – ancient Egyptian mythology – parallel likeness of real world; lush, plentiful version of Egypt; deceased person shown encountering group of gods as well as his/her own parents

_cieo_ – Latin – _set in motion; start_

Tanner – Old English – leather maker

Addison – Old English – child of Adam

Poppy –English – popular flower

Penelope – Old English – weaver

Farah – Iranian – joy, happiness, cheerfulness


	17. The Parting

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Just a quick warning, this chapter goes back into the plot pretty fast. There's not a huge time skip from the first part to the second part, but think of it as some time went by like a week or something. I don't know because I don't want to calculate that, but there will be exact dates later… just not right now X3**

**Now I'm actually going into the plot. Big surprise huh? XD I'm just getting tired of where the characters are and want to move on. Now it may get a bit confusing, and I'm completely ready for any questions and utter confusing responses from you guys. If you don't understand something, then tell me! I'll do my best to explain... without giving away TOO much X3 And as always, ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Alex and Sophie chugged their beer mugs, before slamming them down on the table at the same time. "Hah I win!" they jumped up, only to sit back down laughing their heads off.

"Wow you guys," Julia giggled, nudging Margaret in the shoulder. "So competitive, am I right?"

"Yeah," she replied with a nod, going back to looking at her beer mug and running her fingers over its dewy outside.

"So how was Miss Farah?" Sophie asked, filling up her mug and drinking it down slower then she had been a second ago. "Has she been treating you good?"

"Of course," Margaret said, still running her fingers on the mug in her hand, "she's a nice lady."

"I knew you'd like her," Sophie smiled. "She may not seem it, but she can grow on you, _trust me_," she finished with a giggle, drinking down more of the alcohol. "Do you think you'll be ready for the final exams if you train under her?"

Margaret looked up, before giving her a shrug, "Maybe… it's if I'm not persuaded to go back to Chaz's group –"

"And why would you do that?" she asked, drinking down more beer. "You're highly more intelligent, and frankly, you're nicer than anyone in that group. Besides, what **have** you been doing in that group that wants you to go back?"

"Well…" Margaret thought, "That's where all the cute boys are. Plus they're so sweet and kind once you get to know them… well a few of them," she shrugged. "Obviously you can see that Chaz isn't the best man on the block, but there are guys in that group who are nice. Chaz is just intimidating to them, that's all."

"That's weird," Julia said, deciding to interrupt. "I don't know about this Chaz guy, but he seems like a real dick. If you like someone and the other one like you back, why don't you **hook up** and leave the group?"

"Chaz is skilled in manipulating people," Margaret sighed, "and putting others down." She glanced over at Sophie, before letting out another sigh. "My boyfriend is too transfixed in this reality with Chaz that he doesn't see a future with me. Besides, he's failing his classes just as much as I am. I don't know why Chaz is still around, but all I do know is if we fail then we'll be kicked out and turned back to humans and our memories erased."

"Well that's why I'm trying to help," Sophie responded, "because I do **not** want you to fail. If you fail, who's going to be my wingman when we go out? What about your boyfriend? Do you seriously think he'll _**change?**_?"

Margaret frowned, looking down at her mug, "I-I don't think so… I've been trying for seven months to change his mind, but he never talks to me anymore. I've almost given up hope."

Sophie sighed, drinking down the rest of her beer, "Perhaps he can't be change. Men can be stubborn. Trust me Margaret; this **isn't** the end of the road for you. You have _so_ many experiences to create **without** a man. Maybe once you gain a stable career you can try to date, but right now you should work on your studies. So what if this boyfriend of yours is a loser? You can go out and find a loser **with** a stable career. And I know you want to party every night like Chaz does, but we do that too! I think our nights out are rather fun, right?"

"Of course!" Julia held up her glass, before gulping down the rest of her mug of beer. "Besides girl, there are plenty of fish in the sea. Look at Alex over there; do you think he was smart when I met him? No! He was a dolt without an education and nothing to his name. He would just go off and feed on souls like any common demon, but then he wanted to better himself. He wanted to leave his roots of constantly eating and aspire to new things. Now he can reap souls, not eat them. I think that's a rather big improvement," she finished.

"So I'm a **dolt**, huh?" Alex growled at her with Sophie and Julia laughing at him.

"Yes you are!" Sophie smirked, giving Julia a high-five before turning to the situation at hand. "See Margaret. This is just the first stages of a new journey, where you can find out about yourself and aspire to your goals. This isn't the ending, but rather the beginning. Do you understand?"

Margaret thought for a second, before giving them a nod. "Yes," she said, cracking a smile, "yes I understand… Now Alex, I bet you can drink this beer fast them me!"

Alex smirked, filling up his mug full of beer. "You're on," he smirked, Sophie and Julia cheering them on as they started to drink down their mugs of beer.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, finally finishing her homework and paperwork for the day. She looked out the window, watching the wind pick up a pile of leaves and blow them in a dance across the sky. She smiled, standing up and walking over to the receptionist. "Here you go Jasmine," she smiled, "How is Margaret doing?"

"She's doing well Miss Ioreta," she smiled back, putting her paperwork in the proper files before leaning on the counter. "Out of curiosity, why did you ask me to help her?"

"Because she needs it," Sophie sighed, "and I can't really help her since I'm going into a completely different field then her. It's irrelevant to tutor her…" Then she gave her a smile, "Plus she's my roommate. She's a good person and just needs some help right now. That's all."

Jasmine chuckled to herself, "Well you're a very good roommate then. I don't think **my** roommate would have done something silly like that."

"Yeah okay," she shrugged, grabbing her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Now I have to get going. I'll see you later Miss Farah," she nodded to her as she was about to leave.

"And do tell Alex hi for me, unless he's _taken_ already," she giggled, noticing Sophie pause suddenly before walking down the hallways.

Sophie let out a frustrated sigh, coming into contact with Alex. "Hi Alex," she said, rubbing her forehead. Then she looked up at him, noticing he was spacing out. "Hello… Alex!" she snapped at him, causing him to come back into reality.

"Oh sorry," he said, rubbing his head. "I spaced out again…"

Sophie narrowed her eyes, not liking his answer. "This has been going on rather frequently. Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I think so," he sighed. "Well come on then. Julia is expecting us… is Margaret coming?"

"Can't, "she shrugged, "has homework to catch up on."

Alex nodded in understanding, "Well let's seriously get going. She may not usually mind if we're late, but when her father isn't around then she's more likely to worrying." Sophie gave him a nod in response and followed Alex as they walked out of the building and towards the human realm.

)(*&^%$#!

"Seriously what's going on here?" Sophie grumbled, noticing that Alex **and** Julia had blanked out in front of her. "Is it _**me**_ or something?"

"N-no…" Julia said, "I don't think so… well now that I think about it, I usually don't black out until you come over."

"I'm sorry Sophie," Alex said, putting a gentle hand on top of her own, "please go on."

Sophie narrowed her eyes before drinking down some of her drink and looking at her drunk in frustration. "As I was saying, I feel that my powers are strangely diminishing. I don't know what's going on, but you know that black haze stuff I can summon? Yeah it's not appearing anymore. I try and try but nothing seems to be coming like it should. It's like my powers vanished or something," she grumbled. "Do you know if this has happened before?"

"N-no…" Julia answered, "I've never heard of something like that. Right Alex?"

"Right," he nodded, "that is rather strange… perhaps you're just tired and need to rest?"

"I thought that, but it has only been about a week since I got rest… that can't be it," she thought, before standing up and finishing her drink. "I think it's about time I head home though. If it is something involving sleep or stress then I'd better sleep for eight hours. Alex are you coming?"

"I was going to stay for another few hours," he responded, "but –"

"It's alright. I'll just walk myself home. I'll see you, okay?" she smiled at them, giving them a wave as they said their goodbyes to her. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed a few of the demons in the place had their eyes on her, causing her to get rather nervous. She left the pub quickly, walking swiftly into the London smog. Usually she wouldn't mind demons looking at her, but their eyes… they seemed to look _**hungry**_ than just the normal stares she gets because she's a shinigami. Even though she didn't know what was going on, it was beginning to frighten her. Demons seem to be staring at her more often than normal, even other supernatural beings were doing so. Then Alex would space out on her as she talked to him, as if his mind was in a different world; lastly her powers diminishing and being unable to summon her black haze made her virtually powerless, since she was never a natural born fighter. If she hadn't been able to summon her long scythe then Alex would have cut her the other day with his claws during their training. It was even affecting her training with Mr. Shezmu, causing her to slip up and almost get killed several times last week. She figured the best thing to do was go back to the dorm, enough with the partying and she'll look towards her problems and try to fix them.

She took a turn around a corner, a scent suddenly coming to her senses. It was a few feet away from her, but she hadn't sense it a second ago! Even her **basic** shinigami powers are fading. What is going on? Before she could react to it the new presence had thrown her into the wall, a big and strong hand gripped her neck tightly as it held her up above the ground. The demon smirked, his cold breath blowing on her face causing her to cringe slightly. "Now who is _this_?" He said, his mangy black hair hanging over his hidden eyes. "What an interesting scent you have, _human_," he smirked, licking his lips keenly.

Sophie grabbed her small standard scythe, aiming for his head and causing him to drop her to the ground. She kicked him in the shin, backing up so they were a few feet apart. "I'm a shinigami, _demon_," she hissed at him.

He groaned, holding onto his side rather pathetically. "Oh is that so?" he said, looking at her through his shaggy black hair. "Could have mistaken me." She snorted, deciding to leave before anything else happened. Before she could, he ran at her and swiftly slammed into her, causing her to fall to the ground and drop her scythe. He chuckled, dark amethyst suddenly staring into her frightened double-iris blue/green eyes. "Interesting…" he said, a wicked smirk coming to his face.

"What?" she snapped at him, trying to wiggle away to get free. She hated being vulnerable, **especially** to a demon. If her powers hadn't been vanishing then she would have already taken down this demon and walked away.

"You're a Serbus, **aren't** you?" he said, Sophie's eyes suddenly going wide.

"H-how –"

"You smell like him," he said, sniffing her too close for comfort, "you smell like Maurus." Sophie blinked in confusion at his comment. He smirked, leaning into her face and breathing into her neck. "But you also smell young… and like _**her**_…" he sighed, licking her neck. She shrieked, trying to pull away from him. He only chuckled, his actions not wavering as she tried kicking him off of her.

"Stop!" she yelled, finally getting him off of her slightly, but he was back again and swiftly forced her back down before she had a chance to get up.

"You don't remember who you are, _do you_?" he said, her eyes going wide. He smirked, leaning back into her face and looking into her eyes. "Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus… you better watch your back." Then he bit down into her neck, quieting her scream with his hand as he sank his fangs into her neck and sucking her blood. After he took his fangs out from her neck, he licked up any remaining blood, leaving two gaping holes in her neck. "I'll be back for more," he said into her ear, getting up and disappearing in the smog. Sophie stood up in fright, running as fast as she could towards the shinigami realm. She didn't care if she ran into anyone along the way, only as long as she got as far away from that demon as she could. Unsuspected to her was the amethyst eyes stared intently at her as she passed into the shinigami realm, smirking when Sophie slowed down in her run assuming she was safe.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Alex looked at Sophie strangely as he noticed her new outfit. She had a random scarf tied around her neck, a black scarf but a scarf nonetheless. She sat down, setting her tray of goodies down and beginning to eat. "What's with that?" he said, grabbing for the scarf.

She flinched back, slapping his hands away. "It's just a scarf and I was chilly today," she said rather gruffly. Sophie stared down at Alex, till he let out a sigh and decided to pick at his plate of food.

"First you smell like rose petals, then you start losing your powers, and lastly you have that scarf… Sophie what's going on?" he said, munching down on some food on his plate.

"I don't know…" she sighed, before lifting her head up in shock. "What roses? What are you talking about?"

"Oh you just been smelling like rose petals for the past few weeks," he shrugged, "so whatever products you're using keep it up! It really smells simply divine –"

"Alex," she said rather roughly, "I haven't been using _any_ flower products for my hair or anything else."

"Oh…" he responded, "that's weird…" he thought, shrugging it off and eating from his plate yet again. "Funny it must just be me then," he sighed. Then he looked up, noticing her eyes dead locked on his own, showing traces of terror and fear in her stoic face. "Sophie are you okay?"

She looked down at her food, shaking her head no. "What do mean _smell_?"

"Well I have a strong sense of smell because I'm half-demon," he beamed, "even though I'm here doesn't give me a reason to **not** use some of my abilities. Why do you ask?"

She bit down on her bottom lip, still avoiding eye contact. "A demon tried to eat me the other day," she cringed, hearing him slam his hands against the table and stand up.

"What?" he yelled, causing a bunch of shinigamis to look over. "What the hell? Why didn't you tell me –"

"Sit down and I will," she growled at him, Alex grumbling as he casually sit back down. She waited for a while for the noise in the cafeteria to get back to its maximum volume till she continued. "I-it happened last night… and he said that I should _watch my back_. Then the strange looks I've been getting from other demons… as if they want to… _**eat me**_." She finished, biting back tears that suddenly started to form in her eyes. "I don't care much about dying, but… I don't want to be _**eaten**_," she finished, her blue/green eyes full of fear.

Alex walked over to the other side of the table, swinging his chair around to sit next to her. Then he rubbed her back, trying to comfort her, "Hey its okay, don't cry."

She continued to bit back her tears, not wanting to show her weaknesses in front of a room of shinigamis. Then she suddenly got up, grabbing her bag and tray full of food, "I-I've got to go," she quickly said, throwing her food away in the trashcan and departing, leaving Alex confused beyond belief.

!#$%^&*()

"There you are!" Grell giggled, swinging his arms around Sophie. She flinched, quickly pushing back with terror, a frown coming to his face. "_Eh?_ What's up with you?"

She shook her head, giving him a less then convincing smile, "Nothing. What's up with you?" she said with a huff, trying hard to not show off her petrified emotions.

"I'm going to go to the Undertaker's for some investigative work. What to come?" he asked with a smile on his face.

"Y-yeah sure…" Sophie responded, hesitance in her voice. Grell frowned, taking a huge step closer to her and intentionally invading her personal bubble.

She shuddered, stepping quickly back. "What's the matter Sophie? You know if you have a problem you can tell me," he said with an honest smile on his face, but Sophie still looking away from him.

"I-it's nothing," she said.

Then she let out a yelp when Grell grabbed her chin and tilted her face up so he could see into her. Her face only showed a monotone expression, but her eyes said differently. They were wide, scared and petrified. Sophie's eyes only had a single-iris in her eyes, her eyes a plan looking color of solid blue and green. "Why won't you tell me?" he said with worry in his voice, Sophie trying to avoid contact as best she could. Grell let out a sigh, letting go of her face and watching as she stepped back a few feet, letting a cough escape her lips. "I don't think you should go –"

"I can!" she said, standing up tall and proud. "Nothing is wrong with me Grell, _trust me~_" she smiled at him, Grell giving her a smile back.

"Then let's get going then!" he giggled, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her out of his cubical.

!#$%^&*()

As Sophie walked down the street she stayed as close to Grell as she could without causing him reasons for alarm. She didn't like this new situation of hers, especially since things were starting to get along great! She wasn't thought of as a traitor anymore, she could see her friends, and her roommate seemed to be doing alright and studying hard. For the first time she had woken up at the academy, Sophie had felt at peace with herself and her situation, but now… now her powers were leaving and she was turning into a regular shinigami. Not only that, but even any regular shinigami powers she had were diminishing! Now it's gone to a progress of hours and not days for her powers to be leave her, causing her to wonder what will happen to her now. How come demons are after her, only to eat her? Is there something _more_ that they want?

Sophie paused, waiting as Grell opened the door for her. She smiled and walked in, only to jump back by the Undertaker's sudden appearance a few inches from her face. "_Wel~come~ Shini~gamis~~_" he giggled, grabbing Sophie is a tight embrace and attempting to stroke her hair.

Sophie yelped and pushed away from him with all the force she had, falling to the ground in the process. She shivered, about to run out only to be stopped by Grell's presence in the door. Grell frowned at her, giving her a gentle hand and helped her off of the ground. She bit down on her bottom lip, knowing that Grell was soon going to use _force_ to get her to confess what was going on. Though she normally wouldn't mind, this time was different. Her powers as a supernatural being were almost gone with only her standard death scythe and her basic combat skills to defend her. Even then her normal supernatural speed had left so she couldn't run away and quickly win a fight and her usual unnatural strength was gone too. She was back to being human even if she doesn't remember how **that** was it left her open to be rather vulnerable, and she knew that. Grell grabbed her shoulders and pulled her back into the room and closed the door behind him. Her eyes widened as she suddenly felt trapped in the room. "What is **up** with you?" he crossed his arms. "You're getting tired more often, you haven't been working nearly as much as you usually do, and you're hiding things from me. What's going on?" standing tall and intimidating as he waited for an answer.

She looked at him, noticing how stern and crossed he looked. If she felt like making a joke, she would have said that he looked like _Will~iam~~_, but right now she wasn't in the mood. She looked down at the ground and shook her head. The Undertaker slowly wrapped his arms around her from behind, his face getting uncomfortably close to her ear. "Is it the demons?" he asked, causing her to turn around with a gasp.

"W-wha – h-how –"

"You seem to be _human_ again, haven't you noticed that?" he whispered in her ear, pulling her closer into his chest.

Her eyes widened and she tried pushing him away, unable to leave his iron grip. Grell glared at the Undertaker, walking forward and about to intervene. "I _know~_ you want to know why she's acting the way she is, _right Mr. Sutcliff~~?_" he said to him, any anger that had been growing on Grell's face receding. "Now Mr. Sutcliff," he said as he ushered him into the room and keeping hold of Sophie as he turned, "If you can kindly have a seat…"

Grell paused, unsure if he should, but decided to comfortably sit down on a coffin and cross his legs. He frowned, watching as the Undertaker picked her up slightly so he could walk further into the room. He sat her down on his lap as he sat down on a coffin across from him, keeping a tight hold on Sophie as she kicked at him to let her go. "What are you doing?" he growled under his breath, noticing the Undertaker had one of his long sleeves over Sophie's mouth.

"If we don't keep a firm grip on her ten she'll run off. Isn't that right Sophie?" he leaned into her ear, a frantic look on her features as if she was trying to scream. Then he smirked, resorting to petting her cheek to settle her down, but that only made her struggle more violently.

"Let's not play games Undertaker," Grell grumbled to himself, running his standard black shinigami gloves through his red hair.

"Then tell me what's going on," he said, still petting Sophie.

Grell raised an eyebrow before letting out a sigh of defeat. "I don't know… she hasn't been at her A game lately… I thought it was stress or something, but now she's even acting funny. Always looking over her shoulder as if someone was following her, and I'm getting rather confused," he groaned, rubbing his head in frustration. "Seriously, what the hell is going on! –"

The Undertaker put a finger on Grell's mouth, silencing him. "Now Sophie,_ dearest~_, where do you get your legendary powers from?" he asked, her eyes going wide at the sudden question.

Grell looked at him confused, rather, more confused than he was pervious about the whole situation. "I…" she began to say, waiting for him to set his hand down from her mouth so she could speak. "My father… was the shinigami and my mother was the human. I… didn't know he was legendary though…" she said rather sadly.

"I see…" he said in thought. "It has been a while since I've come across a _**descendent**_, but perfectly understandable," he chuckled to himself. "Your father must have had a purpose for being on this earth and is trying to pass on his role onto you, is that right?"

"I-I don't know…" Sophie frowned, "This is the first time I'm hearing **anything** like this." She looked up, noticing his grin was slowing turning to a frown. "I-I don't even know what you're talking about, let alone coming to understand why demons are trying to eat me! –"

He put a finger on her mouth, quickly silencing her. Sophie frowned, trying to wiggle away from him again. "Then let me explain," he decided to say, quickly interrupted by Sophie.

"Don't you want paymen –"

"Not this time," he answered, "Besides, you come here rather frequently on your own time. It's the _least_ I can do," he giggled, trying to lighten up the mood in the room. Then his giggles slowed down and eventually stopped, noticing neither Grell nor Sophie was laughing along with him. "Now…" he decided to say, "You need to understand that the legendary shinigamis are practically extinct, especially so is any thought of a _**child**_ being born from one. You… well," he chuckled, "I haven't seen a child from a legendary so close to this stage in _years~_… perhaps 500 years now? No wonder no one knows what to do," he giggled into his sleeve, coughing slightly once he was done giggling to get back to the matter at hand. "I have come to realize that there are several stages for a child that has been born to a legendary. The first is the infant stage, where the child is learning his or her role in the world that will soon be passed on in given time. The second is the adolescent stage, where their parent's powers begin to come so the child can train properly for their role. The last stage is the adult stage, where they take an oath and accepted in their new role. There is a thin stage in between the adolescent stage and the adult stage, which I have come to call the parting stage; where the child's powers will vanish for about a month till they take a vow into their new role. This is a critical time for the child, because it's also a time where they're the most vulnerable. In your case, my dear, since you're half-human instead fully a reaper, you turn into a human instead of an ordinary shinigami. That causes even more problems because you have _**no~**_ powers to defend yourself and only have your human instincts to depend upon. Back in the day when these changes were frequent, demons would come after these children during the parting stage because of their vulnerability. You know that demons have a keen sense of smell, correct? Well the stronger the being is the sweeter their scent, or that's what they've told me. In the parting stage a child still has that strong scent, but their body is only incredibly weaker. So demons use this to their advantage and use the time to kill the child and eat them. It became a problem during the Black Death, since there were demons left and right slaughtering these unusual children because they had to work from the increase of souls that had to be taken. That was their opportunity, while they were in the human realm, to devour them." Then he let out a sigh, looking around the room and making sure they were still paying attention to him. "For a demon this habit is uncontrolled and completely on instinct, even if it's a demon that doesn't eat souls on a regular basis. To what they've described, the soul of a shinigami is like sweet nectar and the soul of a legendary shinigami is like forbidden fruit that is _unbelievably_ delicious for the consumer that they still have been unable describe this to me. Because the strong scent is still there during the parting stage and demons can sense the child is getting weaker, their natural instincts are too great for them to control and they go after the soul, friend or foe. Once the soul is devoured the demons say their powers are strengthened ten-fold, perhaps surpassing groups of other supernatural beings they normally wouldn't in the process. They can also gain extra amounts of energy if they do things like drink the child's blood or simply lick their body, but it's killing them makes the powers last forever."

"So… I'm going to die," Sophie said, noticing he was done. "I wouldn't mind that **if** my soul wasn't going to be eaten too…" she sighed sadly, looking over at Grell.

"Not if you stay _**here~**_" he giggled, nuzzling his head into her neck.

She flinched, quickly pushing his head away from her with a dreaded horror on her face. "But you're saying I'm defenseless and can't defend myself," she glared at him, trying to get back to the point.

"Yes or no, depends on what you had been training for and your predecessor's powers. Sometimes just training alone can defend you or simply staying in the shinigami realm. Also I have seen cases of the child's powers coming back in dire situations, but that only happens to a few." Then he chuckled, "But," he said, hugging Sophie tighter against his chest, "if you stay here, then you don't have to _worry_ about defending yourself. No demons come here, even if they're outstanding in power. _What do you say~~?_"

Sophie looked up at Grell with worry, before wiggling roughly and finally getting out of his grasp. She jumped to her feet, turning around so she could face the Undertaker. "Why would you think I would **want** to stay here? Besides, even if I'm in this _'parting stage'_ there's no way I can get to this adult stage. Plus… I don't know what you'd **do** if I stayed…" she looked away, looking towards the ground. "And the academy… and my friends… what about that? Am I just going to stay here until I die because I'm afraid of standing up to a bunch of demons? I doubt that's my reason for becoming a shinigami when I died, so why hide the rest of my life instead of doing what I was put in this world to do?"

The Undertaker stood up, about to wrap his arms around her, but she quickly shrugged him off and moved away. He frowned, looking back over to Grell with a wide eerie smile on his face. "Well Miss Sutcliff? It's up to you since you're her mentor."

Sophie frowned, looking over at Grell. She may have known the Undertaker for a while, but not enough to trust him with her life. He was still a creepy old man, even if he could be surprisingly powerful and protect her. What would he make her do if she had to stay? Plus the problem of staying, feeling trapped, and having to follow him around because of _protection_ reasons. It didn't sit well in her mind, plus any way of getting around this wasn't logged somewhere in her memories. If it was then it certainly wasn't accessible to her. And this training, she never trained for this! To have a role in the world **that** never occurred to her till _**now**_. Even more, she was frightened. She didn't know why, but she was just wholly frightened beyond belief of having to stay or the chance of being eaten. "There's a different matter I want to discuss _first_," Grell huffed, buying some time to think about the situation. "I didn't come here just for Sophie, you know. I'm here to get information on some suspicion on a gathering of demons a few miles away from London. They ordered me here to get information on the matter… so do you have any?" he asked, giving his undivided attention to the creepy man in front of him.

"Oh I_ see~~_" he giggled, his attention leaving Sophie as he skipped over to Grell. "Why yes I do. Come over here _young reaper_…" he said, ushering Grell over to a coffin on the other side of the room.

Sophie let out a sigh, a wave of relief coming over her. She was on the verge of screaming, her back already up against the wall. She took a few steps forward and stepped closer to them, but more so getting closer to the door. She looked over at them with curiosity, but still had her mind on the front door. "Eeewww!" Grell gasped, the Undertaker giggling into his sleeve as he held the lid open.

"A few bodies have been recovered being ripped apart and others eaten. A few only have a severe stab wound imbedded into their chest, but other than it's only the works of vicious animals. Nothing the humans are greatly concerned about," he shrugged. "The holiday of walking around is quickly leaving due to the cold coming over the land. The council won't have a hard time keeping their investigation covered, now won't they?" he giggled, closing the lid. As he did so, Sophie saw her chance and took off for the door. Her speed was rather slow from what she remembered, but she was still fast for a human and grabbed for the door handle. Just as she grabbed the handle she was forced back into the Undertaker. She whined, trying to pry herself away. He grumbled under his breath with an awfully angry mood and forced her to look out the window of the door. "See that?" he said gruffly, turning Sophie's head and keeping it on the window. Her eyes widened, seeing a demon jumping down from out of nowhere and into the street, looking through the window with a look of hunger in his red eyes and drool coming down his face before disappearing into the alley. She gasped, feeling her heart beating rapidly out from her chest. "If I hadn't stopped you then you would be dead," he said in a gruff voice before he lightened his grip on her. "Now do you understand the severity of your situation?" he said in a soft whisper into her ear, now noticing tears slowly treading down her face. Then he let go of her and walked back over to Grell, seeing that she wasn't going to run away anymore. "Is there anything else you need, Mr. Sutcliff?"

Grell glared as he noticed the Cheshire cat smile the Undertaker had plastered on his face. "No, I believe not," he said, walking carefully around him and over to Sophie. He gently spun her around so she was facing him and wrapped his arms around her in a hug. Sophie wrapped her arms around Grell, gripping his clothes tightly as the tears kept coming down her face. After a brief moment he let go, Sophie still gripping hold of his suit coat. "I may not know what's going on, but all I know is I **can't** protect you," he said, looking into her frightened blue/green eyes with a soft smile on his face in an attempt to lighten each other's worries. "You… you should stay here Sophia," he sighed, "If this is true, then you're in a greater danger if you stay in the shinigami realm then here. I just… I can't protect you. As your mentor, I am doing what I think is best… and don't look at me like that!" he whined, wiping the tears from Sophie's face. She cracked a smile, wrapping her arms back around him and hugging him tightly, as if the assure him that it would be okay. Grell looked over to the Undertaker, a serious look on his face. "I shouldn't expect any foul business from you… correct? You'll take care of Sophie, right?... Promise me you will, that you won't harm her while she's here," he glared at him, rubbing Sophie's back as she kept sniffling into his chest.

"I _pro~mise~_ I won't," he said as he held up his right hand in a rather silly way.

"I mean it!" Grell growled at him. "Sophie… she has problems with being in an uncomfortable place. She had to come stay with me as she waited to talk to the council because she kept screaming in the middle of the night in her cell. If she calls for me then I plan on coming back and taking her with me. Got that?" he glared.

"I assure you Grell Sutcliff that your apprentice is in good hands," he said, his features surprisingly suddenly becoming serious. "I promise I'll keep her safe and not lay a hair on her, _if she doesn't want it~_" he giggled into his sleeve out of habit, before turning back into his serious mood.

Grell bit down on his bottom lip, before letting out a sigh and kneeling down to Sophie's level and putting his hands on her shoulders. "I'll come by tomorrow with a few of your clothes. Do you want to stay here though? I won't leave you here if you feel uncomfortable and unsafe."

Sophie looked away, before letting out a sigh as she rubbed her eyes. "No that's okay…" she said in a sad tone. "I don't think anyone there can help me and the Undertaker seems like he knows what's going on more than anyone else. Though… is it alright to be scared?"

He chuckled, hugging her again, "Yes that's _perfectly~_ alright." Then he brushed her cheek before standing back up. "I'll see you later _**darling~~**_" he waved to her, Sophie giving him a meek wave back as he left. Sophie turned around, looking over at the Undertaker with a worried look on her face. Seeing as she had no other choice, she grabbed her messenger bag and walked down the hall and further into the building, with the Undertaker following behind her with a disturbing chuckle echoing through the building.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Wow this chapter probably came to a big surprise and was a bit quick, but I need to start getting this plot going X3 Anyways, now Sophie has a threat… yet again! Know what or _who_ is threatening her? Well good for you for paying attention ^^ Only to clarify, Margaret's relationship with Sophie has always been neutral. They tolerated each other, but only know each other because they are roommates. As Sophie convinces Margaret to hang out with her, they get to know each other and see that they have a few things in common. Sophie's true emotions begin to show, showing off her nicer side and feeling that she's a true friend. After a while Margaret learns to open up, having to be in Chaz's group and be abused slowly wearing off on her. She's rather enthusiastic in nature, but just her experience with the group causing her to be quieter about it. Even so, I hope I was able to show off her character more. She's a nice character, though I feel bad for not bringing her into this story very much. **

**Now Undertaker must have shocked you and Sophie's reaction to him, right? Problem is she's now threatened and has put up walls against it. The Undertaker was getting into her comfort zone, even Alex and Grell did that a bit, but that's why she didn't like him touching her and is screaming at him to let her go. Also, before she made her way back to London when she was kidnapped and a human she was abused. I tried to emphasize that while I was writing that part, but I wasn't sure if the readers got that. Just from that mental scar her mind is telling her to stay away from any potential threats that may harm her, which are the causes for her to be screaming while she was locked up and trying to get out of anything that she felt she couldn't escape from. Even if she doesn't know why, it's her best bet to stay away from danger. The best suspect to make it either better or worse, the Undertaker. Why? He knows an awful lot and even if she's known him for a while he hasn't shown his true colors, and Sophie seems to know that in the back of her mind that he isn't. Mentally she wants to stay away, but logically it's in her best interest to stay with him since he seems to be the only one who can protect her, well except Mr. Shezmu, but as I said he's left for somewhere and won't be back for a while… so it's only the Undertaker. It's now at a point where it can either heal or hurt their fragile relationship, depending on what transpires. Now that I cleared that up, if you still have questions comment! If you like it or hate it you can comment on that! I don't practically care, but I'll try to answer your various questions if I can X3 As always I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I don't know when I'll post the next one up, but it'll be soon ^^**

Jasmine – Persian – flowering olive


	18. The Growing Bond

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Yeah I didn't know what to call that stage, the parting. Seems a bit weird to me, but I don't know ^^; Also, if you see ~~~~~~~~ those are just marks indicating what had been written there was scratched out or missing (I tried doing something else like scratch marks, but it didn't work ^^;). That's all it means… just so you know! =3 I also decided to change the summery for this story from rating may change to suggestive adult themes. That way I'll keep the rating T, but now I can add the stuff I want to write! Plus I've already wrote some suggestive stuff in there, so no biggie X3**

**Now for some more Undertaker and Sophie goop! I've noticed some of you guys have been waiting for him to show up more, well here it is! No worries he'll get a bigger role later, but right now it's just bounding time X3 As always, ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie stared out a drafty window, watching as the pedestrians walked back and fro outside of the building. They were all on the other side of the sidewalk, not wanting to get close to the morgue and cemetery, but Londoners were still out and about for whatever time they had till the snow would begin to fall. She sighed, setting her head and hands down on the windowsill as she continued to watch them.

She couldn't help but hold a horrid frown on her face, even when the Undertaker tried to cheer her up she kept frowning all day. Only when Grell came by would she give him a smile, his daily visits becoming a part of the day she looked forward to. The Undertaker hadn't tried anything funny, astonishingly keeping his distance from her while he was home. He would wake up before she did, making a quick breakfast for her before he left the house. Sophie would wake up with a note next to her, telling her where he was going and when he'd be back. That made her rather nervous having to stay in the house all day, but he assured her that as long as she was in the house nothing would harm her. She decided to accept that as true, since no supernatural beings dared ventured in even when the Undertaker wasn't around. She would go about her business, changing out of her pajamas and into something comfortable for the day. She would clean up things around the morgue, setting jars in one place and stacks of papers in another. She had been working on this for days now, making the morgue almost spotless except for the various cobwebs she didn't want to touch because she liked having them around. By the time lunch rolled around someone would come by with a dead body. Depending if the Undertaker came back, she would accept the money and body and assure them that their loved one will have an extravagant funeral. However if the Undertaker was there then she sat somewhere in the far back of the house, their conversation echoing down the hallway and reaching her. After that was when the fun started. She would clean up a body or add makeup or add accessories into the casket, something she would normally do anyways during her informal visits. The Undertaker was the one that made the coffins, but if she finished early she would sit in the corner and watch as he made them. Eventually they would have dinner, perhaps burying a coffin or two before the day was out. This was the only time Sophie was able to get fresh air, so once they set the casket into the ground she would wander up to the tree at the top of the hill and sit here, staring off and watching the sunset. A few times she would notice the Undertaker disappear, but then he would come back with their dinner and they would eat it there in silence.

The whole time she had been staying the Undertaker hasn't pushed anything on her. He would act his silly, spooky self to the customers, but for her he kept his distance. If Sophie wanted to help him, then he would let her, but if she didn't want to then he didn't constantly ask for her to join him. He wasn't making his usual jokes, not unless Sophie came about with a cheerful mood to force them out of him. He didn't lay a finger on her without her permission, different from the Undertaker she had known who would throw his arms around her out of nowhere and let his hands wander uncomfortably around her. She was grateful, though she was now confused on which side was the real Undertaker and what was his act. The only times she was let out of the morgue was to dig graves, which was why she was sitting under that windowsill. She had nothing left to do for the rest of the day, the bodies already done with and the place spick and span. All that was left for her to do was sit there, wishing she could walk outside on a sunny day like today. Just then the door bell rang as the Undertaker walked into the morgue. "Hello my dear," he said, setting his various items in his hand in their proper places before walking over to where she sat. "What seems to be troubling you?" he crossed his arms behind his back, leaning down slightly so he could hear her response.

"Oh nothing," she sighed, not putting up a convincing reply. "Just everything is done… the place is cleaned and the bodies are done for the day… I'm just bored."

He leaned down, looking out the window. A sly smile came to his face as he back up and put a sleeve under his chin, as if he was in thought. "Well I need to go and get some flowers for our little guests. _Would __you __like __to __come __along~?_" he asked, a smirk coming to his face as she turned around swiftly.

Then Sophie coughed, slowly turning back to look out the window, "Really? I thought I wasn't supposed to leave this place."

"That's if I'm not here, but if I come _with~_ you…" he said, his Cheshire cat grin growing on his face.

Sophie looked over at him, before a slight smile came to her face. "Okay," she responded, the smile vanishing as shortly as it came. "I'll come with you… but I don't know what you want to get so..."

"I'll help with that," he chuckled, waiting for her to sit up before he ushered her out of the overcast room and into the sunlight of midday.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie beamed as she breathed in the outside air and let it out with a sigh. The sky was bright, the trees were blowing in the wind, and knowing this weather wouldn't last long so she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could. She wandered off slightly as she noticed a store with their door open, the smell of baked goods catching her nose and causing her to walk over there in fascination. "Sophia," the Undertaker said, having to turn back around and stop, "are you coming or not?"

"Oh!" she realized, running quickly to him and wiping the drool that started to form on the corners of her lips, "Sorry…" She gave him a meek smile as he gave her a nod, deciding to follow him so he wouldn't make a sudden snap at her. They passed some very tempting shops and gathered a few stares along the way. Sophie couldn't tell if they were just humans or something else, but either way most were looking at her as she continued to follow him around.

Soon they came to their destination, a place full of merchants selling this and that and flower girls walking around trying to see off their petite flowers. Sophie grabbed hold of the Undertaker's gray sash, not because she wouldn't be able to see **him** but because she wasn't sure if he would be able to see _**her**_ in this crowd. The Undertaker looked down before a chuckle escaped his features. Sophie looked up, looking at him curiously as he took out a list out from his sleeve and getting right down to business. "We need three dozen white lilies, a bouquet of assorted carnations, and another bouquet of gladioli," he finished, putting the list back in his sleeve.

Sophie let go of his sash, hastily following him till he got to a flower stand. He began picking through the various flowers set out, Sophie deciding to do the same. "Oh get this one!" she said, grabbing a bouquet of gladioli. "Their petals haven't started wilting yet so I think these will be good."

He chuckled, grabbing the bouquet from her. "Yes I guess they will…" Then he bought the flowers from the lady, going to the next cart to see what flowers were there. By the end they had all but one bouquet of white lilies.

Sophie frowned, wandering slightly away from the Undertaker to look around. Then she came across a cart, seeing the bouquet of flowers she was looking for. "Undertaker I found it!" she called to him, running over to the cart and grabbing the bouquet. He casually walked over, noticing how happily she giggled as she held the bouquet in her arms. He couldn't help but smile, paying the lady and walking off with Sophie jumping slightly as she held the bouquet in her arms. "Here let me get a few of those," Sophie said ready to take a few more in her hands.

"No that's quite alright my dear," he smiled.

Sophie frowned, following behind him. They were about the leave the market when a flower girl stopped her. "Young pretty girl care for a flower?" she asked, holding up a small flower in her hand.

"N-no thank you," she said, trying to refuse it.

The girl walked in front of her, cutting her off from the Undertaker. "Now come on! T'is a flower for sixpence."

"N-no really I –"

"Which one do you want?" Sophie turned around, the Undertaker back next to her.

"A-ahmmm…" she looked at him confusion, noticing the grin on his face. She smiled back, bringing her attention to the flower girl. "I'll take this one," she said, picking up a blue flower from her basket.

"Here you go madam," the Undertaker said, giving the money to the flower girl and pushing Sophie along just in case someone else wanted to come up to them. As they rounded the block and walked on, Sophie twirled the flower in her hand with fascination. "You took a bluebell?" he asked, Sophie looking up at him and giving him a shrug.

"I guess so," she responded. "I was just in a rush so I grabbed something… though I like the blue color it has…"

"Did you know the color blue in a flower helps relieve worries and stress?" he said, Sophie looking up at him with interest.

"No I didn't… must have been on instinct that I picked it up then," she giggled, "Plus… I mean now that I know that I can go out if you're around I'm not that scared right now."

"_Ahhh~~_…" he answered, cradling the flowers in his hand. "Well perhaps I'll have you come with me more often."

Sophie looked up at him, a great big smile on her face, "Yes… I-I'd like that," she beamed, a mixture of her usual crystal blue and shinigami green now in her eyes. The Undertaker blinked for a second as he was at a lost at words; while Sophie giggled happily and grabbed his free hand, pulling him down the streets with girly giggles escaping her lips.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie rolled to her side on the couch, trying to drown out the groans and moans coming from down the hall. She grumbled to herself, putting her pillow on top of her head in her attempts to not hear what she subconsciously knew was going on. During the evenings sometimes a human, but usually a shinigami, would come by to ask the Undertaker for information on a situation or to ask for tips to improve themselves, but sometimes… they came over for something more than information. When it happened Sophie would end up sleeping on the couch for the night, not getting any sleep. The walls were too thin so she could hear, and the hallways were empty, making their activities echo down the hallway and into the living room she slept in. Of course she could close the door to drown out the noise, but she wanted to keep that door wide open; both a gift that the Undertaker didn't close it and lock her in and a curse because she could hear _**everything**_. Whatever he was doing to them didn't sound pleasant. First it started with the Undertaker telling Sophie to leave the room, and then Sophie would hear a _'__thump__'_ as if something hit the ground. She would go into the living room, watching as the Undertaker dragged the body of the shinigami to the bedroom and closing the door behind him. After a while she would hear either a yelp or a grumble followed by the Undertaker's chuckles and laughter. Then he was saying something about tips, and that's when she would try to drown out their conversation.

She couldn't take it anymore. Unable to sleep, Sophie got up from the couch and walked over to the bookshelf. She looked at the different books until a certain name caught her eye at the bottom of a stack hidden in the corner. "Seth Orbheim," she said softly to herself, brushing the dust from the book. The lettering on the binding looked golden, spreading her curiosity more. So she took the book with her, opening the book up to look inside. From the moment she opened it she noticed it was a book of a shinigami. The book was the average book size of a human that had lived for about 20 years, but the table of contents was long and almost filled the book. In a shinigami's book, which Sophie learned from reading a few of them herself, is if you touch a chapter in the content page then the book will flip to the page for you without having to shuffle through unknown pages. A book of a shinigami was always an average size book, either new or old shinigamis, it was all the same. She then closed the book, grabbing her blanket and pillow with her and moving into the main room to a coffin, which she **knew** didn't have a body in it. She opened the coffin and set the lid against the wall, sitting contently in the newly made coffin that was three-thirds bigger then she was. Sophie wrapped her blanket around her body and put the pillow down, settling down and cuddling up with the book in her hand. She opened the book again, reading over the table of contents. _'Wow… this shinigami must have lived a __**long**__ time,' _she thought, knowing the Undertaker only took books of people who already died. _'__Chapter I: The Birth__,' _she translated, touching the letters so it would flip to the start. So it did, stopping somewhere in the middle of the book with the pages I and II on them. Then she began reading, still subconsciously drowning out the sounds that echoed down the hall.

'**Chapter I**: The Birth

Seth Orbheim the First

**Birth**, ~~~~~~~~ in the Land of Canaan

**Parents**, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim

**Other****comments**, mother lived as a human in Cana~~~ born after two generations since the tower of B~~~~~~ incident

'Hello, my name is Seth Orbheim the First, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim. I was born in the desert in a cave overlooking our own little oasis. There I lived with my mother, Bracha Eliheim. She was a beautiful woman with a small light tanned body, long silver hair, and crystal blue eyes. She was a feeble young woman, around the age of thirteen when she conceived me. She raised me by herself at the oasis, without anyone to look after or take care of us. We were able to grow several things from the natural water that came from a rock, keeping us alive and well for years to come. I grew up with no playmates, knowing only my mother and the oasis for a very long time. She taught me all I needed to know to survive: how to hunt, fish, scavenge for food, and cook and prepare the food to eat. She had me come to her every day before I went off to play for the day, saying:

"The ~~~~~ bless you and keep you:

The ~~~~~ make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you:

The ~~~~~ lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace."

My mother's crystal blue eyes seemed to hold all knowledge and truth within them. I couldn't never waver and hesitate for her sake and perhaps my own. I grew up to be a strong and independent young man, a man who can take care of his family if need be. My mother always said I looked like my father, supposedly bearing the same green eyes as he did. She told me I was almost a duplicate of his own likeness, except for the features of my hair being a combination of his black hair and her strange color of silver. I didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing, but from her smiles and reactions to me I considered it a good thing.

My mother told me stories of why I wasn't growing up with other children about, like in a tribe as other people do. Her explanation, she said, consisted of her parents kicking her out of the family for mysteriously becoming pregnant. She told me it wasn't her fault, calling it a sign from the divine, but they didn't believe her. Honestly, she said, it could have been worse for her. If they had stoned her then she wouldn't have conceived me, but luck was on her side that day when she was kicked off into the desert. Falling unconscious from the heat, she woke up at this very oasis and never left since. That is where she stayed and where I will stay, from then and unto her death.

'**Chapter II**: Beginning of Death

'My mother died about the age of thirty at the oasis and that was where I buried her. I, Seth Orbheim the First, decided to go off on my own into the great unknown the world had to offer me. Little did I know what there was much in store for a young man like myself out in that great unknown. I came across a small gathering tribe of people, their big open arms accepting me into their tents. I stayed there for a while, helping them with their crops and harvesting them during the right seasons. They were impressed by me, calling me _'__A __Child __sent __from __the __Gods__'_. That was where I decided to settle down, helping the people there and teaching them how to farm and hunt. The land was very fertile compared to the land I tilled at the oasis so I didn't come across any difficulties there.

It was around the time I turned twenty that I wanted to marry. There were a few women I could choose from, the fathers of the group loving me and having accepted me into their group. They even wanted me to take all of the young women my wife, but I quickly refused saying it was against what I was taught and believe in. I told them that I will only save myself for **one** woman, a woman I will cherish with all my heart and soul and forever in eternity. At this they were beyond enthusiasm, wanting me to marry their daughters more aggressively than before. One night, after I came back from tending the fields, they grabbed me and tied me up like an animal and threw me into a tent with one of the women from the tribe. She was rather beautiful, but she wasn't the woman I had longed for. Not because of her body, no nothing of those sorts, but she wasn't a very strong woman at heart and was a human who didn't know much of the world, which disappointed me. Either way she untied me and told me to make love to her, which I decided I had no choice in the matter and brought her to the mat that someone had laid out in the tent for us.

Just then a loud roar came from the heavens, frightening the people. The woman clutched me tightly in fear and prayed to the gods to protect her. I wasn't at all frightened, noticing a white blur walking out of nowhere and appearing into the room. Then there before us appeared a man, dressed in a white robe with a black hooded cape over his face. I could barely see his features, though I noticed that his hair was a solid dark black color. He frowned, noticing the sight he had walked in on. "Seth Orbheim, my son, whatever are you doing with this woman?"

"Your _son_?" I had asked him, getting up and leaving the woman on the ground. She was bowing down in worship, whispering chants to herself to save herself and her people. "If you are my father then where have you been all this time?"

"Calm down," he said lightly, raising his hand to me. "You're frightening her," he finished, pointing to the woman on the ground. I looked over at the woman before turning my attention back to the stranger. "Then who are you and why are you here?"

"My name is ~~~~~~~~~~ born in the beginning of time for the purpose of bringing ~~~~~~~~~~ to the world, for the sins of man and their fall from the divine," he stated, looking over at the woman before turning his attention back to me. "Call me a god if you wish, I do not care, but you are my son and I want what is best for you in this world. This life is **not** a life I wanted for you. Staying with these tent dwellers will not help you, for you will soon grow weary of their daily life. Come my son, I will take you somewhere where I will teach you all I know so you my take my place here on earth."

I was confused, wondering if it was a good idea to go with this strange being. "The purpose for me? What would that be?"

"To take the spirits of those who have died and evaluate their souls. It is my job and I have hoped to pass this gift unto you. If you like it or not, for being my son it is what you are eternally destined to do. This is the sole reason as to why you were born in this world; to do the job I can no longer do here myself." He looked at me, his double-iris dark green eyes coming into contact with my own eyes. "I know every lifespan of every being in this world, from the moment they are born till their death. You, my son, have a long life ahead of you, but if you do not follow me then you are denying the part of you which is me. If you do this then you will die a short and normal death as any other human in this world."

I was still confused, but could vaguely understand what he was saying. Without much of a future for me except to be part of this tribe, I decided to accept his offer. So began my life of being called a God of Death, evaluating the souls of those who have died and those who will soon die. Over time my senses as a god grew, being able to detect how long a being had to live and the goodness of the soul just at a glance. Because of my keen sense it slowly deteriorated my eyes, soon making me unable to see properly anymore. At one point my green eyes grew double-iris to combat the problem of going blind, but this did not help me in the long run. Even so I still did my job peacefully and efficiently, without any flaws or errors'…

)(*&^%$#!

The Undertaker sat up in bed, looking up to the ceiling and putting a hand on the bare grove in the bed. It was about one in the morning and about time to go and see how Sophie had been doing without him around. He got up, putting his clothes back on and walked into the living room. He frowned, noticing that her body wasn't in the room. He walked down the hallway, looking in every possible room she could be in, but found nothing. He walked into the front of the store, noticing that one of the coffins he had made yesterday was open. The Undertaker wandered over and peered over the casket. He couldn't help but let out a light chuckle.

There was Sophie, lying curled up with the dark gray blanket and pillow he had provided for her that night. She shifted a little, which was when he noticed the cinematic record laying open on the page she had fallen asleep reading. Sophie had pressed the bluebell flower she had gotten a few days ago in the book, using it as a bookmark and a way of preserving the flower that must have a meaning for her. The Undertaker gently grabbed the book from her, looking over the pages she was reading:

'… thus day after day is the same routine. I wake up and go about my business, reaping souls left and right and evaluating them. The cold air hasn't been doing any good for my body's health, even as a God of Death, but even so I would go to the frozen fields and villages to take the souls of those who have departed from this world.

It was at this cold time that I decided to move down south, to a place where it isn't as cold as it is here.

'**Chapter DCLXXIV**: Traveling for Warmth

'I have been living in Scandia with the Goths for several years, moving from the Vandals to the Goths for several centuries now. I have realized it has been almost two thousand years since I have been back to the place I grew up, in the land of Canaan where my mother had died. I have been moving around so much that I almost lost track of the time. Seeing this as a great opportunity to visit her grave, I decided it was time for me to leave this place of ice and snow and head down south to Dacia. I may even take a few detours and see other places, but to Canaan is where my final destination will be before I come up with a new place to head to.

So I began my journey down south, spending the night in either a small village or town till I made it to Dacia. From there I heard of a place called Thrace, and since it was along my route I decided to make my way there. After living for two thousand years, you see several similarities with every soul you reap. Many different lives live a similar type of life, being a child, going through a rebellious stage, becoming an adult, raising a family, and then death. There are several reasons for someone to die as a child or before they become an adult, but this is always the mindset of any soul, especially a human soul. This was not the case when I met a young god of death in the city of Thrace.

His name was Maurus Serbus, a young man who had grown up in the Roman army into a well-known family. The tragedy in his story was his young death, a death at the age of twenty one, but yet he was not affected by it. He went merrily on his way, accepting his new role as a god of death without a fuss. Knowing automatically I was a being like him, he asked me to stay at an inn he was currently at. While I was there he was discussing with me several different subjects all at once: from the discoveries of the Romans to the knowledge of the Greeks, the difference in lives of a human and a god, and how a soul can turn from good to bad or bad to good. It astonished me with his knowledge of all these subjects, only being a god of death for several years and ultimately only being dead for a mere fifty. Afterwards we went out into the night to reap souls and his way to taking souls almost shocked me. Several times he would use gruesome methods to destroy bad souls and then he would give the blood he had made from the bad souls to the good souls he had taken. He evaluated the souls as any normal god of death I had met would do, putting its contents into a book and letting it vanish in between his fingers. That's what amazed me the most, the black mist that came from his fingers and caused the various types of tools he used to take souls to disappear without a trace. That mist reminded me of a spirit I had met many years back, in the time of the Egyptians and the slavery of the tribe of Israel.

As I recalled, as the son of ~~~~~~~~~~ I was given a job to watch a plague on Egypt and make sure it did its job properly. I stayed amongst the shadows, taking souls with my frequently used scythe of death as the firstborns of Egypt died throughout the land. It was hard evaluating all these souls at once, but after my years of training with father and his departure from this world I have concluded that it was my duty and my role in this world to do the job no one else could do. This spirit would later be known as Death, but it was merely a dark spirit that would take the breaths of those it was sent to kill. I remember that soul, for it even frightened me with its presence as it passed over me. It had come over me, seeing me as a firstborn and was about to take my soul, but then stopped when it noticed I was there doing the job I had been trained to do. After the work was done the spirit followed me out of Egypt as I waited in the desert on a rocky cliff next to the Red Sea. Then this black mist seemed to manifest into that of a person, but it was hard to tell since it only became a blurry shape of a human. "So you are the son of ~~~~~~~~~~ am I correct?" it asked me, in a language I had been accustomed to hearing.

"Yes I am," I responded, noticing a smile showing up on its hazy features.

"You are a good soul," it said, seeming to lean back on the rock it was sitting on. "This is one of the first times I was let out of the other world and into this world to take the breaths of those humans and animals. I never get to see _this_ sky, especially a sunrise and sunset, so when I get the opportunity then I stay here as long as I am able. What do you think boy, is my job a just job?"

"I believe so," I responded, "of course my own job is to take souls and evaluate them –"

"Yes," he interrupted, "but that is **not** my job. My job is to take the breath of man that ~~~~~ had given to them. It is different from your job, unless I'm mistaken."

I had to think at that time, wondering if he was testing me or not. "I don't believe it's different from my own job. I am here to take the spirits of those who are to die and evaluate their souls. The difference is that you simply take their breath, but I evaluate their lives and see if they are good or bad. So our jobs are not different or that's what I have come to believe."

Just then I heard the mist chuckle, seeming amused by my answer. "You are a good man Seth Orbheim the First, son of ~~~~~~~~~~ and Bracha Eliheim. By the way how is your earthly mother?"

"She is alright," I shrugged, "living happily with my father in what the Egyptians call the Field of Reeds."

The mist chuckled, "Of course she is… She is a beautiful young woman, might I add. It's nice to talk to them every once in a while, though most of their conversations are about _**you**_. Now onto something more serious," it said, its tone becoming less playful and sterner. "What would you think if a dark spirit like me would try to become a human? Not simply turning into a human, but transpire this spirit into a human. I would grow as a human, think as a human, but still be this dark spirit that can give or take away the breath of life. What do you think? Was your life as a human a good reason for me to become one?"

At this I remember being shocked. I didn't know what to say, a god like itself wanting to be feeble human was unthinkable, but then again nothing is impossible as what I have come to believe. I gave it a nod, which made it smile. "My life was a typical human life: that of a lonely child without children to play with, my mother dying so I left where I grew up, and trying to marry into a group of people that had decided to take me into their tribe. That's when my father came to me, to bring me out of that simple life and into this new life as a god of death. Is that what you're asking me? If my life was good? Well I believe it was, for I learned a lot about humans as I grew up. If I had not been born as a human then I wouldn't be as appreciative about every soul I harvest and every life that has lived in this world. It took me years to understand this, but it was all for the better or that's what I believe."

"I see my boy," the mist nodded, before moving off from the rock and towards the rising sun. "I may come back then and see you. Maybe we can have a friendly chat like this when I am back in this world. However it is now my time to go, for the sun is telling me to depart and go back into the other world."

I nodded in understanding, watching as he disappeared in the sun's rays and left me…'

The Undertaker let out a sigh, closing the book but keeping the bluebell pressed beneath its pages. He quietly left the room and went into the living room and straight to his bookshelf. As if looking for a proper place for it, he put it on the very top of the shelf and shoved in the back so no one could see it even if they were looking at the shelf from a distance, unless they looked above the shelf and in the very spot he placed it.

Then he walked back into the main room, watching as Sophie shifted in her sleep with a frightened expression growing on her face. "N-no…" she whimpered quietly, gripping the blanket tightly. "L-leave me alone… please…" The Undertaker nudged her lightly as he tried to wake her up. In an instant her eyes opened wide, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes beaming in fear before she settled back down, her eyes going back to their dull human color. "U-undertaker?" she said, getting up with a groan and rubbing the back of her head. "I-is it morning?"

"No," he said, sitting down on a coffin right next to the coffin she was in, "but you were whimpering in your sleep. Is there something you want to take about_ my dear~?_"

She shook her head, settling back into the coffin. "No… not really," she sighed, setting her head back down in the coffin. "Just nightmares…"

"I can see that the noise was disturbing you," he chuckled, "I'll make sure that we're _quieter~_ next time."

Sophie shrugged, "Whatever. I don't care… just don't try something like **that** on me, okay?"

"Whatever you say," he giggled, getting up from the coffin he was sitting on. "I'll go back to bed, seeing as you're alive and well. _Don't let the bedbugs~ __**bite**__ you now_," he chuckled, starting to walk towards the hall.

"Wait," she said quickly, causing him to stop. Sophie bit down on her bottom lip and let out a frustrated sigh. "Can… can you… I'm scared," she frowned, curling up in the coffin. "I have this feeling that whatever happened to me as a human will happen again, but worse. I… I don't know if I can take this pressure anymore. I don't want to die," she coughed, holding back the tears in her eyes. "I doubt you care because you've probably seen many other shinigamis die over hungry demons, but I'm scared. I don't want to die, not right now. I thought I had more to live for, but if it's just to become some demon's next meal then I don't want to live. Not in _**this**_ world," she coughed again. "I-I just want to escape… why can't I escape thi –" Sophie gasped, the Undertaker's hands snaking around her waist from behind her. She rolled over slightly, looking up at his bangs with fear in her eyes. "U-undertaker…" she sniffled, trying all she could to not start cry.

He forced her head onto his shoulder, holding her close. "A beautiful young maiden like yourself shouldn't keep a heavy burden on her shoulders. Give some of the weight on your heart to me. I am here to help you, not harm you. Just let it all out…"

At this Sophie began to sob, tears falling down her face and onto his shoulder. She pulled him closer, ready to trust her whole life and soul in the palm of his hands. "Don't let me die…" she whimpered, tears still streaming down her face. The Undertaker rubbed her back and let her lean her body into his. She never felt this vulnerable in her life. Everything, her memories, her own human life, she never gave anyone the heavy burdens she had the bear. She kept it all in, helping everyone else when it was her own life that was a mess. Sophie was used to being a pillar for other people, strength for those in their own time of weakness, but for herself her foundation was crumbling underneath her, enough for her to completely fall apart. She didn't care anymore if the Undertaker was going to show his true colors to her or not, she liked the way he was right here and now as he kept her from giving in to temptation and letting herself be taken away. All she wanted right now was someone she could trust, someone who could be her pillar while she got back to her feet. After sobbing for what seemed like hours she finally slowed down, letting out a sigh of content escape her as she kept herself entangled in his embrace. Sophie lifted her head, giving him a kiss on the cheek. "T-thank you…" she said, closing her eyes as a slight smile came to her lips.

Then she felt his hand upon her cheek, lifting up her face so he could see her. She opened up her eyes, her crystal blue and shinigami green mix in her eyes as she stared up at him, a smile still on her face. He couldn't help but smile, not his normal creepy smile, but a smile of complete sincerity and awe. "You really are a beautiful young maiden… you know that right?"

She giggled, looking down with embarrassment, "I-I don't know about **that**…"

Her eyes widened as his lips made contact with her own. She gasped in shock, the Undertaker looking at her with a smile on his face. "Don't doubt yourself dear." She couldn't help but smile back, letting him lean back into her and kiss her again. Then he leaned into her body, carefully setting her head down in the coffin as he climbed into it. Sophie gave him a worried look on her face, which caused him to chuckle. "Don't worry my dear, I won't hurt you. Now go back to sleep." She looked at him confused before closing her eyes and deciding to lean her head into his chest. He grabbed the blanket and wrapped most of it around her, closing his eyes and letting out a sigh of content. He hugged her close, pressing her body close to his own. "Little maiden…" he sighed after a while in a dreamful state, "My little maiden…"

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie grumbled to herself, sweeping the dust out of the morgue and wiping the sweat from her brow. "Well that's done with," she smirked to herself, closing the door and setting the broom away in a nearby closet. Then she noticed something, a sword hidden away in the corner. "Huh," she said to no one in particular, picking up the sword with curiosity. She recognized it to be a shamshir sword, an old Persian sword that had been thrown in the corner of the closet to collect dust. It amazed her that she didn't notice it before and she took the sword out of its sheath. She examined it, noticing hunting and war images on the sword's blade. Then she gasped, feeling a memory coming back to her with full force.

"_You're not trying hard enough!" the elder man yelled as a small girl fell to the ground._

"_Y-yes I am –"_

"_No you're not!" he grumbled. "I know you have more in you, I've **seen** it. Now try again."_

_The girl got back to her feet and ran at him with a small sword in her hand. She aimed for his legs, but was stopped by the blade of his shamshir. She growled, throwing her attacks at him and trying to hit him somewhere on his body. The sword suddenly left her hands and landed on the ground behind her, and the blade of the shamshir was quickly right up against her neck as it drew a small hint of blood. The elder man let out a sigh, lowering his blade and looking up to the sky. "You want to know why I'm trying to help you. Why I'm helping you and your mom?"_

_She frowned, noticing the silence, "Why?"_

"_Because your father promised me to," he said, looking to her with a smile on his face, "you 'papa' told me to help you. He made me swear to keep the two of you safe, his little darlings. I have done my duty, letting your mother stay here with me while she was close to labor. You have been living here all your life here in a damp cemetery, all because of me. If it wasn't for that, then you would be on the streets slowly starving to death and ending up here eventually." Then he let out a sigh, walking over to her and tilting her chin up so he could see her depressed face. "I'm sorry for scaring you –"_

"_No it's fine," she shrugged it off, standing to her feet, "Trust me I am…" He chuckled, rustling up her auburn hair. "C-can you tell me why you're teaching me this again?" the little girl asked, picking up her sword off from the ground. He sighed and decided to walk down the road. The girl blinked in confusion, quickly running after him. "T-thomas?..." she asked, finding him leaning against the big tree that her mommy and her would sit under. She giggled, joining him under the tree and sitting down on his lap as she always did._

"_You're mommy wasn't accepted by her family," he began, "when she was pregnant with you. During her youth many suitors would come to her door and asking for her hand in marriage. Your grandparents were rather proud by this, waiting for the richest man they could find to come by so they could give her away. Your mommy didn't like this, running away from home frequently to avoid having to discuss the subject. That's when I met her, here under this very tree. She was reading a book quietly to herself, surprised by my sudden presence. I told her what I do and she was rather warmhearted about it, soon spending every day at the morgue with me. We became great friends, and I learned little by little about her every day. _

"_That was when **he** came," he emphasized, "the man you have come to know as 'papa'. At the time the man was like her knight in shining armor, seeming to be born of noble birth as she was. He had short rugged maroon hair and green/yellow eyes. He was a striking sight to behold, though I was rather protective of your mommy at the time," he chuckled to himself. "I don't believe I've told you this, but my family originated from Persia where we had lived as an elite-warrior class devoted to learning the ways of battle. My father taught me these things, making sure I mastered sword fighting above any other weapon, and was given his sword before he died. He told me that this sword can pierce even that of the gods, but at the time I didn't believe this. Well, when your papa came over once I thought he was a suitor following your mommy and I cut him deep in the arm. He laid there bleeding, completely in shock. That's when your mommy came to us, stopping me from making a final blow._

"_She explained to me who he was as did he when he came to his senses. Even though he kept his young stoic appearance he had actually lived for a very long time. He was amazed that the blade cut him, saying no human weapon could hurt him. That's when he told me… well that's a story for another day," he chuckled, the young girl blinking in confusion. Then he let out a cough, continuing on with his story. "Your mommy soon became pregnant with you and her parents kicked her out of the house. She took refuge at the morgue, giving birth to you here in the mist of all this death and decay. On that day your papa made me take an oath. I swore that I would protect his new family with my life. Then I agreed to teach his little girl how to speak Latin so she can communicate with other people and the ways of the sword to defend herself against anyone who would want to harm her. So that is why I am training you, and so is your mommy for that matter. In the end we all want what's best for you, you understand now?"_

_The girl nodded, "Y-yes I guess," she shrugged. "Do you know much about papa?"_

"_No my dear," he chuckled, "but I wish I did. I wonder… where he is now."_

_The little girl nodded, looking out at the scenic view. "Me too," she sighed, standing back up. "Well come on! I want to get this right Thomas!"_

_He chuckled, using the trunk of the tree to help himself up. "Yes I'm coming," he said, following after her to the bottom of the cemetery where they had been training. _

Sophie gasped, rubbing her head in frustration. She decided it was best to leave the sword in the closet, closing the door and going back to cleaning up the morgue while the Undertaker was away on business.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Well this is a bit of a back and forth thing. Just showing off time Sophie is spending with the Undertaker as she's being protected by any hungry demons. It's a bit hard to keep the Undertaker as he is, so it's a back and forth thing. And yes, I'm implying the Undertaker has sex with people and Sophie can hear them. That's EXACTLY what I mean… but it's more of a thing he's been doing recently and in the past year. I think you can figure out why he does that. When the Undertaker says _little __maiden_ he's thinking of his… well _little __maiden_. You can say Sophie is reminding him of his daughter XD Just the whole flower scene really set this off, seeing her giggling like a little child. Plus her eyes flashing back and forth from being somewhat mysterious and back to human eyes can be why. But sadly he still doesn't see her for who she really is… but maybe next chapter? =O Tell me how you think of this chapter. Did I portray the Undertaker how you would? Is he what you're thinking of? As always you are free to write any comments to me!**

Carnations – at a funeral, this flower is used for sympathy arrangements

Campanula rotundifolia – a flower known as bluebell in Scotland; meaning gratitude

Blue – in flowers – calm worries and preoccupation resulting in peace, openness, and serenity

Seth – Hebrew – appointed

Jaheim – Hebrew – raised up

Orbhao – Greek – deprived

Bracha – Hebrew – blessing

Eliora – Hebrew – God is my light

Shamshir – Persian – meaning sword; type of sabre with a curve that is considered radical for a sword


	19. The Spiteful Demon

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Warning: gore/violence and mild language. Why hello again! If it were up to me this would have been up sooner, but I got busy with school work and the Thanksgiving Break. Sorry about that, but now there's another chapter up. How great is that? ^^ I'll still be doing homework over the weekend and such so I won't have a lot to do over my week off, but I decided to finish this one for you so you have something to read while I work on the next one! I don't know if I'll have it done during or after Thanksgiving, it depends on what I have to do over the break. Also, there's a _long_ battle scene. If you get confused, then sorry about that! I tried to make everything understandable, but if you don't get it then message me. I'll try to clarify things at the end, but if there are still questions then ask them. Don't worry I don't bite! And of course, ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat at the window and looked out to the people roaming the streets. She sighed to herself, setting down the cinematic record she had been reading. "_'__Only __a __day,__'_ he said. _'__I__'__ll __be __back __in __**one~ **__day,__'"_ she grumbled, standing up from the coffin she was sitting on and walking into the living room. "One day **my ****foot**," she kept grumbling, setting the book back on the shelf. Then she let out a sigh, placing a finger on the edge of the bookshelf and wiping some of the dust off. "Hmmmm… I should probably clean that…" she thought to herself, walking over to the closet in the hallway. She opened it and picked up a feather duster, noticing the sword lying to the side. She grumbled to herself, closing the door behind her as she walked back into the living room and began dusting.

First she began with the couch and table, wiping small particles of dust from the table and lamp. Then she went over to his desk, reaching up high to get the dust from the top of a filing cabinet before straightening up the disorganized papers on his desk. "Charlotte Cyrielle…" she read, putting it down and continuing to straighten up the room. She grabbed the chair at his desk, setting it in front of the bookshelf and stood upon it so she could reach the top. She began dusting the top of the bookshelf, suddenly bumping against something with the feather duster. She reached on her tiptoes, her fingers coming in contact with the binding of a book. Sophie grabbed it, looking at what it said on the front. "Seth Orbheim…" she read, before a chuckle escape her lips. "So that's where you were hiding!" she laughed to herself, suddenly quieting down and flipping through the pages. Sure enough the bluebell that she was using as a bookmark was there, safe and sound. She let out a content sigh, deciding it was best to put it back where she found it. Then she noticed her stomach grumble; so she jumped back down, scooting the chair back behind the desk and throwing the feather duster in the closet before rushing into the kitchen in search for food.

She heated up some few-day old stew and set out a pot of water for tea. Once the water was boiled she poured the water into a beaker and a small oolong tea bag into the beaker. Then she set it off to the side, grabbing a bowl and filling it up with the stew, grabbing a piece of bread before grabbing her lunch and walking into the main room and setting it down on a desk next to a shelf of assorted jars and containers. Then she sat down in a chair, slurping and gnawing at the food she placed in front of her. "How boring…" she sighed to herself, wiping some of the tea from her cheek before proceeding to finish her plate.

Just then the door opened to reveal some officials from Scotland Yard. "M-mister Undertaker? Sir... Do you think he's home?"

"I believe not," Sophie replied from the corner, spooking them slightly, "but if you need his services I'm here to help." She pushed the chair back, standing up and grabbing the rest of the bread on her plate. She walked to the front, chewing on the bread as they looked down at her with confusion. "Well _**hello?**_ Is someone going to say_ some~thing?_" she grumbled as she wiped the crumbs from her mouth.

"Sorry little lady," one of them coughed, obviously the one in charge. "I wasn't expecting a lady to be doing a dirty job like this."

"Then you should get out more," she shrugged, ushering them in. Two of them stayed outside, Sophie looking at them with curiosity.

"Are you going to invite us in Miss undertaker?" they asked.

Sophie just rolled her eyes, "If you _**need**_ permission to enter the door, then I will not give it to you." Then she turned back to the men in the room, her arms crossed. "So what is it?"

"We have three more bodies, two of the bodies torn to pieces and the last one had her blood sucked dry," he shuddered to himself. "I don't think a lady would want –"

"Just have those two next to you bring in the bodies and then you can be on your way," she interrupted him, having them set the body bags over to the side on a few stretcher beds.

She grabbed her bowl of soup, slurping it down and staring at them as they went back and forth in the room. "I'm sorry if we interrupted your meal," the man in charge said, standing next to her and keeping a watch on the men coming in and out of the room.

"It's perfectly alright," she shrugged, finishing the bowl. "The dead can't bury themselves," she giggled, a smirk coming to her face when she noticed the stunned look on his face.

"Then here are their files," the man said, handing her the paperwork before he began walking to the door. "I hope this won't bother you that –"

"No need to fear," she sighed, "I'm not like other women, if that's what you're thinking," Sophie winked, a giggle escaping her lips as he frowned at her.

"Yes… Let's get going," he said, the men placing the last body down before walking out the door. Sophie set the files on the desk and skipped over to the door, waving to them as they walked off. Noticing the two men who had asked permission to come in turning their heads to her, she stuck out her tongue at them. Then their normal human eyes turned to dark angry red demon eyes, before once again becoming human as they trudged off in defeat. Sophie smirked, closing the door behind her. _'I guess this __**is**__ a protected place,'_ she sighed, grabbing her tea and drinking down the hot liquid as she went over their files. _'I wonder how though,'_ she concluded, deciding to get going on these bodies in case someone else came by.

!#$%^&*()

She let out a sigh, cleaning up her hands as she grabbed a bone-shaped cookie from an urn. She soon noticed that the sun had almost already set beyond the streets of London._ '__Geeze __I __hope __he__'__s __okay,__' _she frowned, setting the urn down on his desk and walking down the hall. Sophie grumbled, looking out the door leading out to the cemetery. _'__I __was __hoping __to __go __out __today__… __but __I __guess __not,__'_ she frowned to herself, suddenly noticing movement. She rubbed her eyes slightly, trying to focus her eyes on the growling figure. "A-alex?" she gasped, noticing he looked like a rabid animal, growling at nothing and foaming at the mouth. _'__What __the __hell __is __wrong __with __him!__' _she frowned, feeling the urge to walk out the door. Then she noticed something else, another animal coming over a hill towards the fox, a wolf. Sophie glared and watched as the wolf batted the fox around, a deep cut becoming imbedded into his side. She gasped, watching as the fox limped around and refused to go down, anger growing in his vicious demon red eyes.

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip and knowing this was all a trap, but she couldn't leave Alex there to die! Something had to be done, but what? She ran down the hallway, grabbing a coat from the coat hanger in the main room and ran back into the hallway. She opened up the closet, grabbing the resting shamshir and throwing the sheath on the ground. Then she let out a sigh, preparing herself for what she was going to do.

She ran at the door, throwing it open and slamming it behind her as she ran where Alex lay. Suddenly demons began to swoop down on her, jumping down from the building and coming out of virtually nowhere to engulf her. She growled, not going to go down without a fight. She grabbed the handle of the shamshir, hoping and praying that this would work. Sophie gripped the handle with both hands and let out a cry, stabbing it into a demon running at her, then two, then three. Dark demon blood flew around her, slowly coating her clothes in their blood. She only had one goal in mind and that was getting over to Alex before he bled out to death. Then a demon appeared out of nowhere, picking up the lifeless fox and cradling him in its arms. Sophie glared, the bodies of the demons still falling down from the sky as she stood on the gravel road. "Oh Sophia," the demon chuckled, "I was _waiting~_ for you to come out of hiding. Tell me my dear, has it been a few weeks since we last met?"

"_**You**_," she growled, glaring into his glowing amethyst and yellow eyes. "Get away from him!"

The demon chuckled, petting Alex as he lay motionless in his hands. "I don't think you're in the position to make demands, **human**. I don't plan on giving this weakling of a soul back to you till you drop that demon blade and come with me _quietly_."

"Why?" she grumbled, gripping the handle tightly. "So I can be eaten? That's why you want me, right! To. **Eat**. Me." She glared.

He laughed loudly, a shiver going down her spine. "So you know," he chuckled, walking down the road towards her. "But no," he began again, Sophie taking a step back in fright, "that's **not** why I want you, _little maiden~_"

Sophie glared, not seeing the pun in his comment. "Put. Him. Down," she growled as she took a step forward, raising the sword up to strike him.

"Alf," he said, snapping his fingers together. A wolf jumped out of nowhere, causing Sophie to jump back in suprise. "Take care of her, will you?"

"Yes sir," the wolf growled, a snarl coming from his lips.

Sophie's eyes widened, recognizing the wolf. "Albert, y-you too?" she bit down her bottom lip as she felt betrayed. The demon chuckled, jumping off out of the cemetery and towards London. Sophie began to run after him, but was stopped by the wolf. "Albert why?" she frowned, not wanting to kill someone she actually knew.

"You killed Hrodwulf, you reaper!" he yelled, a growl escaping his lips. "I can _**never**_ forgive you for that, not ever!"

"But –"

Sophie flinched back, holding the blade up in defense as his claws aimed for her head. "I don't want to kill you!" she yelled at him, evading and stopping the attacks he was trying to blow with the shamshir blade.

"Then why did you kill Hrodwulf!" he growled, striking at her. "I don't care if you get eaten or not, but I want you to pay for killing my little brother!" he yelled, landing a blow on her left hand. She fumbled with the handle slightly, grabbing it before it fell to the ground.

She hissed at him, noticing that other demons were starting to close in for her. "I don't have time for this," she growled, striking back at him. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the teachings Thomas had given her. Then she opened her eyes, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes glowing in anger. She swiftly evades his attacks as fast as her body would let her, finally landing a blow on his head with the butt of the shamshir. Adolf whimpered as his sights were impaired and he twitched in irritation. Sophie looked back to where the demon had fled with Alex and ran out the gate, into the streets of London.

She whimpered as she had to stop, not having a clue where to go. She decided to just keep running as fast as her feet would take her, hoping to run into them at one point._ 'Darn these human abilities,' _she grumbled to herself, running every which way around the corners. Then demons began to jump down from the buildings and out of alleyways, their red eyes beaming with hunger. She glared, throwing the blade around her as she slashed apart the demons and their limps flew left and right of her. She continuously had to wipe the blood from her face so she could see where she was going. A scratch was blown at her cheek, and the demon was slashed in half a second later. Sophie winced in pain, her human body unable to take the constant beatings. "I have to find him," she said to herself, stabbing a demon in the chest right before it could plunge its claws into her stomach. Then a blow came out of nowhere, sending her into the wall. She winced, a deep cut in her back and a bruised body making her whimper out in pain. Sophie turned around and pushed herself into the wall, finding nowhere to go. The adrenaline she just had quickly left her, leaving her as petrified as a horse caught in between a cliff and a hard place. She held up the sword in front of her face in defense, a strike from a demon's claw sending the blade flying into the street. She closed her eyes in fear, waiting for a blow to the face.

"_You can do better than that,"_ she heard someone say, her eyes squinting open slightly.

"W-who's there?" she asked but keeping her eyes closed, feeling her hand moving up from where it was limping.

"_Don't fear it and let it come out…"_ it said, feeling the presence she was hearing in her head suddenly disappearing.

Her eyes opened wide, watching as the black haze from her hands came at the demons at full force. "H-how…" she gasped, suddenly noticing her vision getting darker as the black haze increased around her. "AaaGH!" she yelled, rubbing her eyes in frustration. She watched as the world around her got darker and darker, suddenly engulfing her in darkness. Sophie winced slightly, whimpering to herself. She never recalled the black haze doing this to her, so what was going on with her! She began to run around, bumping into things along the way. She couldn't see anything at all, but heard commotion coming from around the block. Sophie ran towards the sounds, letting out a gasp as she turned around the corner.

All she could see was dark hazy blobs, walking in front and around her. She couldn't make out any buildings or landscape, only glowing blobs walking around her. Sophie could hear them, they were humans. Some were as dark as lead, but there were a small few that were glowing intensely in a white light and everything in between. She kept walking, bumping into inanimate objects as she tried to make her way around them. It was giving her a big headache and she didn't know what to do! Her world was surrounded in darkness and only one of two beacons of light showing her the way through. She heard snarling behind her, noticing dark red-black blobs snarling and coming towards her. She gasped in fear, going back into a run as fast as she could. She ran directly into a pole, falling down from the impact. That wouldn't stop her though, she kept running as fast as she could even as she tripped and fell over boxes of, from the sound of it, fruit. She lay on the ground in pain as she heard snickering from behind. Sophie must have been a sight, lying on the ground motionless with demon blood and whatever else all over her. She looked up, accepting defeat, but she quickly noticed something. The black horse that seemed to show up every time she was in trouble was a few feet from her, neighing at her to come over. She looked up in surprise, the only thing in this black world of hers she could see as clear as day. Then she sensed the demons beginning their assault again and she kept running, running towards the horse as it began to gallop. She grabbed hold of the reins, jumping onto the horse as she usually did as it took off at top speed. Sophie looked behind her and watched as the dark red-black hazy blobs soon evaporated from her sight, quickly letting out a sigh of relief. She leaned over the horse, patting its side, "T-thank you…" she said, leaning back slightly so she could think straight.

If only she could see! What had happened back there? Sophie had no clue, unsure of what to think of the situation. She remembered something Alex told her though, which was even though he can see and sense as a demon his vision is impaired just a bit when he used his shinigami genes. Sophie also remembered what she read in a book about a year ago on legendary shinigamis. They have great eyesight, but it soon fades away over time by the yellow tint in their eyes. That must be it! Perhaps because of her father's genes she is having trouble seeing right now. She needed to find her glasses and fast.

Sophie searched into the coat she was wearing and looked in the inner pockets for her glasses. She could only do this by touch, unable to see the pocket which contained her glasses case. Even though she can see perfectly fine on a daily basis, she always kept her glasses on her just in case she was told to put them back on. She felt around for her pocket and finally felt the case with her left hand, her right hand gripping the reins tightly. She took out her glasses and slipped the case back into her pocket. Then she slowly put her glasses on, squinting to see if it would work. Sure enough she could see! Not clearly, but enough so things were visible again. What she saw was interesting. She could see the buildings and frightened people, but it all seemed as if everything was in a ghost-like state. Nothing was clear and everything was still in a dark and black state. This couldn't be normal, even for a shinigami, and Sophie knew that. The people still had the weird glow around them, slightly toned down by her glasses. She rubbed her eyes as she suddenly got a massive headache. Then she looked at her hands, seeing the blood on her bare hands. She gasped and looked behind her in dismay. Behind them was a trail of slashed limps lining the street, demons and humans alike. She had attacked the dark red-black blobs, but some of them must have been humans too. No wonder those gray human souls were keeping a distance from her! Then she noticed something strange, she had a long black cloak tied around her neck by a black ribbon. She had a hood over her face, covering her eyes. She must have been quite a sight: covered in different shades of crimson wearing a black cloak, hiding her eyes, and riding an intimidating black horse.

She looked around, grabbing hold of the reins and directing the horse where to start going. She still couldn't see properly, but enough to avoid any inanimate objects like walls or crates. Then she could sense the demons coming back, and loll and behold there they were jumping from the roofs yet again. She bit down on her bottom lip, unsure of what to do. "Okay I'm going to have to summon something," she told herself, letting out a deep breath. Sophie closed her eyes and concentrated on summoning a weapon in her right hand while reluctantly holding onto the reins with her left. Then something appeared in her hand and she gripped it hard, feeling the presence of a demon jumping at them. She slashed it into the demon behind them, swinging it around to get the demon going for the horse's head. She continued to do this, letting the black horse choose the way they were going as it normally did. She felt better with her eyes closed anyhow; the thought of seeing hazy demons jumping at her gave her a headache. Once she noticed the demon souls had dissipated she opened her eyes. Sophie let out a frustrated sigh and looked down at the bloodstained weapon in her head. It was a long black scythe, similar to the one she normally used, but the handle was made completely out of black iron and the blade black to the touch. She looked at her reflection in the shimmering blade and gasped. Her face and hair was coated in blood, the fresh blood still dripping down from her clothes. If it hadn't been for her, now narrow, glasses she wouldn't be able to see her eyes as her blood-stained auburn hair had moved in front of her face. They were yellow, bright yellow glossing over her normal blue and green eyes. The yellow dominated her eyes completely, only showing small hints of blue and green from time to time as the yellow swirled around in her eyes. She had never heard about this in her lessons before, or perhaps she did and doesn't remember it.

Sophie frowned, holding the scythe over her shoulder as she gripped the reins with her left hand. She searched around looking for the demon that took Alex. She was coming around a bend and made her way across the city and over into the forest. That's when she saw them, an intimidating dark purple, green, and black haze coming from a figure at the top of a hill. There was another haze there with him: a bright green, red, and white haze. "Alex…" she realized, cracking the reins and riding up the hill towards them. The demon laughed at the sight, taking off into the forest. Sophie narrowed her eyes, holding her scythe up to cut down any branches in their way. She saw the dark haze in the distance, the horse jumping onto a rock just in time to stop him from leaving. "Here's Alex!" Sophie demanded as she jumped from the black horse, only seeing the demon's soul and not Alex's.

"I hid him," he smirked, "but it seems you have found some new powers, _**Serbus**_."

Sophie glared, clutching the black scythe in her hand tightly. "Just who do you think you are? What do you want with me demon," she narrowed her yellow eyes, "if I should even call you that…"

"The name is," he began, walking over to her, "Dorren Apbolos, or _The Apep_ if you prefer," he hissed at her, starting to get too close for her comfort. "And what I want from you," he said, suddenly disappearing from her sights and appearing behind her. He pinned her arms to her side with one hand as his other hand moved along her neck as he tilted her head over so he could see into her eyes. "Is your _**soul**_" he licked her neck, Sophie quickly pushing him away with the butt of her handle.

She glared at him, wiping his spit from her neck with a snarl. "What the hell do you mean by that?" she hissed at him, a chuckle soon escaping his lips.

"Poor naive Sophia," he laughed, "You obviously don't _remem~ber~~_ what happened to you when you were human, and you never _will~_ until I give back the portion of soul that you lost." Suddenly Sophie saw a glowing white and green ball mesmerizing into his hand. Dorren laughed, noticing the look of shock on her face. "You obviously haven't noticed that this substance is a soul, the spirit inside of a person that is left behind in a being's body when it dies." Then his laughing went into a low chuckle as he entangled the ball around in his hand. "This is **you**, your _ba_ as your juvenile mentor would have told you," he smirked. "The soul that I took from you before you're precious _dad~dy~~_ saved you." Dorren chuckled at her evilly, sending a chill down her spine. "You see young Serbus, I'm a rather… _**envious**__ demon_," he smirked, "and when I see something I want, **I. Grab. It. **But your father kept stopping me before I could, and so I killed him and his little lover too. Then his only little girl ended up with that lowlife of a Death God, who doesn't deserve the titles that _**I**_ should have been given," he growled under his breath, crushing the soul in his hand. Sophie winced in pain, feeling her heart tightening up as he gripped harder. He laughed at her and let go slightly, but kept an iron grip on her soul to keep her at bay. "So I stole the man's _precious_ _little maiden_," he chuckled, suddenly appearing in front of Sophie's face and tilting her head up to look up at his glowing amethyst and yellow eyes, "as I had already done many years ago."

Sophie growled at him, throwing her scythe at him and aiming for his stomach. He jumped back, evading the attack with ease. "You monster!" she yelled at him, feeling so many conflicting emotions running through in her head.

"That's what your _**father**_ called me," he growled under his breath, noticing the comment hit a deep vain. Then he smirked evilly, "but if you feel the same way then I'll just have to **take you**_** too~**_"

Sophie narrowed her eyes as she clutched her scythe tightly, "Come and get me, you _**snake**_." She ran at him, throwing her scythe at him.

He jumped away simply, landing on a tree branch. "Is that the best you can do?" he chuckled, leaping away as Sophie slashed at the tree and it came tumbling down. She followed him, running as fast as she could to catch up with him.

Suddenly a wolf jumped in front of her as she pursued him, throwing his claws at Sophie. She evaded them and grabbed his claws with the end of her scythe, sending him flying into the trees. "I don't want to fight you, Adolf!" she yelled at him, noticing the light gray and red/yellow glow his soul was making. On her own instincts she didn't have the urge to fight him, only because of how pure his soul looked, only tainted by the anger he had towards Sophie. "I don't want to fight you!" she yelled at him again as he came out of the rubble.

"Why not?" Adolf growled at her back, taking a few threaten steps towards her. "You have **no** reason to go easy on me, so why?"

"B-because…" she said, biting down on her bottom lip. "I… I had grown to accept you as a friend, but your brother threatened Fillin. He didn't even have a chance to defend himself Adolf! What do you think I would have done, let him die? No! I just didn't know," she said, settling down, "that I had actually **killed** your brother. It was an accident, all an accident." She finished, noticing how Adolf's eyes went wide.

"Y-you didn't intend for it to happen?" Adolf asked, Sophie shaking her head.

"No, I didn't," she admitted to him. "I was going to tell you, but you ran off before I could. I only slashed at him to get him away from Fillin. I didn't know I **killed** him until he breathed his last breath. I wouldn't have minded letting the two of you run away as long as Fillin came back home safely. I don't care if you still hate me," she said gruffly, "but I just want you to know that it was an _accident_."

Adolf bit down on his bottom lip, letting out a whimper as he avoided eye contact. "You sure? Not just taking me for a simpleton?"

Sophie smiled, "I promise on my life that I'm telling the truth Adolf. If you think I'm not, then strike me here and now."

Then he looked up at her as his yellow eyes glowed in sorrow, but also with a tinge of mercy. "I…" he chuckled to himself. Sophie noticed that the gray of his soul was slowly turning to white, a bright shining soul in the red/yellow color. She couldn't help but smile at him, "I forgi –"

Adolf gasped in shock as a giant snake jumping out of nowhere and strike at him, injecting his body with a heavy amount of venomous poison. Sophie jumped back startled as the snake strikes him. "Adolf!" she yelled, running at the snake and slashing it away. She looked around, making sure there were no more snakes popping out of nowhere, and knelt down to his side so she could see the damage. She gasped, noticing two long gashes in his side. Adolf coughed up blood as Sophie turned him over to his side. "Oh shit!" she yelled, trying to clean up the blood that was coming out of his wound.

It was too late for her to do anything because the venom had already gotten into his blood stream and was quickly killing him from the inside out. "S-sophie?..." he coughed, "I-it's over… done…"

"No, don't say that!" she began to cry, ripping a piece of clothing and wrapping it around his stomach.

Adolf stopped her, much to her surprise, "I-it's _over_…"

She whimpered slightly as she bit back tears. Then she laughed, tears falling down her face. "I feel like an idiot," she said, wiping the tears from her face with her bleeding left hand. "To think I could do this all by myself… I'm a fool."

"Don't cry," Adolf coughed, "I-it's not your fault that you're born the way you are. I-it wasn't Hrodwulf's fault that he was a co-orrupt soul to begin with. H-he just had to work at it, as y-you need to…"

Sophie nodded to him, a soft chuckle escaping her lips. Then she realized something, opening up his hand and summoning something into the palm of his hand. Adolf looked at her confused as a violet feather appeared in his hands, soon getting coated by his own blood. "Y-you deserve this," she smiled as tears kept falling down her cheek.

Adolf chuckled, "W-wow… I had forgotten about thi –" he gasped. Unable to hold onto life any longer he breathed his last breath, the cheerful smile leaving Sophie's face instantaneously.

"Adolf…" she hiccupped, wiping the tears from her with frustration before standing back up. She grabbed her scythe and gripped it tightly. "You're death won't be in vain!" she hissed under her breath, trying to find where Dorren went. She could feel Dorren's presence coming closer into view, but soon snakes came out of nowhere to overwhelm her. She slashed at them in fury, snake guts flying all over the place. She coughed, the exertion she was giving starting to affect her body. It was at this point that she was starting to feel the pain her wounds had on her as a snake sank his deadly teeth into her arm. Sophie flung it away, whimpering in pain. The pain began to spread throughout her whole body as it quickly slowed her down.

Out of nowhere Dorren jumped down from a tree, walking up to Sophie as she knelt down and gripped her right arm with her left hand. He grabbed her by the collar of her shirt, a sly smirk on his face. "Have you had enough now?"

Sophie hissed at him, spitting blood in his face. "No," she glared, "you coward."

Dorren growled, throwing her body to the ground. Sophie felt a sting in her back, the gash beginning to bleed again. He walked over to her and loomed over and held a knife up to her throat. Sophie glared at him until he forced her head up with the edge of the blade, exposing her neck to him. She was about to fling his hand away, but then snakes slithered up her arms and bound her hands together. "Then I'll have to make you _**submit**_ to me," he growled under his breath and drew a small cut of blood. Then he brought his knife down her body, leaving a bleeding line in its wake. He stopped at her chest where her heart sat. Sophie's eyes went wide as she struggled to get away, but he wouldn't have any of that and grabbed her shoulder, staring furiously into her eyes. He chuckled and then laughed at her, "You look as pathetic as when I last did this to you. Oh the irony!" he chuckled, before going quiet again. Then he glared at her, slowly stabbing the knife into her chest. Sophie gasped in pain, leaning back into the ground and trying to get away. He held her there with his hand as he imbedded the knife into her chest.

Sophie let out a yell, unable to take the pain anymore, and ripped her hands free from the snakes. Then she kicked Dorren with her foot, the knife flying out of her chest as he flew into a tree. She quickly got up, holding her bleeding chest in pain. She whimpered, feeling the blood soaking her shirt. It was right where it was the last time, but this time it wasn't as deep and only scratched her heart. Noticing that he wasn't moving, she ran away looking for Alex. Then her eyes widened, coming across his human form lying lifeless on the ground. "Alex!" she yelled, running over and kneeling down next to him. She flipped him over and examined his wound. The bleeding had stopped, but still needed immediate attention if he was going to survive it. She ripped off some fabric from her clothes and used them for bandages, wrapping his side tightly to prevent it from bleeding again.

Suddenly Alex coughed, turning over to look up at Sophie. "S-sophie?" he coughed, letting out a groan.

"Alex," she said with a smile as she finished her wraps on his stomach. "I-it's okay Alex… everything will be fine."

"N-no," he said, startling her for a second. "Y-you… you smell good," he licked his lips, before growling at himself for thinking such nonsense.

"Alex…" she frowned, gripping his hand tightly, "It's okay. I know why you're after me… but even if you want to eat me I can't have you die on me… not yet."

Alex nodded, before giving her wink, "Of course not," he chuckled, letting out a sigh as he closed his eyes again.

Sophie stood up and the black horse came over to her aid. She grabbed Alex's body and placed him on the horse, jumping onto the back and gripping the reins. Then she cracked them, trying to get as far away from Dorren as possible. When she went by where she left him his body wasn't there. That made her worry, but she couldn't have that right now. She had to get Alex the medical attention he needed **first** before worrying about where he went. She turned the horse towards the shinigami realm, hoping that she would make it in time. She looked behind her, seeing a blur of demons and slithering snakes coming towards them. Sophie gripped her scythe in her left hand, holding onto the reins and Alex with her right, almost paralyzed, arm. She threw her scythe around, slashing anything and everything that got in their way. If they could cross the border into the shinigami realm she knew they would be safe, she hoped. She looked behind her, noticing that the demons where fighting amongst themselves and the snakes were wiping them out one by one.

From looking back she didn't notice a figure standing in their way and the demon slashed at the horse's feet, causing the horse to stumble and fall. Sophie and Alex went flying and the horse vanished before it hit the ground. Dorren laughed at her as a boa came from nowhere and entangled its body around her. Sophie struggled to get free, her scythe being taken away from her and thrown to the side. Then Sophie's eyes went wide, watching as Dorren ripped apart the demons that had been on their trail with long claws. She gasped, baffled to what he was doing. "If I can't have you, then **no** one can," he growled, ripping apart the last demon before licking his lips, lapping up the blood on his hands. Dorren walked over to her and slapped her in the face, scratching her cheek slightly. Sophie hissed in pain, feeling it to be as poisonous as any snake venom. Then he back up, walking over to Alex as he awoke and started to stumble away. "Now for running away," he smirked, a hiss in his speech, "you're precious _lover_ will die too."

Dorren took out Sophie's stolen soul, her eyes growing wide as she saw how bright it was. Dorren's face was hidden behind it in the shadows, but her soul illuminated everything else around them. He stabbed into Alex's chest with his claw, Alex screaming out in pain. Then he took the soul and pushed it into his heart, merging his soul and Sophie's with into one. Her eyes went wide as the cinematic record swirled around him, soon invading his heart and branching out quickly throughout his body as it eroded his inner organs. Dorren dropped Alex to the ground, letting him cry out in pain as the records began to quickly claim his life. "Alex!" Sophie yelled, tears streaming down her eyes. Without even knowing it she ripped apart the snake that had been binding her and her scythe came back into her hand. She charged at Dorren, surprising him by her swiftness and slashing his body within a mere second as he tried to avoid the attack. He yelled as Sophie slashed him from his shoulder and down to the other side of his stomach. Then Sophie kicked him away, his body flying past the trees and slamming into several more trees before hitting a boulder.

His body fell to the ground as he gasped for air. He growled as his body began to evaporate as she got closer to him and loomed over him. "I'll be back for you," he hissed in anger as he vanished, "just you wait." Then he was gone, without any trace that his body was ever there.

Sophie glared at him, making sure that every trace of his soul was gone, till she ran back to Alex's side. She remembered hearing about this in class before, the Thorns of Death. When a soul's cinematic record becomes out of control and embodies itself into a shinigami's body, takes over their heart, and slowly killing them over a short period of time. It was a tragedy when it happened to a Death God, leaving them virtually helpless to stop the record. There was no proven way of stopping the thorns from taking over the shinigami's body, which worried Sophie. She knew she had to get back to their realm and fast! The black horse appeared in front of her again and she picked up Alex's body, setting him back on the horse and riding off towards the shinigami realm. They were almost there, the tall white buildings beginning to get into view. Before she could react the horse vanished suddenly, causing Sophie and Alex's body rolling helplessly onto the ground. Sophie gasped, her scythe leaving her hand in haste. She groaned as she tried to get up, the beatings and venom causing her to be extremely weak. How she was able to get up to this point without fainting was beyond her knowledge, but she couldn't give up! She grabbed Alex's body and slung him over her shoulder, running as fast as she could towards the buildings.

Then Alex began kicking and thrashing at her, irritating the wound in her back. She had to drop him to the ground, but luckily had already made it into the shinigami realm and alerted the reapers with their presence. "Alex stay with me!" she yelled him, feeling just as weak as he was. She couldn't stand back up, her feet wouldn't let her. The poison wasn't in a high effect as if she was a human, but now her body was going back into being weak and feeble human body. She gripped his chest, trying to think of something else to do. "Alex!" she yelled, seeing his eyes rolling back into his head as he closed his eyes again. He twitched in pain, the records taking hold of his body rather quickly. She closed her eyes, trying to come up with something to do, but she had nothing! She couldn't do anything!

Then she realized something, the powers she had. If she could summon them yet again perhaps she could save him, or she'd die trying. She opened her eyes and looked over at her hand, trying to summon the black haze again. With some time it came back, slowly turning from black to white. She gasped, her chest tightening up from the energy she was using, and coughed up some blood. Sophie let out a sigh, calming herself down, and then pressed her hand into Alex's chest. He gasped in pain as Sophie calmed herself down. Then cinematic records came flying out of Alex's body, surrounding the two of them in a ribbon or records. Sophie went through each and every one of them, separating them accordingly one by one. It felt that it took her a while, but when she finally finished she laid Alex's body back on the ground. He let out a breath, a small soul lighting up and floating up in the air. "My soul…" she sighed, slowly taking it into herself. Sophie pressed it into her heart, the soul entwining itself into her body. Then the cinematic records swirled around them wildly, flying into Sophie's chest. She flew back into the ground, unable to keep her eyes open any longer.

Just then a body mesmerized out of nowhere, coming out from a realm of bright white light and into the gray realm the two bodies sat under the moonlight. The person was dressed in a white robe, a golden rope tied around its waist, and brown sandals on its feet. It wore a black hood and it covered its eyes from view. The being walked over to Sophie's lifeless body, examining her as she lay limp. She was barely breathing now, her breaths getting slower by the minute. The being chuckled and put a finger on her face and it wiping away the blood that still trickled down her cheek, soon taking off her glasses and setting them on the side of her. Then it took out his hand, a white glow soon coming from it, and gently pressed it into her chest.

Alex opened his eyes, noticing a glow coming from the side of him. He rolled his body over, seeing the ghostly being standing next to Sophie. He gasped, confused as to what had happened and want was going on.

He stared in awe as Sophie's body became engulfed in a white glow the being created. The blood all over her soon evaporated in the whiteness, as if it had never been there. A few of the minor cuts she had gotten healed up also, but the gash in her back and the stab wound in her chest still remained. She stopped bleeding, but the wounds that remained and would need to be examined later. Sophie weakly opened her eyes, her surrounds being as black as it was before. Her eyes adjusted as she saw a man with short-wavy maroon hair hidden under a black hood. Her yellow eyes came into contact with double-iris green and yellow eyes hidden behind thin, black glasses. Her soon eyes widened, quickly recognizing the familiar eyes. "Pap-a?" she gasped, tears streaming down her face.

"It's okay," he said in a soft voice, trying to comfort her as he rubbed his thumb over her cheek and wiped a tear, "no one will hurt you." Then he looked down to his hand, opening up a book that vaporized into his other hand. Then a cinematic record flew out of her body and went directly into the book in his hand. He stared back into her eyes as he snapped the book closed, watching as the yellow glow faded away and left her eyes their normal crystal blue and shinigami green color. Then the color in her eyes combined, becoming a perfect combination of the crystal blue and shinigami green. He smiled, wiping her loose hair from her eyes with his thumb. "You look just like your mother," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "Now go back to sleep."

Sophie closed her eyes instantly as if in a trance as her world soon becomes engulfed in darkness once again. He looked over to Alex and gave him a nod, before standing back up and leaving them in a white glow of light. Alex rushed over to Sophie's body, suddenly not feeling the need to devour her as he had the weeks pervious. All he noticed was how calm she looked, before falling back to the ground and closing his eyes in exhaustion as he heard the shinigamis finally coming to their rescue.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

The Undertaker walked back into his morgue and held the door open with one foot, letting it close behind him. "_Sophia, I'm back~!_" he giggled to himself, setting down two brown bags he had in his hands on a nearby desk. He blinked in confusion when he noticed Sophie didn't answer him back. He was used to being greeted by Sophie once he got home, though he was gone an awfully long time, about two days now. Perhaps she's just sleeping or was shunning him for being gone for so long.

He walked around the morgue, walking down the hallway and looking into all of the other rooms. Still he didn't find her, causing him to begin to worry. "Sophie?" He called out for her, his boot coming into contact with something on the ground as he was walking back to the main room. He picked it up, seeing it to be an old sheath. He gasped, running to the back door. "Sophia!" he yelled, throwing the door open. He frowned, noticing all the demon bodies lining the cemetery. That would be something he would have to clean up later, but right now it was important to find where Sophie went.

The Undertaker rushed quickly as he followed the trail of blood, walking out of the cemetery and into the streets of London. He followed the trail, cautious to not getting any weird glances from the humans who seemed to not notice the bodies and demon blood. He soon came across an alleyway and found the shamshir laying on the ground, demon blood coated all over it. He grabbed it, putting it under his sleeve as he noticed the trail kept going. He turned the corner and noticed human bodies mixed with the demons._ 'That's not like Sophia to kill humans if they're not on the death list,'_ he thought to himself as he passed along. He continued to follow the bloody trail of scattered blood and ripped apart corpses, hoping that she hadn't perished in the hands of a bloody-thirsty demon.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

_A young girl around the age of six snuck out of the morgue, making her way up to the tree at the top of the cemetery. She let out a sigh, leaning against the tree as she stared at the full moon high in the sky. 'Not another body,' she grumbled to herself, rubbing her eyes. 'That scary light that was coming from it… I wonder why I keep seeing it.' She looked behind her, making sure no one was following her, and then casually slid down the hill and walked into the forest. Even if it was hard to see because of all the leaves and branches, she was used to walking through the forest whenever something troubled her. This is what she did when she couldn't sleep; she took a short walk into the forest to clear her mind. _

_Almost tripping on a thick tree root, she made it into a clearing out in the middle of nowhere. She smiled to herself, falling into the tall grass and flowers and watched as the petals flew off into the sky. The girl closed her eyes and let the moon's rays shine on her as she sat by herself in the field. 'This always seems to happen when I see someone die,' she thought to herself, 'so why did it happen this time? I saw an elderly man fall over and die, but I noticed something that normal people don't. Thomas couldn't tell me what it was so I don't have a clue. It was as if I was seeing the person's memories flying past me, swirling around me and circling the other people. Then this man came out of nowhere, wearing a weird outfit of black. He took something out that looked to be rather sharp and cut into the person, the man dying almost instantaneously. What worries me is he left something in the man, something glowing gray and intensively.' _

_She let out a sigh, turning over in the grass and rolling around in it a bit. 'I can't tell this to mommy, she'll just worry. She's already worried about papa because he's not coming back as much as she's used to, always sitting under the big tree and staring off into the distance. I recall that he came several times before, actually taking me to his work once, but I barely remember it. It was too long ago… maybe he just has a lot of things to do? Yeah… that's what I'm hoping is going on.' She heard something, like a fight going on deeper in the forest, causing her to sit up and look around. It was coming from deeper in the forest, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to go in that far. As the curious little girl she had always been she stood up and ran farther into the forest, looking for the cause of the fighting. After walking for a few minutes she came across the source of fighting. Her eyes went wide as she hid behind a tree, not wanting to interfere in the conflict. _

_There was her father, dressed in a black suit holding a long bladed scythe. The handle was brown and the blade was silver, the blade shining in her eyes a few times. She could recognize her father anytime, always coming to the cemetery wearing the same clothes every time he visited. He was fighting with another being she couldn't figure out, but she knew he must have been as powerful as her father. He wore trudged and matted clothes, his black curly hair long and shaggy. He seemed to be a demon, attacking her father with long deadly claws, but she felt that he wasn't really a demon. Either way that demon was overwhelming her father, grabbing hold of his scythe and throwing it off to the side. He took out a knife from his sleeve and stabbed it into her father's chest. It took all she could to not scream and call for him, but she knew she would only put herself in harm's way if she did that. She held her hands over her mouth as she watched her father fall to the ground, a painful groan escaping his lips. The demon laughed and loomed over him. "This is payback time Maurus," he said in a deep-dark voice, "Keeping me from **her** when she was still alive –"_

"_You're still on that?" Maurus coughed, trying to stand back up. "She died almost two thousand years ago. Let it go –"_

"_I will **never** let it go!" The demon yelled at him, a hiss coming from his lips as he punched his face. Then the demon chuckled, wiping some blood that he had on his face. "It doesn't matter anyways. You'll be dead before anyone can come and save you."_

_Maurus coughed and his daughter couldn't help but cry as she held her hands to her mouth. She couldn't sit by and watch, but it was all she could do unless she wanted to die. He always told her that she was his whole world and he would give up his own life to save her own, so she knew that running into this situation wasn't the best idea for the both of them. Besides she wouldn't know how to fend off a demon if he attacked her. "You have always been an envious being," Maurus coughed, "When someone had something you wanted, you threw a tantrum." Then he laughed, "That's why you're killing me, right! Because I have something you don't, a **family**. You want that, don't you, but you too much of a jerk to handle it. That's why Athena didn't want to be with you! You would get mood swings and hurt her. Besides she had a husband already, why would you want –"_

"_Because she was to be **mine**," he growled, stomping down on Maurus' stomach and causing him to cough up more blood. "A simpleton wouldn't understand –"_

"_I understand **perfectly**," he glared at him, grabbing his foot and flinging him to the side. Then he stood back up, holding onto his bleeding stomach as he coughed up more blood, "because I had to take care of her when her husband died **by your hand**."_

"_Shut up!" he yelled at him, grabbing his death scythe from the ground and slashing it at her father. Maurus fell to the ground, his defenses being slow because of his increasing wound. The demon loomed over him, staring at his heart and about to take a glowing substance that was coming from his of nowhere another reaper slashed him away with its long scythe, made out of silver and had a shape of a human body melted down into the scythe. It shimmered in the moonlight, impairing the little girl as she stood by and watched. The demon jumped back, a hiss coming from his lips, but then he started to chuckle when he saw who it was. "So if it isn't **Mr. Undertaker**. It has been a while."_

_He growled at him, holding up his scythe in the air about to strike, "You **Snake**, go away!" _

"_Oh touchy," he chuckled, waving to him. "I don't have any business with you anymore, only little Serbus over there." Then he jumped away, leaving the scene of the crime before he could chase him. _

_The shinigami glared at him before running over to Maurus' side. "Stay with me," he said, moving his long sliver locks from his face as he examined his body. The little girl stood in fear, looking upon the scene that was unfolding. _

"_Oh," Maurus coughed up blood, his chest gushing out blood. "I guess I won't be retiring, huh…"_

"_No, don't say that," he growled at him, "If I apply pressure and sew you up then –"_

"_I-it's too late for that," he sighed. Then Maurus looked over at him, taking off a silver ring with a bright green gem on it. "I-I've practically known you my whole existence… whatever happens to me, I want you to find my wife and show her my ring." He shoved it into the man's hand as he reluctantly took it from his hands. "She's a human, living in London. She lives at a morgue with a man name Thomas and my little daughter," he smiled, before coughing up more blood. _

"_Don't say things like this Maurus," he growled, griping the ring tightly, "but if this is what you wish, then so be it."_

_Maurus laughed, coughing up more blood, "I should have killed Dorren years ago. Now… now my poor family will have to pay the price." _

_The little girl's eyes went wide, seeing him about to give his life up. "Papa no!" she cried out, the shinigami kneeling next to him looking up in surprise. She ran from her hiding spot, pushing the man aside and running to her fahter's side. "No don't die!" she cried, sliding down to her knees and examining her father's body._

"_S-sophia?" he gasped in surprise, before a smile came on his face. He slowly lifted up his bloody hand, putting his hand on her wet cheek. "M-my little girl…"_

"_Sophia?" the man next to him asked._

_Maurus nodded, "Yes… I knew if I had told you then you would get **hysterical~**" he chuckled, before coughing up blood again. _

"_Y-you promised mommy that you would be home in a week. You promised me that you would teach me how to be just like you... so I wouldn't be called a freak of nature by anyone anymore. Please papa, we need you. Mommy needs you…" she sniffled, burying her head into his chest as she held onto his right hand with her soft little hand. "I need you…" she cried, not caring if blood was getting all over her nightgown. She knew how these things worked out, seeing many dead bodies on a daily basis. She just wanted to be in her father's embrace **one last time**. _

"_Take care of mommy," he smiled, his hand leaving her face and his other hand going limp beside him as he felt tired and cold._

_Her eyes went wide, standing up slightly in shock. "P-papa?..." gasped, pushing down on his chest. "Papa! Papa!" she began to scream. The shinigami next to her grabbed Sophie and pulled her away from her father as she kicked and screamed at him. "Let me go! I want to be with papa!" _

"_Sshush," he said softly, putting a black glove to her mouth. Tears kept streaking her face as she was unable to keep her eyes off of the lifeless body before them. "I don't know the details, but right now I have to do my job. If you keep screaming then we **both** will be in trouble, understand?"_

_Sophie blinked in surprise before giving him a reassuring nod. He smiled at her, something he hadn't done till that point, before walking over to his fallen comrade and examined his cinematic record. Sophie stared at her father's record, amazed at the life he had led. Two thousand years… so long… She couldn't help but smile, seeing how happy he was throughout his life. Her father was right; life is best spent in good company and among friends and family. It was obvious to her that her father treasured his friends as if they were kinsmen, noticing how hard of a human life he had lived with neglecting parents. To think he was once a simple human, like she was. She watched as it came to the end and the man cut is record, her father breathing out his last breath. She just stood there in shock. This was the first time she ever saw someone she cared about die, causing tears to form back in her eyes. _

_She couldn't take it anymore and she wept into her hand quietly until a soft black glove was placed on her shoulder. Sophie looked up, coming into contact with double-iris green and yellow eyes. She couldn't help but smile, seeing her own father's eyes in those big green and yellow shinigami eyes. The man grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug. She kept crying as she gripped hold of his black trench coat, the moon's light illuminating her father's body. Then they heard rustling, Sophie flinching back. "You better get going," the man said, "If they find out that he had a daughter, then who know what will happen to a young little human like yourself."_

_Sophie nodded, letting go of him and beginning to take off, suddenly stopping at a tree. "W-will I ever see you again, mister?" _

_He gave her a reassuring nod, "Of course I'll come back to see you. You **are** my associate's daughter. Now get going." She gave him a nod back, disappearing into the woods and running away from the scene. She ran and ran, unable to think straight. She hoped and prayed her papa was in a better place now, a place without worry and sorrow where he could spend hours to himself as her mother and father had described to her whenever she asked them. It was about time after living for a couple thousand of years as a reaper, a God of Death._

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Everything must have blown you away, huh? ^^ Well to start, the Undertaker leaves for a bit longer than expected to go… well probably out of town for something. So Sophie is stuck at home by herself for a day, a night, another day, and then late afternoon. The demon makes his move on her, seeing Alex far off and getting hurt. So that's when it gets complicated. Sophie grabs Thomas' old sword, which she knows can cut supernatural beings in half, and uses that to defend herself. Might I remind that the whole time she's running at a normal human speed. Regaining her memories of sword fighting, and also being taught other fighting techniques, she charges out the door and get attacked by hoards of demons. Once she chases the demon into London, the demons overwhelm her and pin her against the wall. She hears a voice in her head and when she opens her eyes her powers her back, but they come back with a glitch. Think about it, it's a black haze and I did a bit of description on what happened in the past. So she goes blind in a sense, only seeing black, but now sees souls as a beam of light in a very dark tunnel. The reason she didn't see any demon souls before she turned the corner was because she already killed all of them. So in other words, how good a person's soul is helped light the way for Sophie. I also show that her glasses can help with the blindness that she had, but only enough so the buildings and people came into view, like a ghost town or mirage. Then she eventually gets Alex back, but after she got a lot of bruises and cuts. With the shinigami realm, I have it that there's like a security system where it goes on alert if a demon breaches and to see who is going to and from the place.**

**Anyways, the black horse could be seen as clear as day because it is part of the same darkness Sophie was in. that darkness was only in her head, making her powerful but also weak in many aspects. So in other words, if someone can also summon this black haze stuff or is a substance from it, then they'll be seen clearly. Then the glowing white light. It's like the person was coming from one world into another. I tried talking about it earlier, but if you didn't get the message then that's okay. I don't know if I've said this before, but I _love_ to add hidden messages in anything I write. So almost everything has a reason for being said, except for some fun parts I may have written. Moving on, well I hope you liked this chapter! I haven't started the next chapter, but I've done an outline for the next chapter. Just so I know I'm writing everything that I wanted to say. And now, thank you for reading and see you later! **

Cyrielle – French – lord

Oolong tea – traditional Chinese tea; "blue-green tea", blend of black and green tea

Alf – German – noble wolf, low pet form of Adolf

Diabolos – Greek – accuser, slanderer


	20. The Lost Memories

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Chapter 20, woot! And another chapter out before Thanksgiving, woot! You should thank Thanksgiving that I'm getting this chapter out, because I wouldn't have it out this early otherwise. And guess what, I'm having two Thanksgivings! One at home, the day before, and one at my friend's house, the day during. My mom has to work Thanksgiving night, but at least we'll celebrate! I just hope we get mash potatoes… I _love_ mash potatoes. But enough about this rant! I hope you enjoy this chapter! And if you have any questions feel free to ask! I'm always open for any questions/comments you may have for me ^^**

!#$%^&*()

_Sophie walked into the kitchen and handed her mother a tray full of small-bloody tools. "Here you go mommy," she said, watching as her mother grabbed the tools and set them in the sink. _

"_Is Thomas done with the bodies?" her mother asked, humming to herself as she cleaned the dishes._

"_Well –"_

"_Yes he is," an old man with gray-brown hair and a fuzzy facial mustache said, walking into the confined kitchen and washing his hands in the sink. "I was going to have little Sophia run an errand for me if that is okay by her mommy," he smiled to the little girl, Sophie jumping up in excitement as her mother shrugged and went back to cleaning the dishes._

"_W-what is it?" Sophie jumped, almost knocking over a few clean plates that were set on the counter. _

_He chuckled, ushering her out the door with his long black sleeve and into the hallway to give her mother some privacy. "I need you to go and get some flowers for the funeral tomorrow and perhaps some bread if the bakery is still open. Here's the list," he said, taking a list from a pocket that was on the inside of his suit and handed it to her, "and the money," he finished, handing her some cash and putting it into her hands. "You may just have enough to buy some goodies when you go by the bakery or the candy store," he said quietly so her mother couldn't hear, giving her a wink as she giggled._

"_Okay Thomas," she smiled, slipping the money and the list one of her pockets in her coat. "I'll be back later mother!" she called into the kitchen, her mother giving her a wave._

"_Να ασφαλή, υπέροχο κοπέλα," she called back, Sophie giggling as she nodded to Thomas and skipped away. Thomas watched as she skipped down the hallway and out the door, leaving the morgue and walking into the streets. _

_Then he let out a sigh and turned back around towards the kitchen, leaning against the doorway as he watched her mother clean the bloody dishes. "So what are you going to do now that Maurus is dead?" he decided to ask, causing her to set the dishes down in the sink and wipe her hands clean with the water. "Are you going to go back to your family?"_

"_I don't know," she sighed as she looked at the clean dishes, beginning to set them away in the cupboards. "I don't know how I'm going to tell Sophia that her father is dead… but also how am I going to move on?"_

_Thomas frowned, walking into the kitchen and slowly wrapping his arms around her. She bit down on her bottom lip as she let out a sad sigh. "It's okay Mrs. Ellen. If you need someone to stay with then you are welcome to stay here as much as you want. I don't mind the extra company." _

_She gave him a smile before walking out of the kitchen and into their living room. She sat down on the couch in the corner, setting her head down on the armrest and sprawling her body over the rest of the couch. Thomas followed her into the room and sat down in a chair that had skulls attached to the top of the chair, specially handcrafted from one of his customers years back. "I think I have to go back," she sighed to herself, looking out to the floor. "Just… how to break the news to Sophia. Will she be angry with me? Perhaps hate me for the rest of her life?"_

"_Don't say things like that," he said, drinking down some tea before proceeding to comfort her. "I have known you for about twelve years now and I know that you've been a good mother to Sophia. She's also like her father and she'll probably understand the situation." He let out a sigh, staring into his tea cup. "Plus I think she already knows."_

"_R-really?" she asked, lifting her head up to look over at him. "How do you know that?"_

"_Well she is asking me where grim reapers go when they die even though I can't give her a straight answer. Also," he continued, sipping his tea, "the day before that man came by with your husband's wedding ring Sophia came home running away from something. I noticed her run up to the tree before it started to rain. She just sat there and was crying to herself. I was going to go up there investigate until that same man came by before I could, but Sophie seeming to know him from somewhere. I think he is a reaper Ellen," he sighed. "I think she… may have seen her father die."_

_She looked at him wide-eyed, misery looming over her face. "I see…" she sighed, sitting back into the couch. "She spends too much time with the dead. I don't want my υπέροχο κοπέλα becoming ostracized… especially since my family already does that to her," she frowned. "I don't think she ever met her grandparents or my brother. I think it's about time that she does."_

"_I see…" he said, setting his tea cup down on a small table next to his arm. "Whatever you wish my dear. I wish the same for her too –" He looked up, hearing the main door open and the bell ring. "If you'll excuse me," he said, walking into the main room. _

_There stood a man in a long trench coat, his silver hair and thin black glasses hiding his eyes from the mortician's view. Thomas didn't practically like this man, but he seemed to be familiar with Maurus so he had come to accept his constant presence around the morgue and cemetery. He didn't say much, but seemed to rather sharp whenever he answered them. Thomas noticed that the man was wet even though outside it was only getting cloudy. He must have been gone somewhere else, perhaps up north where the storm clouds are coming from. "I didn't mean to disturb you," the man said, walking slightly into the door but staying outside. _

"_No it's quite alright," Thomas answered, "we weren't doing anything. Would you like some tea?"_

"_I'd rather not," the man said as Thomas let him into the morgue. He looked around, noticing how neat and organized the place always was. It was a rather old building, but Thomas was able to keep it in working order for years. Everything was spotless, everything was clean, a very inviting place to come to even though it's a place of death. "I only wanted to see how Maurus' family was doing. How was young Sophia?"_

"_She's quite alright," he said, sitting down in a chair. The reaper looked around for a place to sit, resorting to sitting down on top of a coffin. "Mrs. Serbus and little Sophia don't plan on sticking around here much longer. It's a good thing to. A kind little girl shouldn't be hanging around a mortuary anyways."_

_The other man laughed slightly, Thomas looking over at his curiously. "I'm sorry sir. I just don't see why seeing dead people on a daily business is a bad thing. It doesn't matter anyways," he sighed, looking down at his hands. Then he grabbed something out of his pocket, a silver ring with a big green gem on it. "However I think this will be the last time I come by. I only wanted to make sure that Mrs. Serbus **really** didn't want her husband's ring back. I know she said it would be better if I had it, but I'd rather not take something that belongs to her."_

"_Hold on then," Thomas said, standing back up, "I'll go and ask her. Ellen!" he called, walking into the living room. Ellen looked up, Thomas noticing she had been fiddling around with a smaller silver ring with a green gem that was on her ring finger. "It's that man that Maurus hangs out with."_

"_Oh you mean Undertaker?" she asked, sitting up and stretching. "Why is he back?"_

"_He wanted to know if you wanted your husband's ring back," Thomas said, walking over to her and helping her off of the couch. _

_She grumbled to herself, scratching the back of her head. "This is the seventh time now. I think I will have a word with him," she grumbled, walking out of the room and down the hallway. Thomas followed her, noticing she stopped at the end of the hallway and stood silent. He blinked in confusion, looking over her shoulder to see what was going on. _

_There was Sophie, back with several dozen flowers and some bread. He was a bit confused because he didn't recall hearing the door ring, but that wasn't really on his mind. What he was wondering about was that she had a happy smile on her face. She was setting the food down on a table before skipping over to the reaper. "I didn't know you would be back," she giggled, sitting down on the coffin the man was sitting on, "but you know there's a dead body in this one, right?"_

"_Oh…" he said, looking down slightly before shrugging, "I don't mind."_

_She giggled slightly, taking out a bar of chocolate from her pocket and breaking of a piece, "Do you want some?" _

"_No," he said as he put his hand up in protest. _

_She smiled to him, popping the chocolate in her mouth and saving the rest for later. "Since you're here I have a question for you."_

"_Okay," he said, setting his hands down on his lap. "What is it?"_

"_Do… do reapers go to a place like heaven?" she asked, causing the man to look at her surprised. "I mean," she chuckled, scratching the back of her head nervously, "I mean is papa in a better place? Mommy tells me he is, but I don't know if I can believe that. I just want to know if he's in a place that when we die then we can see him again," she giggled to herself in thought. "Mommy is awfully lonely without him… so I was wondering if she would be able to see him again."_

"_Why," he began, a chuckle escaping his lips, "why yes there is young Serbus. There is a place where a soul goes when a person dies." _

"_Oh really?" she gasped. "Where is it?"_

"_Well that is something I cannot disclose," he responded, causing Sophie to frown. "But you will only have to take my word that there is a real place someone can go once they die. If you really are Maurus' daughter then you will be able to go there all the time, without having to actually die."_

"_Really?" she gasped, interested in this new piece of information, "Oh boy! So papa must have been important… wow… and to think I only knew him as a grim reaper."_

"_Yes," the man chuckled, a smile staying on his face, "I assume your father told you a lot about his work." _

_She nodded, popping some chocolate into her mouth before slipping it back in her pocket. "I guess so… he also brought me there once, but I don't remember much of it," she shrugged. _

"_Oh yes I remember the day," he thought to himself, Sophie giving him a nod as she looked down at her hands. "I'm actually here to ask you a question," he said, Sophie turning so she could see him better. "I have been able to keep any information from the council that Maurus Serbus ever had a child. For us, young Sophia, a Death God having relations with a human is prohibited, but there have been a few reapers among us that have two separate breeds for parents. Since your father is a dear friend of mine, I was wondering if you would like to come back with me to our realm?" Sophie blinked in confusion and the man chuckled at her expression. Her mother, however, was close to jumping out from the hallway and into the room to swoop her daughter up and run away from that crazy man. Thomas had to quickly hold her back as he wanted to see what her response would be. "You would be given the upmost care and would be raised to be a Death God like your father was, you would be schooled at our training facility to ultimately become a reaper, and you wouldn't have to worry about any threats coming after you for our realm is very secure against demons, especially the one that killed your father. __What do you say? Would you like to come back with me to become a Death God?"_

_Sophie blinked at him and looked down at her hands on her lap, before a chuckle escaped her lips. "That is a very nice offer, but I will have to decline," she sighed to herself. "I may only be six, but I understand that the demon that killed papa may be back to kill me soon enough. As anything, I don't want to die as papa did, but then there's mommy…" She chuckled to herself, looking off into space, "Mommy would probably let me go if I really wanted to, but I do not want to leave mommy by herself. I don't want to her to be lonely, you see what I'm saying?" she paused and waited for a response. The man gave her a nod and she smiled, soon continuing. "Mommy grew up in a noble family, but they aren't very nice people. They are always angry at me and always calling me a mistake, but mommy says I'm not a mistake. She left her family because of papa, I guess, to be here. I don't know much on details, but mommy seems to be a kind but very lonely person. I think papa helped her with that loneliness when he met her, and now I'm here too. Papa is gone, and then if I go… I don't think mommy can handle the loss. I don't know how to say this, but I don't want to leave mommy alone by herself. She needs me as much as I need her as my mother, even if she doesn't know that, you see?"_

"_I guess I do," he nodded. Then he chuckled, "You are like your father, you know that?"_

_Sophie giggled, "As I've been told," she smiled at him._

_He looked at her face, brushing her cheek slightly. She looked at him with confusion as he could only respond by chuckling again. "Though you're also like my little maiden."_

"_I am?" she thought in confusion, "and why is that?"_

"_You look rather similar to her. Your hair, your eyes, even your attitude is similar to hers. Yes," he chuckled, "you are a rather curious young maiden like she also was around your age. If you had decided to come with me then…" he paused, looking away from her. _

"_You would have let me stay with you then?" she answered, the man looking over at her surprised. She giggled, noticing that his expression answered her question. "I guess Death Gods are lonely beings too."_

"_I guess," he sighed, looking down in confusion as Sophie scooted over to him and leaned her head against the side of his arm. She looked at him with a giggle escaping her lips, and he couldn't help but chuckle back at the joy and innocence on her face. Even after losing someone near and dear to her heart she was still a happy little soul, just like her father. _

!#$%^&*()

_Sophie had a skip in her step as she wandered through the forest in search for her mother. She saw her wander off an hour ago, and Thomas told her to go and fetch her for dinner. The sky had begun to get cloudy and it slowly began to rain, making Sophie rather nervous. She didn't venture into the forest as she used to, but the rain was making it eerier then it had to be. She stumbled slightly on a branch, quickly noticing her mother in the fields. She giggled, skipping the rest of the way and falling among the grass next to her mother. "Hi mommy!" she exclaimed, her mother looking over with a smile on her face as she rolled over to wrap her hands around her daughter._

"_Hello my __υπέροχο __κοπέλα__," she smiled, tickling her sides._

"_Mommy!" she exclaimed, giggling as her sides were being tickled. Ellen set her daughter back down in the grass, sitting up and looming over her little body. Sophie giggled into her hands, hugging her mother's neck with her small hands and giggling with glee. Her mother smiled, hugging her tightly before letting go again. "Mommy, Thomas told me to fetch you. It's almost dinner time."_

"_Okay Sophia," she smiled, letting out a sigh and rolling back down in the grass. Her daughter followed her, imitating her motions as she let out a less stressful sigh and looked up to the sky. "Did you know Sophia that your papa was going to bring us away from this place?"_

"_Really?" she asked, rolling over to look her mother in the face. _

"_Yes he did," she sighed. "He told me he was resigning from his job and would be back to take us away in a few more weeks, but he hasn't come back yet."_

_Sophie looked over at her mother, a guilty look on her face. "Mommy," she began, her mother looking over at her with interest, "t-there's something I need to tell you about papa –"_

"_I know that your papa is dead Sophia," she said, rolling over and wrapping her hands around her small waist. Sophie's eyes went wide, noticing her mom let out another sad sigh as she hugged her tightly. "I know you saw him die and the reaper your papa called Undertaker wanted to take you to their realm, and…" she sighed, "I know you turned him down."_

"_Mommy…" she said quietly, holding her close. "It's okay mommy. You can cry if you want." _

"_No my __υπέροχο __κοπέλα__," she smiled at her, wiping some of her auburn hair from her face. "I am quite alright now that I know that you want to stay with me." _

_Sophie smiled, hugging mother tightly. "Of course I do __μάνα__," she sighed as she leaned into her mother's protective arms. Then she let go of her and quickly stood up. "Well Thomas will be expecting us. We better not worry him."_

"_Yes," her mother chuckled, standing up and grabbing her hand, "let's head home." Sophie nodded, walking side by side with her mother. _

_Sophie looked up to the sky and quickly noticed how the sun had almost gone down behind the hills. It was making her nervous as they walked past the spot her father died. She frowned when she noticed it was as if he was never there, with only a flower lying where his body had been. Something was keeping her on edge, but she couldn't figure out what. Then as they passed by a shadow jumped out of nowhere and grabbed her mother, the force pushing Sophie into the bushes. It came out of nowhere, a knife suddenly being held at her mother's throat. "I've finally found you," it slurped, cutting into her mother's neck just slightly._

_Sophie looked up, her eyes going wide in shock. "Just what are you?" her mother growled, suddenly whimpering when the blade cut deeper into her neck._

"_A demon," he hissed into her ear, the blade leaving her neck. He chuckled, slowly sliding the knife down her neck and towards her chest. "The demon that killed your dear~ Maurus," he laughed sinisterly._

_Her mother gasped, her eyes widening in fear. "What do you have against us?"_

"_Oh you must not know your husband that well Mrs. Serbus," he chuckled, "but in order to complete my vengeance, I'm going to have to kill you and your little daughter over there."_

"_M-mommy?" Sophie said as she stood up in fear and watching the demon pinned her mother down to the ground roughly. _

"_You monster!" she said, kicking him as hard as she could in a rather sensitive area. He didn't seem affected by it, starting to stab into her chest. _

_Sophie gasped and ran towards her mother. "Mommy no! Not you too!" Then the demon was kicked away, a surprised expression coming over his and her mother's face when they looked over at her. Sophie only stood where the demon had been, letting out hard huffs as she clutched something in her hand. It was a death scythe, a scythe about six times larger than her, if not more, and completely black. A black haze was beginning to form around her as she glared at the demon. Her eyes were completely yellow; anything of her normal blue and green eyes gone in a flash, but her eyes also looked dull and glossed over. _

_She slashed at the demon, the demon jumping back in fright as he fell back down on the ground. He growled, wiping the blood that began to flow from a cut on his face. "You bastard child," he hissed at her, standing back up. He grew claws and walked towards her, anger in his eyes._

"_Don't!" her mother called out, "she's only a child!"_

_But the man didn't listen to the woman's cry as he attacked the girl. She jumped back, quickly lunging back at him and sending him flying into the trees. She gripped the scythe in her hand hard and slashed it at his body. He cried out, a deep gash causing blood to flow from his chest. He hissed at her, attempting to crawl away from her. "I'll be back to kill you and your little brat!" he yelled, quickly vanishing and leaving Sophie and her mother in the woods. _

"_Thank God that man is gone," she gasped, standing up and brushing herself off. "Come on Sophia… Sophia?" she looked over, noticing her daughter wasn't responding as she usually did. "Sophia put that scythe away… listen to me!" she yelled, grabbing her arms attempting to grab the sharp object away from her. The girl growled and slashed the scythe at her, jumping away from her mother. She gasped in fear, now noticing the vicious look in her eyes. "Sophia what's going on with you?" she said, attempting to run away from her. At a lightning speed she stood in front of her mother, her scythe aimed high above head. "Sophia… Sophia listen!" she yelled, the scythe coming down on her as she flinched and looked down. _

_She soon looked up in shock, the blade not cutting her in half. It was shielded by a man standing over her and she let out a sigh of relief. The man pushed the blade away, striking the scythe hard with his __shamshir and sending it flying behind her. He grabbed the possessed girl, Sophie growling, kicking, and screaming at him. He held her close to his chest, enough so she was restrained from thrashing around and hurting herself. "Sophia…" he said quietly in her ear, "It is time for you to settle down now…" She continued to kick him, her yellow eyes angry at the man holding her tightly._

"_Thomas –"_

"_It's okay Ellen," he said, "but there is something I'm going to have to do so Sophia will come back to her senses."_

"_What is that?" she asked with a worried look on her face as she watched her only child snarl at her. _

"_I will have…" he sighed, "I will have to perform some magic to seal off whatever powers she is controlling and causing her to be possessed by them. Maurus told me about the powers he may have passed onto Sophia, but he said that if she is unable to control it then it's better for her to have them sealed away then for her to be controlled and go on a senseless rampage." _

_Her mother nodded, completely accepting all that he said. "Then you have my permission to do what you must."_

_He nodded to her, turning his attention to the growling girl in his arms. "Sophia… Sophia Serbus… I know you're in there my child. Please come out." The girl just growled at him, yelling absolute nonsense at him that none of them could understand. "Mors, desinunt habere hac puella," he whispered in her ear, causing her to stop thrashing and just stare appalled at him. "Morte haec quisque puella. Relinquere ego praecipio Morte corporis." His hand began to glow, starting to seal the soul in her body back to where it had stayed dormant till now. "Sophia Serbus, vobis potentiae sum sigillum omnem hereditas tuum parentis, Maurus Serbus." Her body soon went limp, the black haze disappearing and the scythe vanishing along with it. _

_Her mother ran to her side, taking her daughter into her arms with a worried look on her face. "Sophia? Sophia are you there…" she gasped, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Oh god… not you too. I can't have you die too!" _

_As she finished her daughter coughed, opening her eyes and looking up at her mother confused. "M-mommy… w-where are we?"_

"_Oh Sophia!" she gasped, holding her tightly, "Thank god you're safe!"_

_She looked around confused, her eyes looking over at Thomas with as much confusion as she did to her mother. "W-who's he?"_

_Her mother's eyes went wide in dread while Thomas only frowned. Then he gave her a sweet smile, "My name is Thomas, Sophia. I'm taking care of you and your mother at a mortuary." _

"_Mortuary?" she asked, "What's that?"_

"_A place where the dead go to be prepared for burial," he finished, answering her question._

"_Oh…" she thought, before cuddling up in her mother's arms. "Mommy I'm tired. Can I sleep?"_

_"Of course my __υπέροχο __κοπέλα__," she whispered, letting her close her eyes and fall asleep against her chest. Her mother stood up, holding onto Sophia tightly as she walked back towards the cemetery. "What happened Thomas?" she growled with fury in her lips._

_"I-I don't know," he shrugged, looking over at Sophia before towards the direction they were walking in. "Perhaps I sealed away more then I intended. I thought I used the right spell but… I'm **soooo** sorry Ellen –"_

"_It's alright," she sighed, accepting his answer, "but I hope she can at least remember her father. That is the **main** thing she needs to remember…" She looked at her daughter, brushing her hair away from her face as she slept contently against her chest, "her father."_

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Grell sat next to a white bed in a white chair, gripping the hand of the patient who was fast asleep under the covers and dressed in a white medical gown. He frowned, brushing the tangled and dirty auburn hair from her closed eyes. She looked rather peaceful as if she had already passed onto the afterlife. "Oh Sophie…" he frowned, biting back tears, "This is my fault, isn't it?"

He flinched slightly, hearing the door open and slam behind him. "Grell Sutcliff," the shinigami said, walking over to the other side of her bed to look at the patient passed out on the bed.

"William," he snarled at him, anger starting to surface from the pit of his stomach. "So how's dear-young Alex?" Grell decided to ask, turning his attention back to Sophie.

"He is slowly recovering and will be out of bed in a few more days." Then he let out a sigh, looking at the books in his hand, "I had to go over the details of the demon attack from Alexander's and Sophia's cinematic record. They… well it is something the council will want to review later," he finished; looking over Sophie's sleeping body. "Could you care to tell me, Mr. Sutcliff, why you let Sophia stay with a retired man like the Undertaker? Why you didn't go to your higher supervisor or a director about this instead of keeping everything a secret?"

Grell glared at him, frustration visible in his wiry eyes. "You wouldn't understand," he huffed at him, looking back at Sophie's body.

William let out a sigh of defeat, deciding to sit down on a nearby chair so he could look squarely into his eyes. "Grell I'm serious. This is a grave offence, even though she's a new shinigami here. If I can't find a loophole for her then… who knows what will happen to her and Alex. So tell me, why did you make her stay at the Undertaker's house in the human realm instead of having her stay here where it's safer?" He glared at Grell, who only glared back at him. Then he sat back, a frustrated grunt escaping his lips, "You know they will be asking you this when you have to stand before the council once they find out you were involved in her recent disappearance. It's best to come up with your reasons **now** before –"

"Fine William!" he yelled, letting go of Sophie's hand and standing up in anger. "You want to know why? We'll I'll tell you! Because…" Grell paused, Will watching as his anger fused down and he sat back down in his chair in defeat. He frowned and brushed Sophie's hair again, causing William to frown merely out of sympathy. "This is the first time I ever had an apprentice Will. Even as a human no one wanted to hang around me because I was weird, but then… Sophie came here and wasn't scared about my sharp teeth or swiftly changing attitude. You know me Will, it was hard for you to warm up to me too." He glanced over at William before looking back at Sophie. "If you hadn't been my partner during our final exam, then you wouldn't want anything to do with me right now, would you?"

"I –"

"Well it doesn't matter now does it?" he huffed, a smirk coming to is face as William grumbled and moved his glasses on his face. "Either way, Sophie seemed different then the other newbies. When they made me choose an apprentice I was rather furious about having to, but then I saw Sophie's name and I know I had to request her. It was great, though her attitude changed a bit since I last met her, but she was as feisty as they come," he chuckled to himself. "But then… well I think you've already heard," he said, looking over at William expecting an answer. Noticing he wasn't going to say anything, Grell huffed again and sat back in his chair, crossing his legs as he stared William down. "I brought her along with me when we were investigating a demon wolf pack. I wasn't expecting much from it, just killing them and going home so I had Sophie come with me. She's a top A student, actually rivaling my own GPA that I had in place when I was at the academy, and from our training I knew she could handle the pressure. Then… well Sophie seemed to turn on all of us. She helped the demons and was yelling at our commanding officer for almost killing the alpha male. Even for me I wouldn't do that because I knew the consequences behind it and I taught Sophie them, but she didn't seem to care. So once we came back they threw her in jail and accused her of being a traitor. I seemed to be the only one defending her at the time, stating things like she was only a new shinigami and didn't know the consequences behind her actions. They didn't even let her meet with the council to discuss her case! It was very maddening… and that was when she started to get worse," he sighed, looking away from William's unnerving gaze. "She would yell and scream in her sleep, and actually she still slightly does from time to time when she passes out while I'm working on paperwork. They had to throw her in a tightly concealed room, which only made everything worse for her. I checked up on her from time to time and only saw her getting worse and worse as the hours went on… the days went on. I was there during one of her tantrums and she kept crying out for them to stop touching her and hurting her. They actually weren't, at the time, and had to strap her down and inject medicine into her arm to calm her down. It was a horrible sight… something I wouldn't want to see ever again," he shuttered to himself.

"I offered to have her stay in my small apartment room once I was told she almost killed herself one night. Once she was there she settled down and wasn't throwing as many tantrums as before. Sophie frowned though, never smiled at me. I let her be and I waited for her to say something to me. One night she was having a nightmare and started throwing a tantrum, kicking in her bed and whimpering from some unknown pain. I ran into the room and woke her up, only seeing the terror in her frightened blue and green eyes. That's when she told me, told me about her human life," he sighed. "She didn't like being locked up because of memories of being tortured in a murky confined area. That was the only reason she had acted the way she did, because she doesn't like being confined and locked up without a way of escaping. She needs freedom and she told me she was fine being in my apartment because she trusts me… trusts me…" he thought back before going back to the point of his pointless blabber. "That's when I realized Sophie is a creature different from our own… perhaps a whole different species then our own. Just her explanations to her memory, her telling me about her medical records and that she was a half-breed, then how her father's name causes people to look at her as if she's a bigger part of the world then she can accept. That's when I decided that I cannot continue to always be her mentor for she was completely different then what I can handle. Even so, when a man came by the apartment one night to have her train with him, she insisted that I kept training her even though she was training with him. I still don't know why, but I did what I could do for her. Over time she was back to smiling and went back to her dorm, but when I thought the worst was over," Grell said, staring William square in the eyes, "I soon realized it was only the beginning."

"I had to confront her a while ago because she was acting different again and that was never a good sign, from past experience. I confronted her at the Undertaker's morgue, having him do most of the work for me really. That's when I learned she's something more then what she lets on. Have you heard about this, a thing called the parting stage?" He looked over at William before a chuckle escaped his lips, "Of course you don't. It was the first time I heard about it too. Either way, I realized Sophie was in grave danger, since she was losing her shinigami powers and demons were after her to eat her. So what did I do? I decide to have her stay at the Undertaker's since he has a reputation of being a powerful reaper," he shrugged. "It wasn't as much of my decision as it was his. Sophie goes by the morgue all the time, but she wasn't sure about staying with him. I had to make him promise that he wouldn't harm Sophie and so far he kept his promise. I wasn't sure about the decision, but when I came back every day after work I saw that she was getting along with him. So I decided it was all for the best." Then he sighed, looking back over at Sophie as he listened to the monitors attached to her body beep at a steady rate. "It was one afternoon, when I came by the morgue, that frustrated me. The Undertaker wasn't there to keep Sophie in the morgue! She was rather bored as she sat at the window, watching the humans walk in the streets. She told me he would be back soon, for he said he was only spending the night in a village because it was too far away to get back by nightfall, but that was the last I heard from Sophie," he grumbled. "I remember my last words, 'Take care, you scamp!' and she seemed angry at me for even saying it when I left… I wish I hadn't." Then he sighed, looking over at William and glared at him, even though he could visibly see the worry in Grell's eyes.

William let out a sigh, looking at the books and papers in his hand and setting them down on a table. He grabbed a book and Grell quickly noticed it was a cinematic record, Sophie's cinematic record. "I was rather puzzled by everything and had to research everything more in depth. Since you are her mentor its best that you know everything about Sophia's past, for the sake of anymore screw-ups," he finished rather foully, causing Grell to narrow his eyes and snarl at him. "I had to reread her cinematic record and found that a lot more pages have been added then pervious. It shows everything, her father, her mother, everything," he said, looking up at Grell and making sure he wasn't going to say anything till he went on. "Around the age she was six a mortician named Thomas sealed the powers inherited by her father using magic. I asked a few shinigamis about the spell and they told me he said everything right, but yet the spell didn't work as it should have. It sealed off her memories along with her powers, memories of her father and anything to do with the shinigamis and the supernatural laid dormant in her mind. The only thing that remained was one memory, a memory of meeting her father at a young age." Then he sighed, flipping through the pages.

"At eight she became an orphan and the man Thomas had died soon after. She had nowhere to turn to and the Undertaker found her around the time he had retired and left to live in the human realm. Why he would take her in is still a mystery, but she spent the rest of her human life with him. Maybe _**that**__**'**__**s**_ why she likes hanging around him constantly," he looked over at Grell before continuing on with his investigation. "At the age of seventeen she met the demon that attacked her and Alexander. The demon's name is Dorren, Dorren Apbolos or _The __Apep_ as I've found in other sources," he sighed, looking over the book. "To answer your questions, he was the demon that held Sophie prisoner and tortured her. It was her relatives that ordered the attack, being contracted to this particular demon. I have looked over my notes and see that her relatives that are contracted are indeed alive, so the demon is still lurking around London somewhere," he coughed, adjusting his glasses. "His real intentions for Sophia are still unclear because from the beginning it was because she was Undertaker's daughter and the last statement was because she was a Serbus. He seems to want vengeance over her family, killing her father and mother and attempting to kill her several times." Then he closed the book, setting it down and standing up. "I do not know what is going on as much as the information I have told you, but whatever is going on the council wants to keep an eye on her. Since she was brought into your care already, they want me to tell you to look after her as you had done in the past."

That's when Grell chuckled at him, watching as William gathered his papers and books. "Me? _**Little **__**old **__**me?**_ Oh you _flatterer~_" he giggled, William's eyebrow twitching slightly by his response. "But…" he said, calming down, "no I cannot accept this."

"And why Mr. Sutcliff?" he sighed, Grell glaring at him.

"It's rather simple," he grumbled, "I just can't keep her safe from danger; that's why I had her live with the Undertaker in the first place. Besides I've told you before, we should have told them _**before**_ this all happened. If we had at least told the Undertaker that she was the human he had been taking care of then perhaps we could have prevented this." He soon sighed, looking over Sophie as she slept peacefully. "I have already accepted I can't take care of her. She surely respects me and sees me as a mentor, but I'm not the right person to take care of her in the danger she is in." He looked over at William, determination in his eyes. "I know for a fact that these demons coming after her because she tastes like food will not stop, not yet. I do not know if it is only short term or a long term affect, but it's true if you look over my conversation with the Undertaker in her recent recording. I don't know who the council will put her with, but it _**can**__**'**__**t**_ be me. I do expect someone more qualified for the job, but I do not know who that could be. For anyone that Sophie would even **accept** to stay with is the Undertaker," he finished, looking back at Sophie as she slept, "so go ask him. I'd rather not."

William grumbled to himself, walking around the bed and towards the door. "I will keep your request in mind, but if I cannot change their minds then her liability will fall on you, whether you are up to the responsibility or not," he finished, leaving the room. Grell grumbled to himself before moving some hair from her face again. The fading line that led from her neck and disappeared into her blouse made him frown and Grell looked up at the monitor as it stayed at a steady beat.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

_Sophie shivered, gripping Undertaker's sleeves tightly as she could. "D-daddy?..." she called to him, the Undertaker looking over at Robin with determination._

"_What is going on Miss Robin?" _

_She let out a sigh, feeling the water in the tub with the tips of her hand. "She's getting a high fever like Haden and several of the children already had. We were unable to treat it back at the orphanage, but there have been a few methods that have been done by other parents that got results. If you could put her in the hot water…" _

_He grumbled to himself, unwrapping Sophie from the towel he had her in and put his hands around her body, gently setting her in the water. She began to cry out to him, her hands gripping hold of his sash so he wouldn't go away. "Little maiden you **have** to let Robin treat you," he said calming, letting her calm down before he had her let go of him. _

_She kept crying, causing the Undertaker to pull his eyes from her and Robin. She took a bucket full of cold water and rinsed a rag from the bucket. Then she lightly dabbed it on Sophie's forehead, cooing to her to stop fussing. "It's okay Sophia. It's okay…" Robin looked over at the Undertaker, who had found more fascination with a spider on the wall then the whimpering young girl in the water. "To think she got this a year after Haden did…" she chuckled, frowning when she wasn't getting a response out of him. "I will do the best I can Undertaker," she sighed, "but I don't know what else I can do. A few of the children have been able to recover after sitting in hot water for a while, but you can't keep a small body in the water for too long. If she is kept warm the rest of the night and is able to pull through till morning, then I'll have a doctor here who can help you. I'm sorry."_

_He nodded to her as Robin got up and wiped her hands on a nearby towel. "Thank you for coming at such a short notice. I had no one else whom I could turn to."_

"_It's quite alright," she smiled to him, gently rubbing her thumb on Sophie's head before looking back over at him. "I can stay here for a few more minutes, but I need to get back to the orphanage as soon as possible."_

"_That's okay then," he sighed, looking over at Sophie's body in the water, "I'll take care of her till morning. Just make sure a doctor is here by then." She nodded to him, hustling out of the bathroom and down the hallway, quickly leaving the morgue to make it back to the orphanage before the sun went down. _

_The Undertaker looked back at the girl, a worried look quickly coming over his face. He knelt down next to her, dabbing the cold water on her head as she quietly whimpered to herself. "M-mommy?..." she said quietly, her eyes barely open._

"_I'm the Undertaker my dear," he said softly, putting the rag back in the bucket and making it nice and cold again. "You have been living with me for a few years, remember?"_

"_U-undertaker?" she thought aloud, trying to recall the name. "Y-you mean the man that comes by the morgue w-ith papa?" _

_He looked at her confused as he began to dab the water on her forehead. "Yes my dear. Who is your papa?"_

"_M-maurus Se-erbus, of course," she said, his eyes suddenly going wide in shock. "I-I see you all the time, r-right? I talked to you when papa died… y-you were there at his office w-while I was asleep… he c-called you h-is best friend… but now I don't re-member…" she sighed, suddenly going speechless._

"_Sophia?" he said, shaking her slightly. He brought his head next to her opened mouth, hearing her breaths getting softer by the second. He frowned, deciding it was time to take her out of the tub. He grabbed her unconscious body and wrapped the towel back around her, noticing she was shivering again. He decided it would be best to have her under the covers as quickly as possible; so he stood up, let the water begin to drain in the tub, and walked into the bedroom. _

_Then he set her down on the bed, debating if he should dress her or not. He decided to grab something, having to dress her himself in a woolly shirt he would wear when it got cold outside. He lifted up the covers and tucked her in, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing hold of his sleeve. "P-papa?" she asked, her eyes trying to stay open. _

_He chuckled, kneeling next to the bed and brushing her wet hair from her face. "No, I'm the Undertaker." _

_She frowned, a tear beginning to fall down her face. "No… you have to be papa, or else… is papa dead?" _

_He sighed, having her let go of his sleeve as he stood up. "You're obviously delirious little maiden. I'll be back in a second," he responded, about to leave the room._

"_Papa!" she called to him, tears streaming down her face. That caused the Undertaker to stop, turning back to her with a fearful look on his face. She shivered, holding onto the blankets tightly. "D-daddy?... I… D-did you have a little maiden be-fore me?" He paused for a second, waiting for her to continue. "Papa d-on't leave me… not again," she kept crying softly, holding onto the covers tightly for warmth. "I-it's cold… why so cold?..."_

_He walked back over to the bed, setting his hat down on a nearby table and taking off his shoes. Then he slipped under the covers, holding onto her trembling form as tightly as he could without hurting her. "Is that better, little maiden?" The little girl nodded feverishly, turning over in the bed and clinging to his robes. Tears kept falling down her face as she trembled, trying to warm up as quickly as she could. _

_He held her close to his chest, opening up his robe slightly so she could be wrapped up tightly. Sophie snuggled into his chest, a happy smile showing up on her face as she felt her body slowly heat up. "U-undertaker?" she called to him as he let out a sigh._

"_Yes little maiden?" he asked, his eyes closed as he tried to get some sleep. _

"_I-is it normal to have dream about people dying?" she asked, causing him to open up his eyes and look down at her slightly. "To s-ee people die for no reason… that isn't right, ri-ight? To have to do some-thing so horri-bble… always c-ast in a dark sh-hadow too… I don't think it is n-ormal," she frowned, hugging him tighter. _

"_You're father told me that once," he said, Sophie closing her eyes tightly and clinging to his chest as she grit her teeth in pain. "He has nightmares, seeing people die in front of his eyes whom he never seen before, but always in the dark. He says it's a different type of dreaming, one where you don't see figures running around, but can only sense they are there as they are screaming for the pain to stop." He chuckled to himself, shifting his head down in his embrace and kissed her on the top of her wet auburn hair. "You won't even remember what I tell you anyways. I don't see the point of explaining this to you," he sighed, rubbing her back as she trembled. "Maurus Serbus, huh?... If I had known sooner," he thought to himself, hugging her tighter to himself, "then I would have taken you back to the realm with me, but it's too late now. I will just have to stay by till you die in this world… hopefully later then sooner."_

_He looked down on her, noticing that her breathing became steady again, and he couldn't help but smile. "Y-you're my new pa-pa, right?" she asked him, a chuckle escaping his lips._

"_That's right Sophia," he sighed, getting comfortable underneath the sheets. "Yes I am."_

"_Are you lo-onely still?" she asked him._

_He smiled, "No, no I am not." He couldn't help but chuckle again, "Not anymore."_

"_S-so can I be y-yours?" she asked, clutching to his robe and looking up._

_He looked down at her, seeing her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes looking up at him with such innocence that it made him smirk back. "Yes little maiden," he responded, Sophie giggling happily and curling herself up in Undertaker's chest again. He brushed her hair with his fingernails, kissing to top of her head as she quickly fell asleep. "You are mine and I won't let anyone take you or hurt you… **not ****ever**." He continued to brush her hair softly, closing his own eyes as sleep overtook him. "This time I will be there for you, my little maiden… this time…"_

!#$%^&*()

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Sophie opened up her eyes in a jolt, quickly scanning the room for any signs of danger. She slowly looked over, seeing Grell passed out in a chair next to her bed. She smiled to him, slowly sitting up and rubbing her eyes. So many questions she had now, which she had to unravel here and now. There was no time to waste sleeping because there was something more important for her to find out.

If her dreams were actually her memories.

She got out of bed, looking over at Grell as she did so. She smiled to him, giving him a peck on the cheek and a quick thank you before opening the door and closing it behind her. Sophie looked around, noticing the hallways were empty, and quickly made her way out of the infirmary and out of the shinigami realm, running as fast as she could through the forest and to her destination.

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**A/N: Sorry for Grell's rant in the middle of this story! If I had cared much about making it shorter, I would have, but I'm tired and will just keep it as it is. If it wasn't so long, I would have added one more from the next chapter, but this still works fine ^^**

**Sorry if it got confusing. It's going back and forth from her dreaming/memories flooding back to the reality of the story. Yes, there are points to the dreaming that she's not even there, but who's to say that it's _just_ her own memory? =3 Ehhhh once again I'm not trying to be perfect here. I know it seems unlikely that she would have that as a memory, but it's just so you can understand what is going on with her memories. Anyways, I hope you liked this chapter. I took some time making sure it was perfect, even though I know it's not, so I hope you enjoy it. Some Undertaker and Sophie cuddling, yeah ^^ It's just to show why he'll be more clingy to her later… and even in past chapters too =D Well… goodbye and I hope to see you in the next chapter!**

_Να __ασφαλή__, __υπέροχο __κοπέλα_– Greek – _Be safe, lovely girl_

_Mors__,__desinunt __habere __hac puella_– Latin – _Death, stop possessing this girl_

_Morte __haec __q__uisque __puella_– Latin –_Leave this girl Death_

_Relinquere __ego praecipio __Morte __corporis_– Latin –_I command Death to leave her body_

_Vobis __potentiae __sum __sigillum __omnem __hereditas __tuum parentis_– Latin –_I seal off all powers you inherited from your father_

_μάνα_ – Greek – _mother_


	21. The Achievement

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Just a warning that Sophie will be acting like a little kid in this chapter. Why? Well she just regained lost memories, but having them come back all of the sudden is putting her through loops. So she's going back and forth trying to figure out her true personality and such. We'll just see how she ends up, huh? =D And I hope you like this chapter! Sorry it took me a while to post it! I got busy with school and finals that it slipped my mind ^^;**

**Oh and almost forgot, yeah I feel that I tweaked Undertaker's character too much. Well I read some of these other fanfics and before he retired he's shown to be rather stern/calm and stoic, so that's how I like to see him actually. I don't know if anyone else has those same opinions on him as I do, but I'm going to be playing off of that. So yeah, that's it, enjoy! =D**

!#$%^&*()

William looked at his watch as he walked casually down the white hallways. It was almost morning, but he figured he would go by the infirmary on his way back to work. The incident with Sophie and the demons last night had a lot of the staff working into the early hours of the morning cleaning up the mess, with William being one of them. His supervisor told him he wouldn't have to come into work this morning, but he insisted that he finish the paperwork on this case first before getting any rest. Even though his supervisor had to make it a direct order, William was given break time, a mere fifteen minutes. So he felt the need to go and visit Alex and Sophie in the infirmary. He walked passed two sliding double doors and walked into the waiting room. A secretary looked up at him and smiled, knowing exactly why he was there. "Hello Mr. Spears," she said, setting her pen down. "Are you here to see Alexander Agon again?"

"And Sophia Ioreta," he wanted to point out, where she only nodded in a reply.

"I will page a nurse to come and get you. They are in a restricted part of the hospital, but if you are escorted by a nurse or doctor you won't have any problems." William nodded to her, sitting down in one of the chairs and deciding to wait. The secretary looked over at him before letting out a sigh and continued on with her work.

He grabbed a nearby magazine and decided to flip through it, only seeing things that perhaps Grell would be interested in._ '__By __the __way,__' _he realized, _'__where __was __Grell?__' _He hadn't seen him since he talked to him that night, so William wondered if he went home or is still in Sophie's room. He sighed, flipping through the pages tediously before the doors opened with a harsh toss.

William looked up, flinching back at what he saw. He saw a man in a mortician's outfit, his clothes drenched in water. He looked as if he had been through hell and back, huffing slightly when he slammed his hands against the deck. The secretary jolted back in shock, looking up and noticing him. "Where. Is. Sophia?" he huffed, looking at her with a daunting aura coming from him.

"Sophia who?" she asked, setting her pen back down.

"Sophia… just Sophia. They told me she would be here," he told her, wiping his brow.

The woman frowned, noticing how tense he was, "Are you okay –"

"I'm fine," he said rather gruffly. She blinked in confusion and he noticed what he had done. He let out a cough, taking his hands off of her deck and standing up taller and more proper.

"Mr. Undertaker," he heard a voice behind him, causing him to turn around and come into contact with William. William's eyes went wide yet again before he let out a cough and adjusted his glasses. "I am William T. Spears. My superior is having me work on this case. I am currently waiting for a nurse to escort me to where they have Miss Sophia, but I can fill you in on the details in the –"

"I don't intend on waiting for a nurse," he said in a monotone voice as he looked over at the secretary again. "Tell them I have DMSD access," he said simply, walking past two doors and having them swing behind him. William looked at the secretary in hesitance before walking past the swinging doors and catching up with the Undertaker. He stood sternly as he tried to show no hesitance in his voice. The Undertaker stopped as he came to a fork in the road. William simply walked past him, leading the way. The Undertaker didn't show any emotion to him, simply following William down the white hallways. "So you said you would fill me in on what is going on, right Mr. Spears?" he said, William looking up at him before adjusting his glasses.

"Yes sir," he said, taking a turn down the hallway before proceeding. "We have come to believe that Sophia Serbus is an easy target for demons, which is the reason why they were after her. When I told her the nature of how she defeated the demons, the council told me to not repeat the information I had found and –"

"I do not care **what** that council thinks," he said roughly, "what I want to know is if Sophia is okay or not."

William paused for a second before continuing down the hallway and gathering his confidence. "The two shinigamis involved were the students Sophia and Alexander. Alexander has several cuts and bruises on his body, while Sophia was found with a few minor stab wounds. She has a deep stab wound in her back and a faint line of a stab wound leading down from her neck and to her chest. She has not awaken since we found her, but her wounds had already healed even though the stab wound on her back may leave a scar for a while. As far as I've been told she is doing fine, merely sleeping due to exhaustion… I just have a question for you," he decided to ask.

The Undertaker looked over at him with little interest, "What is it?"

"Why would you insist that Sophia needed to stay with you –"

"I did **not** insist Mr. Spears," he looked at him before letting a sigh escape his lips. "It was… well I have seen many cases as hers in my lifetime. I have known this council for a long time; they would not care if she died from the demons and became food for them. True, the shinigami realm may alert when a threatening being is on the premise, but it does not keep them out. It would only be a matter of time till hungry demons would enter the realm to eat her because of her strong scents, also eating other shinigamis along the way." He paused for a second, trying to find the right use of words before he continued. "I pressured Mr. Sutcliff into having his apprentice stay at my house in the human realm because I have a barrier around that building. A demon, or any other being for that matter, would not be able to enter without me knowing. It was the safest place for Sophia to stay at… plus," he smirked at him, "I do not know _why~_ I insisted. It's nothing I would do normally, but I decided to have her stay with me only because I wanted to pry into her _unu~sual~_ behaviors."

William nodded, looking at his suitcase with hesitation before setting it down as they began to pass a row of desks. He opened his suitcase, the Undertaker looming over him with curiosity before he picked up a book. He opened the book and flipped through the pages till he got to the part he wanted to show the Undertaker. "I think you should read this," William said, handing the book over to the Undertaker.

He eyed him suspiciously before he looked at the pages presented before him:

'… that was when the records flew around me. How it was a beautiful sight! Such light, such brightness, my heart seemed to be leaping for joy at the sight. I looked over the records slightly, noticing my parents in one of the reels. I let the records come into my body and gasped for air as they did. Then my missing soul came out of Alex and I grabbed it, quickly passing out as soon as my body absorbed the missing parts of my soul.

As I laid there unconscious I saw my missing memories play before my eyes. My mommy, my papa, and everything about the shinigami realm that I had forgotten came back to me in one fell swoop. Even other memories came back to me, which Thomas had not sealed away. They were mainly memories of Dorren, the mad demon, and any knowledge of living in a morgue for the entirety of my human life. I remembered my papa's explanations on the shinigami realm and mainly his role in his existence. His explanation was that he was a God of Death, a man of Death, a bringer of Death. He tried to teach me all he could, everything about his existence and why he was alive. It all had to do with Death, everything to do with a being he called Death. He never told me more on the subject, but Death was his reason for being in this world and not the next. He also said that I would take his place once I became the proper age, taking up his role in the worlds between life and death. "It was more than judging a soul", he would say, "but leading the soul into the afterlife. The soul, either good or bad, needs to know that Death is not something that needs to be feared, but embraced with open arms."

Then the strange thing was the darkness he had me see when I was training with him. It was different then the night and day, only complete darkness. It dawned on me now why I had the powers I had. Then my memories kept playing, showing my papa's death and when I almost lost my mommy and Thomas sealed away my powers. That's when I realized who was that shinigami that was always there? Who was he to me?

My memories kept coming and I saw a terrifying sight, the day I had gotten sick a year after Haden died. How I was so scared to die. During my illness I would regain and lose the sealed memories in my mind, and I began to recognize him… the Undertaker, my papa's friend… my father. I don't know if it is right to call him daddy now, but in my illness I noticed who he really was in my sealed memories. That did not last long, for I remember waking up the next day and not remembering the sudden death I came across that night. That's when I realized, who am I really? Is this really my soul or someone else's?

I couldn't take it, not knowing if this soul was mine or someone else's. Perhaps I was just using this person called Sophia Serbus, for how do I know if that's me or not. I have no authority with the shinigamis to look at my records. If I did maybe I would know by now… or maybe I'm just using this human name because their cinematic record is stuck inside of me. That is what I need to find out, if I am really this human or something else entirely.

When I woke up I…'

The Undertaker stopped, closing the book and looking at the cover. His eyes widened as he put his hands over the letters, "Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus…" Then he looked over at William and handed the cinematic record back to him.

"I am sorry," he said timidly, "I actually knew and –"

"If you had known then why didn't you tell me?" he growled, William taking a step back slightly. He never heard that sound from the Undertaker or this new personality of his at all! He was used to hearing him being giggly and bubbly in a rather creepy fashion. Was that all an act, or was this his act? "It does not matter anyhow," he said gruffly, "take me to her already. I'm sick and tired of your incompetence Mr. Spears."

He coughed slightly, grabbing his suitcase and hastily walked down the hallway. William figured that the sooner he got the Undertaker to Sophie's room then the sooner he would be back to his normal self. Luckily for them they were only a few doors away and William opened the door. He walked inside and only found Grell passed out next to the bed, no Sophie to be found. "Sutcliff!" William yelled, Grell jolting back and waking up.

"Will –" he paused, noticing the missing body. "Sophie! Awe shoot!" he yelled, standing right up. "S-she was here a second ago Will, I _swear_ –"

The Undertaker glared at William, walking out of the room without a second's notice. The door slammed behind him, William narrowing his eyes at Grell. "I thought you were supposed to watch her."

"Sorry_ Will~iam~~_" he said, running over to the door and opening it. "I didn't know where she went, honest! She just disappeared." Grell looked at his watch, noticing the time. "She could only be gone for thirty minutes, so maybe she didn't go far."

"For your sake Grell she better still be nearby," he said roughly, leaving the room and hastily going towards the front of the infirmary. He noticed the Undertaker had already left, vanishing from sight.

!#$%^&*()

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The Undertaker grumbled with a foul mood clear on his usual joyful face as he stomped his big-black boots on the ground. With all his expertise they would not let him search for Sophie officially, telling him to go back to the human realm and wait for further instructions if they cannot recover her in two days. Perhaps he didn't make it clear about his position? Either way he was rather tired from trying to track Sophie down all night. Now all this new information about her was making his brain hurt. He should have asked for her last name, but it never came up in their conversations. Once Sophie was found he would have to ask her why she liked going to his _particular_ morgue. Was it him or merely the morgue? From reading over the two pages of her cinematic record, it was clear to him that it was simply to regain her memories. How he could let this happen… well it was not the time to blame himself anymore. He had done that several times in the past and right now he had to find her before her soul was eaten by a demon. Even if she had regained her powers it was only a short amount of time, and once those powers faded the demons will be back to get her again.

He looked up and noticed the tall tree at the top of the cemetery coming into view. The rain hadn't stopped since one in the morning, the sky being cloudy even though the sun had begun to rise. Once he got to the top of the hill the Undertaker heard huffing and puffing, dirt being thrown to the side as someone was digging into a grave. He narrowed his eyes once he noticed it was Sophie's grave. He looked into the grave with interest, noticing a woman with matted auburn hair in a muddy white medical gown facing away from him. She had a shovel in hand as she worked as fast as she could with determination in her eyes to uncover the secrets she had been looking for. She didn't even notice when the man jumped into the grave, until his long-black sleeves wrapped around her small frame. She began to shriek, screaming at him to let her go. "Let me go!" she yelled, pushing him away.

She glared at him, her human blue/green eyes staring at him with terror hidden in her now knowing eyes. "Sophia…" he said, a worried look on his face.

Once she knew he wasn't going to interrupt her she went back to her work, shoveling the dirt away from the coffin she had finally uncovered. It was a nice brown casket, everything still finely polished to last for many more years to come. She grabbed the lid, and as she threw it off and she let out a gasp. The Undertaker had to move around the coffin to see what she was looking at, the woman standing there petrified in shock. Once he came around he noticed that the casket was completely empty, no body to be found. All that was left was dried up lilies he had left in the coffin, which held a few forget-me-nots among the bouquets of lilies. "So… I'm Sophia?" she whimpered quietly, biting down on her bottom lip as she looked at the grave in confusion.

The Undertaker just stood there, unsure of what to do in this situation. Even over the many years he had been alive this was a puzzling turn of events. Just when did her body get up and walk away? It couldn't have vanished… could it? It didn't matter now. The corpse was standing right in front of him, tears being mixed in with the raindrops that fell upon her face. He slowly wrapped his arms back around her waist, pulling her away from the coffin as he did so. "My dear, are you okay?"

She paused before turning her head and looking at him. He frowned, noticing the sadness in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. "N-no…" she responded, biting down on her bottom lip and looking away from him. "I… I'm… I-I'm m-mee?"

He turned her body around, her eyes going wide in shock as he did. He smiled to her, brushing her auburn hair from the front of her face. "Little Sophia, don't cry –"

"Daddy!" she gasped, clinging her arms around his coat. She kept crying as she felt the Undertaker brush his long-boney hands through her tangled hair. She coughed a little as the cold rain began to freeze her human body.

He grabbed her shivering body and helped himself out of the grave along with Sophia and he set her back down on the ground. "You go inside. I had better recover this grave." Without hesitation he jumped back into the grave, stopping slightly as he began to close the casket. He sighed, running a hand through the soft cushioning on the inside of the grave. How hard he worked on this coffin to make it as perfect as he could for his little maiden's big day, but it was less of a great day then a nightmare for him. He knew she would be in a better place, sure, but even after years of losing people he had grown close to, sometimes the pain of loss still stings. Setting her coffin into the ground and burying her into the earth, it will forever stay in his aged mind the thoughts going through his head even though he knows she is now alive. He set the lid down; grabbing the shovel Sophie was using and reburying the grave, finally patting down the soggy soil on top of her grave. He looked over and noticed Sophie had not moved from the spot he had set her down in as she stared at him with frightened eyes. "Come… let's get you inside," he said simply, taking his time as he grabbed the shovel and started to walk down the hill. She looked up at him and subconsciously followed him down the road to the morgue at the bottom of the hill, coughing up some blood into her hand as she kept shivering immensely.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sat in the tub as she gently rubbed her body with a small bar of soap. She still held a tired and faint expression on her face, looking over at the Undertaker as he stood behind her back as she bathed. He wasn't going to leave her alone; too afraid of what she may do to herself once he left the room. He kept a frown on his face as his eyes kept staring at the horrible gash in her back. Sophie didn't seem to notice his expression, still scrubbing her body and then her hair. She whimpered quietly to herself, rinsing out the soap that lingered in her hair and on her body. The Undertaker sighed soon after she finished, walking over to her before she could get up. "Here let me help," he said, cleaning her back with a soapy sponge and re-cleaning her hair. She hadn't done a good job as she left blood and grime in her hair and all around her body. She just stared at the mucky water, her eyes registering only a dim look to her normally lively blue/green eyes.

The whole event took her by storm as her memories had come back to her in a simple flash. The things that worried her weren't her physical ability but her mental capacity to understand everything in her memories. Not only did she regain her memories with the Undertaker as her father, but she also regained her memories that Thomas had sealed away long ago. She couldn't help but frown as she remembered her father falling over onto the ground. The feeling of pain and guilt was greatly different then before because now she knew the man behind the knife. Dorren, oh how she loathed him for killing her father and even her mother. If it hadn't been for him she wouldn't have died so early and would probably be living with her parents in whatever place they were going to escape to. She let in a chilled breath as the Undertaker scraped off some of the dry blood from her back. "Undertaker…" she finally said, his head looking up in concern, "what was my papa to you? What about my mommy?... what am I to you?"

He looked at her before going back to working on her back. "Your father… well I had known him for _years_," he said as he made a long emphasis on the 'years'part. "He had actually been searching for someone for as long as I could remember him, someone to complete his poor lonely soul. That's when your mother showed up as he was on a mission to take her grandmother's soul. It was there that he first met her, her crystal blue eyes staring at him as he came near to the bed. He told me it was a scary experience, seeing the young maiden kneeling next to the bed as she comforted her grandmother with an all-knowing smile on her face. She wasn't saying things to scare her, but to invite her into Death's cold embrace with loving arms. Just that feeling of warmth made him want to come back there, and he did so over and over again. Your mother… well your mother is as dear to me as she is to your father. I actually like to think of your father as my own brother, a little brother if you will," he chuckled, letting out a sigh as he set the sponge down in the tub.

"They were a happy couple, their joy increasing ten-fold as they spend every waking moment with each other. Your father would take time off of his busy schedule to be with her, trying to see her at least once a day. I would come with him most of the time, making sure he was keeping himself out of trouble so I wouldn't have to work on any overtime. Plus I found the whole situation entertaining. A human and a God of Death, oh what pleasurable amusement! Then one day her parents caught onto his daily visits and soon restricted him to seeing their daughter, and oddly enough seeing him as the God of Death he is. Well," he shrugged, "that's when your mother started running away with the thoughts of having to marry other men. Sure, every young lady wants to marry a gentleman and have kids, but your mother only wanted your father and he only wanted her. That's when she met Thomas… and eventually you were born. While your mother was first pregnant with a child your father felt that it was his duty to marry her, so he did with her own consent in a small chapel with a simple priest. It wasn't extravagant with fancy decorations and fancy clothing, but those two young souls were in love and that love was what kept them together and strong through their tough times. That's when he told her, told her everything about himself and his work as a shinigami. How he had lived for two thousand years, but though those years he never found a soul quite like hers and wanted to stay forever faithful to her even unto her death. That's why he stayed and married your mother, eventually resulting in the birth of you. That's when their small lives got complicated, having another life to take care of instead of tending to their own pleasures. Thomas was usually helping your mother, but your father would take extra shifts to earn extra money for them. It was about the time you were five he wanted to retire and live in the human realm, not having told the council of his child but with an excuse that he was tired of being a shinigami. Since he had been a loyal servant for them for years, the council soon granted his wish and wished him well in his retirement. I helped him get his retirement run smoothly with the council, being the only other being who knew about his human family. He was almost ready to go, only having a few more jobs to accomplish before he could retire… but that's when that demon came and took him away from you and your mother."

He sighed, Sophie looking behind once she heard him sigh. "Even if you had never noticed me, I had seen you grow up from a newborn to a child. Sure, you had been raised in a loving family, but you could have turned out different nonetheless with living around the dead for so long. I had always seen your soul as an old soul as I listened to your questions to your parents and the strong look of all-knowing intelligence in your eyes. That's probably why they called you Sophia, or that's what I had always thought. Either way you were like a daughter to me even if I couldn't help you directly. So when your father died I had decided to take up retirement myself, not seeing the point to stay in a position that had become boring after his death. Once I did I saw that the morgue was in need of a new mortician. So I took the position, noticing from the death list before I left for good that your mother and Thomas had recently died. I wondered where you had gone to, but my questions were soon answered when I met you talking to your mother's grave. You were as lively as I remembered you! The thought of death never seemed to scare you as your questions were direct and to the point about everything. At first I didn't think much of it, but once you came to live at the morgue again and helped me with getting started it was then that I noticed it was truly the young maiden that had lived there for years. So when I learned your relatives left you at the orphanage I adopted you, not wanting to see my brother's daughter become cold and distant from her own heritage. That is why I adopted you, Sophia, because I _**really**_ do care about you. You can hate me or never believe my story, but it's true. I just hope you can accept it, my confession to you."

Sophie looked at him, her eyes slowly turning warm to his sly smile that began to grow on his face. She couldn't help but smile back. "I believe you," she said, letting out a sigh. "This is just a lot for me to handle… all of the sudden I know how my father died, and the shinigami world I had known but was kept away from… and forgetting who _you_ really were to me probably hurts me the most about all of this," she smiled to him, "because… I remember I didn't want you to be lonely when I would see you with my father, but yet I was keeping myself lonely this whole time and didn't even realize it till now. I guess a lot of creatures need some form of companionship every once in a while." She chuckled to herself, a tear falling down her face as she brushed it away.

"That is true," he responded with a smile, grabbing a towel for her and letting her wrap it around herself as she stood up. She stepped out of the tub, letting the water drip down her body as she shivered from the sudden cold. She pulled the drain, a sweet smile lingering on her face as she let out a small sneeze. He chuckled, picking her body up into his arms as he walked out of the bathroom, leaving her dirty clothes on the ground to be cleaned later. He walked into the bedroom and set her down on the bed and walked to his closet to hand her one of his white shirts, which was large enough to cover down past her knees.

She took it gladly, the Undertaker turning around and facing the wall as she took off the towel and slipped on the white shirt. "I don't see the point in you turning around," she shrugged, "you've probably seen me naked many times already… even if I don't practically remember how _**many**_ times."

He chuckled, turning around slowly once he heard her setting the towel down on a nearby chair and then hearing the bed squeak as she sat down. "Only when I have to… little maiden," he told her, grabbing the bed sheets and tucking her in as if she was still the little girl he had been caring for about ten years. "Is there anything you want me to do before I let you sleep?"

Sophie thought for a second, before a meek smile came to her face. "Can you sleep here with me?"

"Of course," he chuckled, walking to the other side of the bed and slipping under the covers. He set his hat down on a nightstand, blowing out the rest of the candles before turning over in the bed. The Undertaker looked over at Sophie's face as she stared at him, which she held a bright and joyous smile on her face. He wrapped his arms around her shivering body and pulled her close to his, while she scooted up slightly in the bed so they could see eye to eye.

Sophie stared at his face in awe, about to move the silver bangs from his face before she stopped herself. He smiled, lightly moving her own bangs away from her eyes as he brushed her face. "I know you normally don't show people, but can I see your eyes again?"

He chuckled, kissing her on the forehead. "You don't have to ask." She smiled, brushing her soft fingers over his face as she brushed his hair away. She stared up in sudden awe, putting a finger on his double-iris green and yellow eye and following his scar with her index finger. He couldn't help but keep a smile on his face, watching as Sophie's crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared with affection at his own.

He noticed as her head bobbed slightly and he grabbed her softly, but firmly, in his normal embraces. She curled up into his neck, her breath breathing on the top of his chest as he curled up and breathed on her head. "Thank you… daddy," she finished, a chuckle escaping the Undertaker's lips as the last word slipped past her lips. They stayed like that for the rest of the night, Sophie eventually nodding off into a content sleep with a happy smile lingering on her face.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed to herself as she dusted the cobwebs from the corner of the morgue. Undertaker was also humming his own tune as he happily sewed up another corpse with superb perfection. She soon sighed as her eyes lingered to the window. She remembered how she was younger Thomas had prepared a small chair for Sophie and she would sit on it as she watched the pedestrians walk by. She would spend hours doing so if she wasn't allowed to go outside, making random comments on a person that went by like "his hair is pretty" or "her soul is beautiful". That went on until she had to leave with her mother to their house in the country, but it was still a nice memory to remember.

She felt arms snake around her and she giggled, the Undertaker placing his head on her shoulder as he looked out the window with her. "What are you looking at little maiden?"

"Oh _nothing~_" she smirked, leaning backwards into his embrace, "just remembering things."

He smiled, giving her a peck on the cheek before going back to his work. The Undertaker looked up, watching as Sophie set the feather duster on a nearby coffin and scooted it closer to the window. Then she sat there, watching the pedestrians walking by right outside the window. It had taken her several days to warm back up to her normal self, if you can call it normal. Sophie was still trying to figure out who she was now, human or reaper. She had changed so much since she joined the academy, speaking up more often instead of listening and being less friendly to everyone. She was always cautious about other people, not wanting to insult them or have them hurt her if they got too close to her. Her human life was different. She was friendly and always wanted to make a new friend even if it led to trouble. She had pain about her parents dying, but she coped with that feeling by finding the good in people and growing their friendships around that. In truth, she really hadn't strayed away from who she really was. Sophie liked to make friends, see the good in people, but she had to say she was weary of getting her heart broken… wearily of seeing people close to her die.

That was her problem, seeing others die. She didn't want to see their life go, see them breath their last breath and let death take them over, but now it was her job. She never really liked the idea, only going along with the training because she was grateful that the shinigamis saved her from being killed again. Even when she woke up she didn't feel like seeing people die, but then the instances… seeing someone close to her like Fillin almost die. It killed her inside to have to fight through it, but kept a brave face thought the onslaught. Then Alex… that was even worse. He almost died by her own soul! To think her existence was the reason he was targeted, because he was one of her best friends. It pained her to have it happen and it hurt her heart whenever she thought about everything.

Undertaker was able to help her warm up again. She was beginning to ask questions again and soon she was telling him about what happened to her, both in the few days that had passed and her human life before her memories were sealed away. Sophie wasn't sure if he was going to report on what she had been telling him or not, but some things she hoped he would keep secret. He was the only one she was willing to talk to, even though no one else had come by the morgue since she ran out of the infirmary. She wondered if anyone knew she was there, but she really didn't care about it anymore. Sophie only wanted to stay there, stay with the Undertaker for as long as possible. For some reason he always made her smile, always made warmed her up inside with his award-winning smile. The more she spent time with him, the more she felt he was her father again. Of course he only adopted her and they're not blood related, but she had known him as a father for **far** longer than her own. Sophie could honestly say that she could trust the Undertaker completely, her life now in his hands.

She gasped suddenly, feeling the cold boney hands wrap around her waist as the Undertaker snuck up on her from behind. "Daddy!" she jumped, almost falling off of the coffin when he snapped her out of her thoughts, "that tickles!" Her eyes went wide once she realized what she said. His smile grew ten-fold and he began attacking her sides, tickling her as he held her close to him. "No stop! Stop!" she laughed, pushing away from him and falling off of the coffin when she kicked at his hand and he let her go.

He leaned over, watching with a smirk on his face as Sophie kept giggling insanely. "Are you okay little maiden?"

She snorted, rolling over to the side as she kept giggling. "Don't touch me…" she said quietly, still holding her sides in defense.

His smile grew larger as he knelt down. "And what if I _want~ to_?" he said as his hands went for her sides, but she kept them away as she kicked and held her hands to her sides tightly.

Then he began to tickle under her arms and she shrieked, pushing his hands away and leaving her sides vulnerable again. "Daddy stop!" she giggled, the Undertaker giggling along with her as she squirmed away.

After a while he eventually got bored with it, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her up off of the ground. She curled up close to his chest, letting out a quiet yawn as she rubbed the tears in her eyes. "Tired?" he asked.

"No thanks to you," she grumbled before a smile came back to her face. He opened up a large coffin, sitting down inside of it with Sophie lying on his chest. "Ummm… what are you doing?" she asked as he simply chuckled.

"Only taking a nap. Why?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Well when I told you Thomas would sometimes set me down in coffins to sleep he didn't lay down _**with me**_," she grumbled.

He giggled slightly as he took his hat off and set it down on a nearby coffin. "Why? What's the harm? You have been having me sleep in the same bed with you for years, _little maiden_," he smirked, Sophie letting out a sigh in defeat.

She ruffled up his hair with annoyance on her face, seeing his green and yellow shinigami eyes as she brushed the bangs away. He contently straightened his hair back and left his bangs away from his eyes, which made her smile. "Whatever," she giggled, setting her head down on his chest as she listened to him softly breathing. Then Sophie let out a yawn, curling up on top of his chest as he wrapped his sleeves around her body.

He gently rubbed her back as she began to sleep, with his heartbeat lulling her to sleep. "Do you still want to me _mine~_ little maiden?" he asked, leaning his body over to the side slightly so he could get more comfortable in the coffin.

Sophie looked up at his eyes and gave him a smile, nuzzling her head back onto his chest after she did. "Yes," she giggled with glee. "I'm yours… daddy," she finished, closing her eyes and quickly went to sleep.

The Undertaker smiled, gently brushing her auburn hair. Then he let a sigh escape his lips before he gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Good," he whispered into her ear, "_Tu __mihi_… _n__on ego __forte __tibi_… _**nunquam**_…" He finished saying as he closed his eyes, a content smile on his face as he slept with her in his arms.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Alex hustled through the streets of London as his eyes searched through every nook and cranny of the place. "Hey!" Grell whined from behind, "slow down, you_ rambunctious child~~_" he huffed, finally ending up next to Alex as he let out a sigh.

"I don't have time to wait up for you, Miss Sutcliff," he told him, continuing on with his search. Grell paused for a second, a slight blush on his cheeks when Alex said his name with a female pronoun before he continued following him. "We have been searching for Sophie for almost a week now and we can't find her. Not even a body! There has to be something around here, a clue I'm hoping, that will lead us to her."

Suddenly he stopped, Grell almost running into him as they stood in front of a sign. "The Undertaker?" He huffed, "and why _here_?"

Alex turned to him, narrowing his eyes before he spoke. "I know she has been spending time here, plus he's a knowledgeable person from what Sophie has told me. I'd rather start my search here, even though I find it surprising you hadn't started here in the **first place**," he finished as he grabbed for the doorknob.

Grell huffed, standing back slightly as he opened the door. "Just like _Will~_" he said, Alex not really taking it as an insult or a compliment.

"Undertaker?" he said, walking into the room cautiously. Alex scanned the room, only seeing coffins all over the place and cobwebs in a few of the corners. About to turn around and leave a man with a big top hat and black clothing appeared, only a mere inch from his face. "Wha –" Alex jumped back, falling down onto his butt in the middle of the room. He now noticed that Grell walked in casually as he closed the door behind him with an all-knowing smug on his face. He brushed himself off, letting out a huff as he stood back up.

Looking at him now he still found the man very eerie, and he had seen plenty of beings who would fit under the creepy category. He simply fit the bill, with his silver hair hanging over his eyes. If he hadn't known he was a reaper already, he would have thought of him to be almost human. "_Wel~come~ Grell and Alex~ander~~_" he giggled into his sleeve.

"Yeah hi," Alex said, trying to get straight to the point, "I am here on a mission to look for a fellow reaper named Sophia Ioreta. Do you have any information we could use to find her?"

The Undertaker paused for a second before a giggle escaped his lips. "So dear _Will~iam~'s student huh_? Very _inter~esting~~_ that they would give him a half-_**demon**_," he smirked, seeing Alex's surprised expression.

"How –"

"He's good with information," Grell shrugged. "And that's why I have to come here _all_ the time," he soon sighed.

"Fine," Alex huffed, "then let's have some information then."

"Not so fast,_ Alex~_" the Undertaker giggled, running over to a table and sat down on it. He grabbed a beaker of tea, or that's what Alex hoped was in it, and he began to drink it down. "You will have to give me payment."

"Payment?" Alex asked as he looked over at Grell's bored expression. "And what is it?"

"That is," he paused, Alex looking over at him with interest and jumped back slightly when he jumped off of the desk, "Show me a_ first rate laugh~_!" he beamed, swinging his body around happily as Alex's mouth just dropped.

"A laugh?... well okay," Alex shrugged, thinking as Grell sat down on a coffin out of boredom. "Uhhh… oh!" he realized, "I have one that someone told me one, and I think you'll like to hear it _**most**__ of all_." He finished, letting the Undertaker settle down before he said the joke. "A man who just died is delivered to the mortuary wearing an expensive and expertly tailored black suit. The mortician asks the dead man's wife how she would like the body dressed. He points out that the man does look good in the black suit he is already wearing. However, the woman says that she always thought her husband looked his best in blue, and that she wants him in a blue suit. She gives the mortician a blank check and says, 'I don't care what it costs, but please have my husband in a blue suit for the viewing.' The woman returned the next day for the wake. To her delight, she finds her husband dressed in a gorgeous blue suit with a subtle chalk stripe, the suit fits him perfectly. She says to the mortician, 'Whatever this cost I'm very satisfied. You did an excellent job and I'm very grateful. How much did you spend?' To her astonishment, the mortician presents her with the blank check. He says, 'There's no charge.' 'No, really, I must compensate you for the cost of that exquisite blue suit!' she exclaimed. 'Honestly, ma'am,' the mortician repeated himself, 'it cost nothing. You see, a deceased gentleman of about your husband's size was brought in shortly after you left yesterday, and he was wearing an attractive blue suit. I asked his wife if she minded him going to his grave wearing a black suit instead, and she said it made no difference as long as he looked nice.

_**So I switched the heads**_.'"

Grell's mouth dropped as the Undertaker dropped to the floor. He began laughing hysterically, rolling around on the floor in complete and utter laughter. "Where did you hear something like that?" Grell shrieked.

Alex rubbed the back of his head as he chuckled nervously, "Sophie actually, she was drunk…"

Grell glared at him as the Undertaker stood back up, chuckles escaping his breath. "Understandable," he said as he wiped away a tear away, "I've done that more than once myself," he giggled into his sleeve.

Grell stood up, shaking the dust from his clothes as he let out a huff. "Let's just get going already," he grumbled to himself sourly. "So do you have anything for us Undertaker or should we get going?"

Suddenly the Undertaker stood up, eerily walking over to Grell and grabbing his chin so he looked up at him. Grell shuddered in his hands as he was made to look up at his face and his Cheshire cat grin. Alex blinked in confusion, staring at them until the Undertaker let go of Grell's face and waltzed over to him. Grell just stood there petrified, his cheeks burning red. "I have a _sim~ple~~_ question for you first," he said, calming walking over to a coffin and sitting down upon it. "What do you plan on doing with Sophie once you find her?" he simply asked, giving Alex a shrug since Grell wasn't paying attention yet. "Do you plan on keeping her locked up in an infirmary or make her stay somewhere else? What business do you have in finding her?"

"Business?" Alex asked, beginning to glare at the Undertaker as he walked over to where he sat. "I'll tell you what _**business**_ I have in finding her," he said, standing in front of him and glaring at him, "because she is my **friend**, that's what. I want to know if she's still alive and not dead somewhere. I don't care if we have to report back if she has been found or not, but I took myself out of the infirmary the moment I felt well enough to walk to go and find her. _That's what_," he kept glaring at him as he tried to imitate William's stern face to try to get the point across.

The Undertaker smirked, shooing Alex to the side so he could stand up. "Good," he giggled, trying to cut the tension Alex just made with his response. "Then you won't be taking her away then?"

"Oh whatever do you mean by **that**?" Grell huffed, walking across the room and to the corner they were standing at.

"Exactly what I mean," he responded, Alex looking at him with confusion on his face.

"Fine we won't take her away… I guess," Alex shrugged, "right Grell?"

Grell looked at the Undertaker before letting out a sigh. "I guess so… so you must have her then," Grell realized, Alex suddenly understanding what he meant also. "So where is she?" he asked, his voice actually sounding normal for once.

The Undertaker grinned at him, shooing them back slightly from the coffin he had been sitting on. "Please stand back,_ heh~ heh~~_" he chuckled as he continued to shoo them away, having them stand a few feet from the coffin. Then he opened the coffin, revealing a young seventeen year old maiden dressed in an oversized white shirt where she laid, turned to one side as she curled up in the oversized coffin.

"Sophi –"

The Undertaker quickly hushed Grell up with his black nail, a chuckle escaping his lips as Grell's eyes went wide. "Not so loud now," he said, poking Grell's nose with a long nail before wandering back over to the coffin and loomed over it. He knelt down and leaned into the coffin, brushing a hand over her sleeping face as she shifted slightly from the sudden coldness of his hands. "Little maiden…" he said quietly into her ear, Sophie shifting slightly in her sleep.

"Yeah dad?" she said quietly, her eyes still closed tightly as she felt his hair brush over her face.

"They have found you," he giggled to himself, Sophie rolling over in the coffin and stretching.

She let out a yawn, slowing letting her eyes adjust to the light before she sat up in the coffin. She looked over, noticing two worried shinigamis standing at the foot of the coffin. She smiled contently as her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared into their own eyes. "Grell… Alex… hello…" then she yawned, refusing the leave the coffin just yet. She looked over at Grell, who seemed as if he was ready to burst at any second. Sophie giggled, "Grell are you oka – Agh!" she yelped, Grell wrapping his hands around her as he jumped into the coffin.

"I was so worried!" he yelled as he cuddled her into his chest. "What happened? Why did you leave! How –"

"G-grell I can't answer you if yo-u're squee-zing me so tightly," Sophie gasped for air, Grell quickly letting her go.

"Oh I'm sorry!" he said sheepishly, letting go of Sophie but still loomed over her in the coffin. "So… why did you go?" he asked, his hands crossed over his chest.

Sophie looked up at him and let out a sigh, pushing on his chest so she could sit up again. "I-I don't know…" she said turning her head to the Undertaker. "Just… why didn't you tell me?"

"Tell you _what~?_" Grell said with a giggle, Sophie narrowing her eyes.

"You know what I mean… that I knew Undertaker before I died," she said, letting out a sigh and scratching the back of her head. "It wasn't like those memories were lost. Da – I mean Undertaker told me that William knew about it… and so did you."

"Oh _**that**_," he huffed, standing up and getting out of the coffin. Grell let out a frustrated sigh, sitting down on a coffin next to her own. "Actually I wanted to tell you right away, since you seemed to be making a _bi~g_ fuss about finding your lost memories, but dear _Will~iam~~_ wanted to wait till later… perhaps _not at all~_ for all I know," he shrugged.

Sophie got out of the coffin, walking over to Grell and gently hugging him. He looked up in surprise, Sophie giggling at the shocked look on his face. "Well that's okay. I don't think I would appreciate the whole situation if I had known earlier." Then she stood back up, walking over to Alex as he stood somewhat away from everyone. "And what about you? Are you okay with what… Dorren did to you?" she asked, her smile slightly turning into a frown as she noticed how weary he looked.

"I'm… okay," he shrugged, "but when you left I got worried about you. Seeing what he had done and –"

"Yeah I know," she sighed as she rubbed her arms in discomfort, "but it's over, right? I mean him trying to get me anytime soon… or at least that's what I **hope**." Sophie looked over at Alex and she cracked him a smile, still feeling icky about the whole situation. "Do you still want to eat me?"

"Actually not as much as I used to," he smirked, "I think it was seeing your cinematic record that did it for me… though there was a bunch of stuff missing from it." Then he let out a sigh, trying to recall what he saw, "I guess just being with your father mainly. Then anything having to do with the shinigami realm… also the fact that the mortician sealed your memories and you saved your mom, but that's really it." Then he looked over at the Undertaker before letting another sigh escape his lips. "Of course any memories of the demon in your mind he took away… except for the last bits. Sophie are you **sure** you're okay? You don't seem oka –"

"I'm fine Alex," she said with a smile, the grin turning into a frown as she sighed. "I'm just trying to figure stuff out. Plus I'm a human still, human! I can't go around like I used to anymore… but could you go tell Julia. I bet you she's worried sick right now."

"Yeah sure," he smiled, scratching the back of his head.

Sophie nodded, looking over at Grell before letting out a huff. "And Grell can I talk to you about something?" she asked, walking over to him as he looked up. "There's something I need to get off my chest."

"Oh sure," he said enthusiastically, jumping off of the coffin and onto his feet. Sophie smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him into the hallway. Grell blinked in confusion and noticed the Undertaker gave her a nod as Sophie gave him a smile. Then the Undertaker walked over to Alex as Sophie took Grell into their living room, so they could have some privacy. "So what is it?" he said as he jumped onto the couch.

Sophie let out a sigh, sitting down on the cushion next to him. "It has something to do with my recently regained memories," she stated, looking over to him as she set her hands on her lap.

She looked rather depressed about something, Grell could tell, but he couldn't tell what. "What is it Sophia?" he said in a more comforting tone, putting a hand on top of her own as she looked down at her hands.

"Grell," she began, letting in a deep breath before letting it out again. "There was a little human boy I used to know, Haden. Do you remember reaping a little boy named Haden?"

"Does not ring a bell," Grell shrugged, still keeping his hand on top of her hands. "Why?"

"You… you said some hurtful things when you reaped him Grell," she said, looking up at him with determination in her eyes. Grell frowned, noticing how she was holding back tears that were starting to form in her eyes. "You pretty much said he was worthless and was like any other human, but he wasn't! He was my love… and you acted like that was nothing," she huffed, letting out a sigh as she compiled herself to keep going with the conversation. "You said our story was like Romeo and Juliet, but nothing more. Do you find death boring or something? You don't see _any_ beauty in death, _**at all**_?"

Grell blinked in confusion, not used to seeing this side of Sophie at all. He took his hand off of her hands, but a smile was soon planted on his face. "Oh I remember that assignment. I don't remember **that** kid, but I remember a little human girl that could see me and called me a _pretender_. That hurt Sophie!" he squealed, before settling down once he noticed Sophie's monotone expression. "You just don't understand the _beau~ty_ I see in death."

"Then what is it?" Sophie asked, a small smile forming back on her face.

"Well…" he thought as he noticed Sophie leaning closer to him with interest. Perhaps becoming human again changed her personality? Grell certainly wasn't used to her getting so close to him, asking such personal questions. "The way a being spills out its guts! Just the sheer thrill of seeing crimson red makes my heart beat faster," he giggled to himself as Sophie raised an eyebrow. "I just _love~~_ the color, crimson red. It's burning, it's intense, it's –"

"A sense of _**passion**_?" Sophie smirked, interrupting him. "I guess you're right, red is a _belleza_ color, a _very~ passion~ate~~_ color. Did you know that the Spanish use red to show ardor when dancing? They use it in other things to intensify things."

"Oh really!" Grell gasped, realizing this. "Oh I must go over there then!"

Sophie chuckled, her smile growing, "Okay. You'll probably like it then," she smiled as she let out a sigh. "I see you're into the gore aspect then… well alright. If that's how you see death then that's fine… I guess…"

Grell turned to her once he was done with his giggling fit. "Why? Do you see death differently?"

"Why yes," she said looking up to him with a smile. "The first time I saw a dead body was… probably when I was less than a year old, and I started sewing bodies up when I was able to hold onto a needle and thread. So yeah, I see it differently than just something dying." Then she let out a sigh, looking off towards the wall as if she was reminiscing on something. "After my father died I was very distort. I couldn't sleep, couldn't eat, and I would sit at the top of the hill waiting for my father and hoping he would come back from the dead. He never did though, and I slowly got weaker and weaker because of it." Then she chuckled to herself, "Then one day the Undertaker came by, this was before he became an actual undertaker though," she decided to clarify before she went on. "Apparently he knew my father… and at the time I remember meeting him once before my father died. Ever since he died, Undertaker would come by the morgue every once in a while to visit us. I always looked forward to his visits, actually seeing him as an uncle or maybe even a father… well I was sitting at the tree like I usually do. My mother was planning on moving back to her family, which I wasn't excited about. I would have rather died right then and there really, just so I could see him." She let out a sigh, a smile deciding to come back on her face, "The Undertaker walked right up to me and asked me what I was doing. I simply told him I was waiting for father to come back, even though I knew he wouldn't. He frowned then, sitting next to me against the tree as I looked over the setting sun. Then he said something I could never forget about the dead, 'Life is a _beautiful~_ thing. Even after watching so many lives pass by in this world of ours, every individual's life is _always_ slightly different from one another with their own faults and troubles. Life can never get boring, but if you make it so then that is what will happen.'"

Grell thought for a second before speaking again. "I see… I understand why you were angry with me then…"

Sophie giggled happily, her smile deciding to stay on her face this time. "Yep! That's something you **can't** be taught in school. It's something you have to learn for yourself really." Then she looked over, noticing the Undertaker hiding behind the door before turning her attention back to Grell. "There was more to what he said, but that's what I wanted to say," she smiled to Grell. "That's why I was upset though… but I can forgive you for all that if you can understand why we are Gods of Death in the first place. Perhaps it's because of our backgrounds, but also because everything needs death… yeah…"

She looked up to the Undertaker, deciding to leave the conversation there and have Grell think about what she had said. Giving Grell a quick glance, she got off of the couch and walked up to the Undertaker, letting him wrap his protective arms around her body as she leaned into his chest. Grell finally noticed this, standing up from the couch and noticing how he was swinging her around slightly as Sophie giggled. He couldn't help but smile as he noticed how cute the two of them looked together, as if they were made for each other. "So," he said, his tone getting slightly serious and directed towards Grell, "do I have to go to realm and talk to the council? I talked to Alexander and he didn't say much on the subject… but I am not bringing Sophia along. I don't want them to take my little maiden away," he said, Sophie giggling as he set his head onto her shoulder playfully and nuzzled his face into her neck. "Well Miss Sutcliff._ What do you plan on doing~?_" he finished, Sophie looking up at Grell waiting for an answer.

He let out a chuckle, walking past the Undertaker and messing up Sophie's hair. "Do what you like," he huffed, "but I have other things to do. I'm going to go back home and taking a nap," he yawned, looking over at Alex who was sitting on a coffin. Then he walked out of the door with another huff escaping his lips, leaving the three of them in the morgue.

Sophie looked over at Alex, who let out a sigh of defeat. "Well I'm going to report this to William… but from what I've heard the council wants to keep an eye on you, Sophie." Then he looked up at the Undertaker before getting off of the coffin and putting his coat back on. "Perhaps he can handle the details? I don't know… I just want to go back and sleep."

"Then go sleep!" Sophie yelled at him, getting out of Undertaker's arms and pushing Alex towards the door. "You still look ill Alex! You need _sleep~~_"

"Alright!" he yelled, making sure Sophie was done pushing on him before he chuckled. "Yeah well… if I see you back at the academy then come and say hi, okay?"

"Yeah alright," she smiled back, waving to him as he left the morgue. Sophie closed the door gently behind him, turning back to the Undertaker whose bottom lip was quivering. "What's with that face?" she huffed, trying to walk past him. Then she was lifted off of the ground into his arms and he held her bridle style in his arms. "Daddy!" she gasped, his smirk growing larger at the sound of her voice.

He leaned his head into her neck and licked her neck slowing from the bottom of her neck to the top. Sophie gasped, a whimper escaping her lips as he licked her. Then he leaned his mouth close to her ear. "I won't let them take my little maiden away from me, _okay~?_" he whispered into her ear. "Besides," he said quieter into her ear, "_Tu __mi__hi_, right?" The Undertaker said sending a chill down her smile.

"Y-yes…" she hesitated, her cheeks starting to blush. Then he bit down on her neck, Sophie letting out a gasp as she tried to get him away from her sensitive neck. "Undertaker!" she yelped as her body curled up in his arms as he bit down on her neck.

Then he let her go and set her on the ground, letting go of her neck and licking up some blood that started to ooze out from her neck. She blinked at him with confusion, the Undertaker chuckling and brushing a long black nail across her face. "Why don't you go back to sleep? I have nothing more for you to do today anyways."

"O-okay," she said, looking at him with confusion on her face as she tried to give him a smile. Then she walked back over to the coffin she was sleeping in and sat back down in it, closing the lid and curling up in the coffin. She felt the slight bruise he left on her neck, stinging slightly when she touched it. _'Overprotective much?'_ she grumbled, soon letting out a yawn and closing her eyes as she quickly went back to sleep.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Yeah _very_ protective XD Woot! Learning more about Sophie's past! How fun =3 Well that's chapter 21. Sorry that took longer than normal, just I was having a fun break and then school caught up with me… I got busy again ^^ Actually after this I better start sleeping more! I have a cold or something and it's hard to stay awake in school and not get headaches. I don't know how long I'll be taking, but it depends on if I'm studying or want to have some free time. You can thank finals for this… darn finals . Thank you for reading as always! I hope you liked this chapter, with all its Undertaker and Sophie fluff. I don't know if I'll write another chapter like this dedicated to just fluff, but it may happen… though I don't really see it happening for a while. Maybe I'll add something before I move on in the plot, but it'll just be a segment long. Not very big in the overall chapter =D **

DMSD – Dispatch Management Senior Director (I just made that up ^^ if you have a better name for this then suggest it! I may change it if I like it =D) – high standing status to a corporate director who has retired from active duty under the Dispatch Management Division

_Tu __mihi_ – Latin – _You __are __mine_

_Non ego __forte __tibi _– Latin –_I will not let anything happen to you_

_nunqua__m_– Latin – _never again_


	22. The Potential

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I'm sorry this took longer than expected! I was going to actually make it even longer, but I felt the need to just stop it here, since this part goes on for a while. I'm sorry that my updates are getting shorter. My finals are next week and I'm getting ready for them, but the main reason is because my assignments have been due this week and last week so I was trying to cram everything in. **

**On a different note, my laptop is on the frits and I may have to stop writing this story for a while. For some reason, my computer won't turn to the log-in section and let me in to at least SAVE my files, so that's my problem. Hopefully I can get it fixed, but if not then that's why I won't be online and answering questions as much as I would like. At my house, we only have one working laptop and that's being used between three people. If I have to use it, then it'll be four! So we'll just see how this goes. I don't know… but I hope to be back on a computer and writing this story asap! And as always, enjoy this next chapter!**

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Sophie felt someone stroking her hair and she let out a little sneeze, rolling over in the bed she was sleeping in before slowly opening her eyes. She looked over in shock, noticing a bright being standing beside her bed. "Pulchra puella? Sophia?... Tu vigilans?" It asked, Sophie having to blink for a few seconds until she realized who it was.

"P-papa?... Papa!" she gasped, practically jumping out of bed and grabbing him in a hug.

"Sophia, pulchra puella…" he cooed, rocking her back and forth as she gripped tightly to his clothes. Then she let go, looking at him fully.

He was wearing a white robe with a black cape draped over his shoulders and pinned together by a worn out Roman pin. He had a piece of robe tied around his waist, shimmering in gold with seven black pieces of rope interwoven into the gold rope and losing some of its luster. She looked up, noticing his short maroon hair and bright green and yellow eyes, and she smiled as she ran a hand through his hair. "W-what's going on papa?" she asked, slowly getting out of bed.

"Don't you know?" he said, Sophie looking at him with confusion on her face. "Today is November 25, your birthday from what I recall," he smiled to her.

"It is?" she said, scratching the back of her head, "Oh I guess so… I usually don't celebrate though."

"Well today you will be," he said, helping her out of the bed.

"Why are you even here?" she asked, looking sternly at him, "Shouldn't you be dead or something like that?"

He chuckled as he brushed his fingers through her matted auburn hair. "Yes I still am," he said simply as he set her down on his lap. "You remember learning about _ba_ from Shezmu?" he asked, rocking her back and forth on his lap.

"Yes," she sighed, "so you're not really _here_ then… geeze…" she frowned. "Then why have you come back from the dead?"

"For you," he said as he kissed her cheek. "You lost your powers, right? Well do you want them back?"

Sophie turned to him, giving him a slight nod, "Maybe… I don't know… Why? What's the catch?"

He chuckled yet again, keeping a firm hold around her waist. "Well I'm offering you a solution. If you take an oath and become a God of Death as I have been for a couple thousand years, then your powers will come back to you."

She narrowed her eyes, getting out of his grasp and standing up next to the bed. "I-I don't know… Undertaker!" she yelled, leaving the room in a dash and running into the living room.

The Undertaker looked up from his paperwork, his hat set down on the couch and his black-rimmed glasses on his face. "Yes _little maide_ –" he paused, noticing the presence that stood at the door as Sophie ran into the room and hid behind his chair. A smile crept upon his face as he set his pen down and wrapped a protective arm around Sophie's shoulder. "The Dark Centurion… it's good to see you again," he smiled, his face not stressing his usual Cheshire cat grin.

"Undertaker," he said solemnly, before a smirk showed up on his face. "So **you** are the one taking care of Sophia… gratias."

"Non opus gratias," he replied, looking over at Sophie as she looked with interest on the situation. "What's the matter Sophia?"

"H-he…" she began as she pointed an accusing finger towards the glowing man at the door, "Papa is asking me to go with him to regain my powers. I don't see why he is though."

The Undertaker blinked in confusion, noticing how she narrowed her eyes at him. "Well do you **want** to regainyour powers?"

"Huh?" she thought aloud, looking over at him. "But –"

"If you don't want to regain your powers as a God of Death then don't go with him, but if you want to stay a human then stay here with me. That's up to you Sophia," he told her, looking over at the man to have him give her more of an explanation.

"Look Sophia," he said, rubbing the back of his short hair, "I know this is sudden, actually everything you have had to go through is rather sudden. I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for your mother, but I'm here for you **now**. Let me help." He let out a sigh, noticing the confused look on her face. "You don't have to choose to regain your powers right now. You can have the rest of the day, how about that?"

Sophie blinked at him before letting out an identical sigh as he did. "Will you tell me what's going on first? What I have to do and etcetera? Because I don't want to go do something I don't want to… even if you're my father," finished, the last words she said coming out in a whisper.

"Okay that sounds like a deal," he said, walking into the room and sitting down on the couch.

He patted the cushion next to him, Sophie looking over at the Undertaker for reassurance. "Well go on. No one is stopping you," he said simply, brushing a finger through her hair before letting her go. She smiled to him, walking over to the couch and sitting next to her biological father.

The man wore a frown on his face, noticing the affection his daughter was giving the Undertaker. Then he sighed, looking over at Sophie as she sat down. "I guess I should start at the beginning," he thought to himself, setting Undertaker's hat onto a nearby table before getting back to the subject at hand. "Do you remember anything that I taught you before?"

"Ummm…" she thought, rubbing the back of her head, "I don't know… that was years ago and after losing the memories for so long I –"

"Well that's fine," he smiled to her, "I'll just go over the material quickly." Then he sat there, staring off into space before beginning his speech. "I am the Centurion Maurus from the family of Serbus. I lived two thousand years in the past as a human in the Roman army. After I died I was given the duty of becoming a God of Death, which wasn't a big deal to me," he chuckled to himself, before letting a sigh escape his lips. "Over the years I learned something about us, Sophia, that we hold the soul of a powerful being. I don't know if you know this, but do you know _**why**_ my name is Serbus?" he asked her.

"No," she said simply, letting a yawn escape her lips. "Why?"

"Serbus comes from two Latin words, _sergio_ and _erebus_. Sergio means a servant and erebus is derived from the Greek word _Erebos_, which means darkness. So from the point I was born I was a servant of the darkness," he stated, a smile soon coming to his face. "I know you have to know about this, you know that we have different powers then other Death Gods, right?"

"Right," she responded, looking at him with interest as he went on.

"Well… our power comes from a being… a spirit that was made at the beginning of time." Then he let out a sigh, looking at his hands as he continued speaking. "It took me several hundred years to find out the details about our family. There was this demon, I suppose, but not really a demon and more of an evil spirit or a soul, I guess. This being was trapped in the depths of darkness for all eternity, created by the Almighty to come forth to take and give the breath of life. This being was sick of having to spend eternity in the darkness, so it asked if it could become a soul inside of a human child. The being knew that it would forget everything about itself, turning into a human baby without any security it had in the past, but it didn't matter to this being. Why? Because the being didn't want to be in the darkness but in the light. So, after several long attempts to get out of the darkness, it was freed and was sent into the body of an unborn baby, a baby boy that was named Serbus Maurus. Thus I was born Sophia, my soul actually belonging to an old soul." He smiled to her, running his hands through her long auburn hair. "I feel that I told you about this, or maybe I hadn't. I don't know… but there is more to the story I suppose," he sighed, looking over at the Undertaker before he turned back to his daughter. "I never had any real powers while I was human. I was simply a man, a young man who tried to live life without disobeying the gods. Once I died, however, I learned more from the world and about myself then when I was only human." He looked back over to the wall, trying to collect himself before speaking again. "In all honestly, I still don't believe I am this being that escaped the darkness. You see Sophia; this being was created to **be** in the darkness. It is a divine being set for a purpose in this world, like Famine and Death. They were all created with a purpose as this being was, perhaps not for good things, but something that must be done in the world."

"So… _you_ are this being or am I?" she asked, her father letting out a chuckle.

"We **both** are," he said, letting out a sigh. "You have the same soul as I have in myself. That is how you can summon that black mist, how you can take _ka_s and_ ba_s without any difficulty. I actually learned this when I died and I saw your broth –" he paused, before letting a chuckle escape his lips. "Well that's something you'll learn later. The important thing is I was sent to this world for the purpose of taking and giving the breath of life to beings that deserve it. Sometimes it was humans and other times it was demons or angels, but that was my job. I didn't become a supposed demon like Shezmu because I was willing to obey that shinigami council and their rules, but as long as it didn't bring me away from what my mission was then I would do as they asked of me." Then he smiled to her, running his hands through her hair yet again. "That's really all I can say about it. It's up to you whether or not you want to go through with this. You are my daughter and I only want what's best for you. If you would rather live a short human life then that's fine by me, but I'm willing to give you the option to change your mind until I have to leave." Then he smiled, "Please do this though. I would like to finally die after being alive for two thousand years and finally be able to rest."

Sophie thought for a second before responding to everything he said. "I'm thankful that you came here from the dead," she began, "but I'm still unsure. It's not a thought of being dead or not, but rather because I don't fit in." She sighed causing her father to frown and the Undertaker to look up curiously from the papers he was signing. "I was born a human, but was ostracized from my family. I grew up with loving people, of course, but after you died I had to find them myself. I couldn't depend on you anymore and it was hard to not have people think I'm crazy for knowing so much about the dead. Then, of course, mom's family didn't like me because I was the offspring of you. I was moved back and forth from being in the nobility with excess time to myself to living out on the streets fending for my own food and back to being a noble. It was hard papa… I felt out of place." She let another sigh escape her lips, "Then I died and became a grim reaper. I thought then I would be able to fit in, seeing as I had powers I didn't quite understand and I was among others that were out of the ordinary too. Then I was greeted as a _**Serbus**_ instead of by my first name and was teased for being different, again. I learned I was a half-breed and couldn't live up to other people's expectations of me, so I used mom's maiden name instead of my true last name. Now I'm apparently out of a league then other people and I'm always confused and irritated by everything that is unknown. I'm tired papa… I'm just tired," she frowned.

Her father looked into her eyes, seeing her mother's mysterious crystal blue and his eerie shinigami green. He nodded to her, a smile coming to his face. "I understand pulchra puella," he smirked as he brushed through her long hair, "this must be hard for you, but I have your best intentions in mind, okay?"

"Okay papa…" she said, letting a sigh escape her lips. She stood up from the couch and walked over to the Undertaker, wrapping her arms around his waist and setting her head on his shoulder. He smirked, not looking up from his work as she looked over his shoulder and then settled back on his shoulder. "Dad," she began, looking over at her father before back at the Undertaker, "I have a couple of questions for you."

"Hmmm?…" he said, setting his pen down and shifting so he could see her better.

Sophie smiled, letting the Undertaker put his hand on her cheek before he let her continue. "D-do… if I take this vow then can I still stay here?" she asked, her father looking at her with curiosity. "After all you will still my… father, right?" She finished, closing her eyes as she let a sigh escape her lips.

She felt the Undertaker wrap his hands around her waist and then brushed her hair with his hand. "Sophia…" he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before continuing. "We already made our own promise," he smiled, "and this won't change the fact that I still love you. Besides," he smirked, "I filled out the adoption papers for you as a human **and** as a shinigami. So they can't legally take you away from me." He cooed into her ear as he kissed her cheek before letting go of her.

She nodded, a smile creeping onto her face. "Gratias tata," she said with a kiss on his cheek. Then she walked over to her biological father, noticing the sad tint in his eyes. "So where are we going?"

"The shinigami realm," he said with a sigh, "there are some things we have to do there."

Sophie nodded to him. "Then let me change," she grinned, leaving the two of them in the room as she ran into the bedroom.

"You're not hurting her, are you?" Maurus asked.

The Undertaker shrugged as he pushed the glasses higher on his face. "Not unless she wants me to," he smirked, the other man rolling his eyes at his comment.

"I… I am sorry about Aya," he sighed before cracking a smile. "Though she's doing fine, just misses being here in this world all the time."

"Of course she does…" the Undertaker said in a lifeless voice.

"Have you found Athena yet?" he asked.

"Not at all," he said, looking up from his paperwork. "There is simply nothing to find of her, not even a cinematic record… as if she vanished off of the face of the earth," he sighed, putting his mind back on his paperwork. "I have come to the conclusion she is _never_ coming back."

Maurus sighed, "I guess in situations like this it is better to move on… or that's what I've been telling Aya." He quickly grinned.

"כן…"he nodded as his eyes stayed on his paperwork.

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Sophie followed her father into the shinigami realm, staying a few feet away from him with her hands in her pockets. She could only find one outfit that she could really fit into: a big gray collared shirt, dark green slacks and a black belt, a black trench coat that fit her like a glove, and black boots similar to the Undertaker's but a tad smaller. She had her auburn hair in a pony tail, tied with a black ribbon somewhat hidden under a brown newsboy cap. She couldn't help but skip a bit as she walked with her biological father, happy that the Undertaker kept her old clothes. Still, she refused to put on her glasses when her father asked, her father understanding that she couldn't see out of them had kept the smile on her face. "So what are we doing now?" she asked, her father stopping slightly as she caught up with him.

"Now that it's almost 8am and the office will be open. We're going to have you sign some forms," he said, continuing towards the tall white buildings.

"What forms?" she asked, her father stopping with a smirk on his face.

"Forms you probably have _never_ heard of," he chuckled, "things as reinstating our position here as shinigamis and etcetera. You'll see once we get there." Then he thought for a second as Sophie looked over at him with curiosity. "After that you will need to fight me so I can see if you're worthy of becoming the next head of the Serbus family here in this world –"

"Wait I have to _**fight**_ you?" she frowned, rushing up the road slightly before stopping in front of him. "How can I if I only have human powers?"

"You'll have to figure that out for yourself," he smirked, Sophie glaring at him slightly as he held the door for her. "Then, if you want to take on our family responsibilities, take an oath and **BAM!** Your powers will be back to normal in a matter of hours," he smiled to her.

Sophie let out a sigh, walking next to her father as they walked down the white hallways. There were only a few shinigami walking about, since no one usually clocks into work till 8:30. Sophie noticed, as they walked through the hallway, that a few of the shinigamis were looking at her father shocked. Some shinigamis would even stare at him in wonderment and awe, which made her frown since she hates being stared at anyways. She noticed he grumbled under her breath slightly and she smiled._ '__He __feels __the __same __way,__'_ she thought to herself as they walked around the bend and walked towards one of the offices._ '__I __wonder __what __else __we __have __in __common,__'_ she sighed, walking into a room as her father held the door for her.

She looked around and noticed it was a room full of documents, probably containing documents on every shinigami that worked here or ever did with forms for every occasion they could think of. She watched her father walk past her and she followed, walking behind him as they walked into the back of the room. "S…" he said to himself, looking on the shelves for the letter s and then se. Noticing the folder he was looking for, he grabbed it and handed it to Sophie. She looked at it, noticing it was the file of Maurus Serbus. Then he kept looking, a frown coming to his face. "Where's your document Sophia?"

"Probably under I," she said with a shrug, "because I changed my name from Sophia to Ioreta."

"Oh!" he realized, patting her on the head as he walked closer to the front of the room under the shelves that had the letter I. He quickly found her document, handing it to her as he headed to the back of the room again. He walked into the far back beyond the letter Z and past stacks of assorted forms that hadn't been written on. Then he took a random right in the middle of the assorted chaos, coming to a door that was had been locked tight. He took out a key from his pocket, attached to the rope around his waist as he clipped it off, and used it to open the door. Then he switched on a light and walked into the room before Sophie. She stood outside and looked into the room with curiosity. She noticed it was a smaller room then the one she was in, being able to see to the shelf 'Form Z' about twenty shelves away. After a few minutes her father came back out, holding a few forms in his hand. "So…" he said to himself as he set the stacks of paper on top of the stack in Sophie's hand. "I have Forms G-04, G-07, S- 15, S-32 and O- 18… oh I need L-27!" he exclaimed, running to the 'Form L' section and coming back with the form, setting it on the stack. Then he walked out of the room, locking it behind him and letting the set of keys settle down against his side.

Sophie let out a sigh, collecting the papers and taking it with her as they made their way out of the room and back into the hallway. They hastily walked through the halls, eyes turning towards them as they walked past. Sophie pulled her hat over her face, getting annoyed with the stares. "That's the legendary reaper, the Dark Centurion," she could hear them whisper.

"I thought he died!"

"What does centurion mean?" one of them asked, Sophie turning her head to them.

"The word _centurion_ is a military term," she said, her father pausing and turning around once he noticed Sophie had stopped walking. "A centurion is a professional officer in the Roman army. Its common knowledge, so if you don't know it then you're simply ignorant on your history," she huffed, quickly walking away before they could respond.

Her father smirked, giving the group of shinigamis a nod before following after her. "If it were up to me, I'd think you're acting more like the Undertaker," he smirked to himself, Sophie pausing and turning around.

"_Is that so~~?_" she said, a smirk on her face as she responded. "I don't see it. He's a rather creepy and insanely cheerful guy. I don't think he would lash out at anyone."

"Then you don't really know him," he chuckled, walking past her as Sophie stood there startled. She let out a defeated sigh, following behind Maurus as he walked tall and proud down the hallway. They paused at a lounge, Maurus having Sophie sit down with her stack of papers as he handed her a pen. "Go ahead and fill out those forms. I'm going to go and ask around about a few things," he said simply, walking over to a counter and starting to talk to the secretary behind the screen. Sophie let out a distressed sigh as she grabbed one of the forms, clicking the ballpoint pen as she looked it over.

'Form G-04

Name:

Date of Birth:

Ethnicity:

Inherited skills:

Why should you hold a position as a God of Death?

Talk about your family's background here.

If you were in a life or death situation, would you save yourself or save the soul? Why?

What skills do you hold that would benefit a God of Death?

Recipient Signature:

Parent/Guardian Signature:

DMD Signature:'

Sophie frowned, having to look over the stacks of forms on her father's and her own background they had on file. She grumbled to herself, trying to understand one form from another.

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She glanced over at her father, who was laughing along with the secretary about nonsense really. Sophie let out a satisfied sigh, setting the stack of forms in a neat little pile next to the two light brown folders. She rubbed her eyes, the whole thing taking longer than she had first thought. They were actually getting rather personal: asking about her own background and what she had done in the field, for how long she had known about her role, a list of beings she had known throughout her life and their impact on her, and etcetera. The questions kept going and going and Sophie was getting sick of it. At least she was done!

She stood up, stretching and clicking the pen closed. She rubbed the back of her hat and scratched her head, letting a yawn escape her mouth as she did so. "Now if it isn't the _bookworm~_" Sophie heard from behind her, turning around swiftly and narrowing her eyes.

"Hello _**Chaz**_," she growled under her breath, putting her hands in her pockets.

"I thought the council kicked you out of the academy and killed you already," he smirked, walking towards her.

"Shut up," she hissed under her breath, her hands going into a fist as she glared her one-iris crystal blue and shinigami green eyes at him. "You don't know _anything_."

"Oh I don't?" he said in a mocking voice. "It's been going around the school how you almost got Alex killed." He smirked, noticing how her anger started to soften at the mention of Alex's name. "He almost contracted the Thorns of Death, right? Well good, that demon needs to be brought down a peg," he said to himself, jumping back slightly when Sophie lunged at him with the ballpoint pen in her hand.

"Why can't you learn to just shut up!" she growled at him, missing his face and kicking him in the shin with her leg.

She aimed the pen back at Chaz's face, being stopped by a firm hand from behind her. "What is going on?" Maurus asked, Chaz's face going wide in shock before he went back into his usual attitude.

"It was all her fault," he said, pointing an accusing finger at Sophie. "She attacked me without a reason. She's becoming unsafe, sir! She should be imprisoned, or better, put to death."

He narrowed his eyes, setting Sophie next to him as he took a step towards Chaz. "You're a disrespectful little boy, you know that? I know why she attacked you and that's your own fault. Perhaps I should have you put to death because of your utter uselessness as a shinigami," he glared at him, Sophie shocked because she never saw this side of her father before.

"Y-yes sir…" he bowed, quickly running away and getting away from them.

"What's his name?" her father asked as he still held a firm hold on the angry tone in his voice.

"Chaz Hoover," she sighed. "He has been at the academy for years, but hasn't really improved his grades till now… and he bullies me whenever he sees me. I'd rather you don't kill him though. He may be a bastard, but he shouldn't be put to death because he's a jerk," she let out another sigh, handing the forms to her father to look at.

He let out a sigh and accepted the paperwork, reading it thoroughly before writing his signature down on each form and adding little details Sophie may have forgotten while filling it out. "Okay…" he said once he finished the forms. "Now come follow me. There's someone I want to see," he winked to her, having Sophie carry all the paperwork as they walked back into the hallways.

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"Mrs. Obki," said a young shinigami, walking into the large office and setting forms down on the elder woman's desk, "I finished the forms you wanted me to do –"

"Did you add the extra expenses from last week?" she asked in an angry tone as she wrote vigorously on different forms and quickly set them to the side once she finished.

"No but –"

"Then redo everything," she said in a huff, handing him the forms quickly and shooing him away from her desk. He gave her a swift bow, quickly running out of the room to get the work finished. The woman let out a sigh, stopping from her work and brushing a finger through her long and dark-brunette hair. She stared at a fly on the wall, letting a yawn escape her lips as she rubbed the back of her head in frustration.

Then the door opened again and she looked back down at her work, picking up her pen as if she was still working diligently. "Madam Obki," her secretary began to say, "There are a young man and woman here to see you."

"I'm not expecting anyone," she said in a huff, looking at her papers and quickly signed something. "Ask them to leave. I don't have time to see unexpected visitors today."

"Not even for an old friend Fiona?" Maurus said, walking past the secretary with a smile on his face.

The elder woman gasped, practically jumping out of her chair. "Dark Centurion!" she yelled, running over to him and bringing him into a tight hug. "Oh my gods, how are you? Aren't you supposed to be dead right now?" she finished, letting go of him and settling down slightly.

"Actually yes," he shrugged, "I am only in this world because of my daughter. Sophia," he called to her, Sophie walking into the room timidly as she held the stack of papers in her hand. "Sophia," he said to her, the woman looking at the shorter shinigami with interest, "this woman is Fiona Obki –"

"Oh just call me the Silver Dove Maurus!" she interrupted him, holding out a hand for Sophie to shake. She smiled, taking the elder woman's hand and shaking her hand. "So you are Sophia Serbus? Oh it's been so long since I last saw you. You were only a little girl when your father brought you into work!"

"R-really?" Sophie said meekly, not recalling any encounter with the elder woman.

She frowned, looking over at her father as she let go of Sophie's hand. "What, she doesn't remember me? Surely she remembers dear Undertaker _at least_, or are you neglecting to teach the _**proper**_ things again?"

"She lost her memories Fiona," he let out a sigh, the woman's face suddenly beaming with interest yet again. "You have her under the records of Sophia Ioreta and she's currently at the academy… actually she is supposed to be graduating soon enough, right Sophia?"

"I think so," she shrugged, "but since I haven't been to class for a few weeks and the final exams will be coming up soon… I don't know."

"I see…" she sighed and looking over at Sophie with a nice smile on her face. "That explains why I haven't seen your name show up among these stacks of forms," she grumbled to herself as she remembered all the paperwork she still had to do. "Though I think I've come across your name."

"I have the highest GPA in my class Mrs. Obki," she answered her meekly, "and they want me to graduate asap because of the decline in shinigamis."

"That explains it then," she smiled, "and call me Fiona sweetie. I hate that proper stuff when I'm among friends."

"Okay… Fiona," Sophie smiled to her.

"Now why are you here?" she asked, her attention going back to her father.

"Since I'm dead, I want Sophia to carry on the responsibility I had in this world," Maurus began as the tone of his voice became serious. "Today is her birthday, you see, and she needs to take the oath today or else she'll stay a human for the rest of her life. So we filled out the required forms, though I don't see the point to all these forms," he grumbled.

Fiona chuckled, "Well I don't either. It's rather tedious work to me." Then she turned to Sophie, holding out her hand for the forms. Sophie grabbed the forms from the stack and handed it to her, keeping the two folders in her hand. Fiona looked them over, walking back over to her desk to retrieve a pen. "I didn't know your mother was a human," she said as she looked over at Maurus.

"Yeah well… I just didn't see the need to tell you," he shrugged, "plus I didn't want word going out that I had a child anyways. Having her be half-human would have made it worse for Sophia, that's all."

She nodded in understanding, continuing to read over the forms before signing each one of them under the 'DMD Signature'. "Okay that should do it!" she smiled to them, handing back Maurus the forms as she set her pen down and walked back around her desk. "So when are you going to fight her?"

"Probably at lunch," he said, looking at a clock on her wall as it almost read noon, "or maybe in the afternoon."

"Oh great!" she yelled and slightly startling Sophie. "I'll come and watch, but have her eat something first. I don't want the fighting to be cut short on account of her fainting on us," Fiona and Maurus laughed, while Sophie looked at them with a frown on her face. "Hey cheer up!" she said, pinching her cheeks. "Geeze… you've gotten more serious than from what I remember, like the Undertaker actually," she giggled.

"**Exactly** what I was thinking," Maurus chuckled, rustling up Sophie's hair as he led her out the door. "Well let's get going. We have to turn in the forms before we can start."

"Sure," Fiona called to him from the door, grabbing her black trench coat and swinging it over her shoulders before following swiftly after them.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat at the table watching her father and the woman she realized to be the Dispatch Management Director of the whole department in England, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland bickering and laughing over nonsense she couldn't even understand. The other shinigamis in the cafeteria were looking over at them, noticing how the sinister Silver Dove was laughing her head off at a joke her father had just said. Sophie was feeling embarrassed, scrunching down in her seat as she hid her face with her cap and snacked on her food quietly. "She's embarrassed, how cute!" the woman said, giggling slightly as she said it. "Now, my dear, do tell me how you're doing. What have you been up to?"

"Oh just the normal stuff," Sophie shrugged, leaning onto the table as she kept her cap in front of her face. "What would you like to know, specifically?"

"… Everything!" she threw up her arms. "This little boy over here wouldn't tell me about his family!" she poked him in the chest, Maurus letting out a slight _**'ow'**_ as he rubbed his irritated chest.

"Okay," she sighed, leaning back in her seat and slipping some tea. "Well I was born in London in a mortuary. From what I remember, papa would come by as much as he could to see us. My mother's name was Baroness Ellen Ioreta, but had run away from her family when they were forcing her to marry. She took up refuge at the mortuary, run by a man I know as Thomas. Ummmm… also I met the Undertaker and –"

"Wait a second!" she quickly stopped her, causing Sophie to flinch back slightly as she was interrupted. "You're telling me that the _Undertaker_ knew you and not _**me**_? Centurion!" she growled, punching her father in the shoulder.

"Hey cut it out!" he growled back, rubbing his, now, sore arm. "He only knows because he covered me as I went and saw the birth of my only daughter. If it wasn't for that, then he wouldn't know anything like you do Fiona," he grumbled under his breath.

"Okay fine," she rolled her eyes, "I don't see why _**I**_ can't know. Also having a child grow up in a mortuary all her life? That can't be healthy."

"Well I didn't have a choice," he sighed. "I wasn't going to let my pulchra puella be taken away from her mother, she would have been heartbroken." Then he let a sigh escape his lips, "Plus it's not like I have all the time in the world to be watching a child. Her mother did so it was practical to keep her with Ellen, okay?"

"Alright, alright! Don't have to get all **technical**," she rolled her eyes. "So continue Sophia. You were saying something about living at the mortuary?'

"Yeah well," Sophie said as she tried to recall where she had left off on, "I didn't really know him till papa died. He died by a demon and –"

"You saw your father die!" she gasped, "How tragic!"

"And mother," Sophie shrugged, "but it's not a big deal –"

"How could you say that? This is your parents we are talking about!" Fiona grumbled under her breath. "Maurus Serbus, you can't be serious with –"

"If I may speak," Sophie said, causing her to close her mouth and keep quiet for a few moments. "Yes I was sad about it, but I got over it. You didn't see me cry for weeks on end about it. If I hadn't lost my memories then I would still be crying about it, but I got over it."

Fiona blinked for a few moments, before a chuckle escaped her lips. "I'm sorry my dear. I didn't let you finish. I'll just listen from now on," she smiled to her, pretending there was a zipper on her lips and zipping them up tight, throwing away the key behind her.

Maurus let out a content sigh, a smile coming to Sophie's face as she tipped her cap up so she could see them better. "Okay… well I was about six when papa died. The Undertaker was there, though I don't really know why, and he told me to go before the other shinigamis got there. That's when he'd visit us, mostly me I think, to see how everyone was doing. He only stayed in the shadows up until that point, but it was comforting to hear that my papa was in a better place through him." Then she grabbed her cup and drank more tea, setting it down on her tray of food before continuing. "Well, then the demon came back after my mom. That is when I unleashed my true potential, but they were too much for me to control. So Thomas sealed them away, but with that I forgot all about the shinigamis and my father… except for a small piece of memory I remember when I was a baby." Then she let a sigh escape her lips as she looked away from them and out a nearby window. "The Undertaker disappeared with those memories, until my mom died. She thought it was time to go back to her family, you see, and she brought me with her to their house in the country. Their family didn't like me though, saying I was nothing but scum from an evil spirit and shouldn't even be alive."

"Oh how terrible," Fiona said, Maurus looking over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Well it is," she grumbled under her breath.

Sophie smiled at her, before going back to looking out the window. "Well I learned more about the noble class through them. Actually I learned how to make a good recipe for sweets from our French chef, who I loved to experiment food with," she chuckled to herself. "Well it had been two years since papa died and I didn't even know he was dead. When we went into London I would wander to the cemetery, hoping papa would come back. Well," she shrugged, "we were at the house and everyone was asleep. Thomas actually came to visit us, saying that he would have stayed at an inn if it hadn't been for the fact that our house was on the way into town. Mom and I were staying up that night, sitting in our music room as she played the piano and I contently listened. She wanted me to get some sheet music of her, so I went off and grabbed some from a room next door. I come back in and…" Sophie paused, her mind trailing off as she remembered what happened. Fiona looked over to Maurus with concern as Maurus looked over at Sophie also with concern on his face. Sophie grabbed her necklace from her shirt, looking at the green gem as she twisted it in her fingers. "That demon was there again," she said under her breath, "and left her to die there. I-I ran over to her and she was already dying, but I didn't know what to do. I started to scream, calling for someone to come, but then a shinigami came and took her away from me. I began to kick at him and demand for my mom back, but that was when Thomas ran into the room and held me down. I think I blacked out at one point as I bit down on the guy's leg and he hit me in the head with the butt of his scythe. When I woke up I was dressed in new clothes and surrounded in a white room, but I hated the white color and ran into the closet…" she paused, looking over to them with a slight smile on her face. "Well my mom's family said it was my entire fault, of course. The only people alive were my uncle and his wife.

"After the funeral they sent me to the orphanage in London, hoping that I would die there and they wouldn't have to worry about me anymore. Around that time Thomas also died, so I had no one anymore. That is… until I met the Undertaker again," she smiled to herself. "I met him at the cemetery as I said goodbye to my mom's grave for the last time. I don't know why, maybe he remembered me, but he adopted me and had me stay with him at the morgue. I lived a somewhat normal life after that, helping around the morgue and living as any other human would. My life was carefree till the demon came back, taking me away from the Undertaker and holding me hostage at my mom's house in the country. For some reason my relatives tried to have me marry him, which I don't know why, but I escaped and made it back to London. I didn't have the energy to make it back to the morgue, so I went to the orphanage and Miss Robin helped me. The orphanage even put some money together so I could get on a boat bound for the Americas, but that was cut short when the demon came back and threatened me. He set the orphanage on fire, and I missed the boat to come back and save them. That's when I unleashed my hidden powers again, cutting down the door with papa's scythe and getting everyone out of the building. Then he grabbed me and dragged me away into the woods, beating me up again and actually stabbing me in the chest. I blacked out at that point, but I woke up with the Undertaker next to me. He tired to heal me, but after a few months I died. That's really it," Sophie shrugged. "The rest of it was I lost my human memories and woke up in the shinigami realm. I trained to be a shinigami and that was that. You can probably find other records on all that stuff if you look it up."

"Wow…" Fiona gasped, pushing back from the table as she sat back in a chair. "For a little girl to have to go through all of that… I'm sorry."

"It's quite alright," Sophie shrugged it off, "I'm fine, really I am –"

"I would hope so," said someone from behind, causing Sophie to jump slightly as he grabbed her cap off of her head.

"Hey!" Sophie yelped, grabbing for her cap as he sat down next to Sophie and Fiona.

He handed back her cap, but took two cupcakes from her tray as he gave it back. "Undertaker!" Fiona smiled, the man letting out a chuckle. She glared at him, shifting the tray closer to Maurus as she grumbled under her breath.

"What are you doing here?" Maurus asked as he grabbed for his drink and slowly drank it down.

"There was paperwork I had to turn in, but then I heard Fiona yelling and had to come in," he smiled contently as he munched on one of the muffins.

"So you heard _**everything**_?" Sophie frowned.

He smiled to her, wrapping a hand around her arm and pulling her over so her head lay on his chest. "Yes I did. Though," he said gulping down the muffin, "even if you say you're alright, it's okay to not be. You had your memories lost for so long, and to remember everything all of the sudden… I can understand if you want to take the rest of the semester off and stay with me for a while."

Sophie smiled to him, fixing her cap on her head as she shifted slightly in his chest. "No that's alright. I would rather finish my classes then have to repeat everything another year." She let a sigh escape her lips, closing her eyes as she began to feel sleepy.

"Well then," Maurus said standing up and grabbing his tray, "if we're done here, we better get started."

Sophie nodded, standing up and finishing off a cookie from her plate as she followed Maurus and threw her trash away in the receptacle and set the tray down on a counter. "Oh I'm coming to watch!" Fiona yelled, chasing after them and wrapping an arm around Sophie as they began to leave.

Undertaker chuckled, following behind them, "Don't you have work to do?"

"That can wait!" Fiona smirked. "Besides, I have been working on and _**on**_ with those forms. It's about time I give some time off," she grumbled under breath. "Are you coming?"

"Sure," the Undertaker said, walking next to Sophie with his hands in his pockets. "I would like to see how my little maiden does anyways," he smirked, grabbing her cap again. She growled at him, leaving Fiona's grasp as she jumped to grab her cap back. The three older shinigamis laughed, the Undertaker rustling up her hair and handing Sophie her cap back.

!#$%^&*()

"Show me what you got," Maurus said, throwing a black sword at Sophie.

She caught it with ease, grabbing the handle with her left hand and swinging it to her side. "And how am I going to do **that**?" Sophie sighed, putting the sword up to her face as she stared at her father. "I can't use any powers."

"Well that's why I'm here," he smirked, "to bring out your full potential. Besides, Thomas taught you how to fight, right? Use that then." Sophie let another sigh escape her lips, letting the sword come back to her side. "Now the goal is this," Maurus began, holding up a shining object.

Sophie's eyes went wide, noticing how bright it was. "A p-ure soul… why?"

Maurus smirked, putting the soul into a jar and attaching it around the rope around his waist. "Good, you learned something from Shezmu." Then he sighed, "And this will be what you're job will be. You'll figure it out as we go along, but basically you have been trained your whole life, even if you don't remember parts of it, to become a God of Death… and trust me it's quite different than a mere shinigami," he smirked. Then he held his sword up to his face, Sophie imitating him as they stared into each other's eyes with great intensity. "Your job is to take the soul using _**whatever is necessary**_. If you can summon a weapon that is great, but for every new weapon you put into play I can add my own weapons into the fight. Now… are you ready?"

Sophie let out a sigh, looking over at the Undertaker. Fiona and the Undertaker were talking amongst themselves as they sat upon a bench, eating their fill of some sweets the Undertaker had under his sleeve. He looked over at her and noticed the terror in her eyes. She looked back at her father as she let another sigh escape her lips. "Whatever is necessary… would that mean killing you also?"

"Yes," he said bluntly, placing the sword to his side. "Now can we get going?"

She turned to him and narrowed her eyes, running at him and striking for his chest. Maurus jumped back slightly, holding his black sword up in defense. "Fine let's go," she smirked, jumping back slightly as he laughed.

"Interesting…" Sophie jumped back at him, Maurus shielding himself from her blows with his sword. "You are going to have to try better than **that** to defeat me." Sophie grumbled as she backed off slightly to collect herself, unable to find a good opening in which to strike for the small jar containing the soul inside. She really had nothing else up her sleeve, except for the techniques she learned from Thomas. Everything else she needed her shinigami powers, though Grell's techniques could help her… but that was for a scythe and not a sword. Perhaps she could add his teachings still? Sophie ran back at her father, striking as fast as she could and trying to trip him up. She narrowed her eyes at him, her one-iris human blue/green eyes slowly turning to crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. Her techniques began to get faster and she increased her speed, starting to overwhelm her father slightly. He wouldn't let her do so, jumping away from her slightly as she ran at him. Then Maurus used her increased speed against her, grabbing hold of her arms and threw her away from him as she landed on her back. "You will need more then speed Sophia." Then he held up his sword as he concentrated, his shinigami green eyes becoming overwhelmed by the yellow in his eyes. "Now for some offence," he warned her, a black haze coming from his body and creeping its way onto the floor.

Sophie gulped, having read about what her father could do with the haze from the books Shezmu gave her. She was getting worried. "If you lay a scratch on Sophia," the Undertaker said in a huff, causing Maurus to look over at him, "then I won't be able to forgive you."

"She's _**my**_ daughter Undertaker," Maurus growled back, "and this is something between me and her. I think you've been playing father for too long to remember that she's my daughter and not yours."

"She stopped being your daughter when you died Maurus," he said back to him calmly as he crossed his arms over his chest, "and I adopted her. So techniquelly she's my daughter also –"

He paused as Sophie swung at Maurus, catching him off guard for a second as he stumbled backwards and put his sword back up in defense. "Look," she glared at him, keeping her distance away from the black haze, "you are **both** of my fathers. One is papa and the other is dad, that's all. If the two of you are going to bicker about something as simple as **that** then I might as well not have one," she narrowed her eyes.

"Yeah you tell them!" Fiona cheered, the Undertaker and Maurus looking over at Fiona before back at Sophie.

Maurus chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry Sophia. I forgot that you're not a little girl anymore… well," he began, letting the haze build up around him and begin to creep down on the ground towards Sophie, "better start running, _human_."

Sophie smirked, gripping hold of the sword as tightly as she could as she ran towards him. She had to do some type of sneak attack or else she would be done for. She knew him, at least from what she read from books, that he is very malicious and will do anything to kill her. She slashed at him, Maurus shielding himself with the black haze. Her eyes went wide when it gripped around the sword and threw it to the side. He smirked deviously, the haze beginning to circle around Sophie. She struggled, closing her eyes as she began to get squeezed as a boa snake would do with a small rat. "Come on!" Fiona yelled, "You can do better than that!"

"H-how?" Sophie gasped, her chest starting to ache intensely.

"What do you mean _**how**_?" She grumbled, the Undertaker pulling on her shoulder to get her to sit back down. "You're a Serbus, right? Use those skills of yours to win! You had those powers trapped inside of you, right? Well try to unleash them!"

"Is that a good idea?" the Undertaker asked her, while she just chuckled.

"Of course! From what she wrote on her forms, Sophie has been trained to control them. So it shouldn't be a problem… I hope," Fiona shrugged.

Sophie had her eyes closed as they spoke, concentrating on summoning her own black haze. That was the problem; don't they have the same soul or something like that? So how can she summon the haze if it's already there… _'that's it!'_ Sophie realized, opening her eyes in realization. Her father blinked in confusion, noticing that yellow was beginning to swirl around in her eyes. She cut the haze with her sword, stopping the rest of the haze from reaching her by holding up her hand. "Don't you think it's a **bit** difficult if we have the same powers _**and**_ soul?" she said to Maurus, a smirk on her face. Then she rose up her hand to him, the haze going towards Maurus. "I may not be able to summon it right now," Sophie admitted, "but I can definitely control it."

Maurus held up his hand to stop her, the haze staying neutral between them. "Yes," he responded, "but can you **keep** control?" Then the haze began to get closer to her and Sophie narrowed her eyes, using all her strength to push it back towards Maurus.

As the two of them struggled to push the black haze towards each other, the force from both sides was beginning to cause a powerful reaction. In the middle the black haze began to glow, the power from both sides causing it to increase in a matter of seconds. Undertaker's eyes went wide and he grabbed Fiona to the ground. Then there was an explosion, filling up the whole room in smoke. The Undertaker grumbled to himself, brushing the rubble off of his body. Fiona burst out of the rubble, obvious irritation on her face. "Oh man!" she grumbled, "this is going to be a **lot** of paperwork."

They looked up to see Sophie walking around on the roof of the building, shifting quickly and trying to find her opponent. "Come on," the Undertaker said roughly, grabbing Fiona's hand and pulling her out of the training facility.

Sophie looked around in worry, unable to see Maurus at all. He probably disappeared, but where? She noticed the explosion the two of them created was drawing a crowd. As she looked over the side, she was thrown from the building and onto the ground. Sophie landed on her feet with a stumble, turning back at the figure on the top of the building and snarled at him. "I'm not going to hold back," Maurus told her, the black haze forming in his hand once again. "So either give me all you have or die. That's what you want, _to die_ right?"

She blinked in confusion, Maurus hitting a rather sore spot that she didn't want to remember. Yes, she wanted to die. She never liked being an outsider and always having high hopes cast on her shoulders. She just wanted to die and see Haden and her parents. Sophie really didn't like to be a shinigami, but now this was her time to do so. Die or stay alive? She gathered herself again, coughing up some blood into her hand and glaring at him. "That may be so," she said standing up tall and proud, "but I am from the family of Serbus, correct? So it is my duty to stay here in this world and either give or take away the breath of life. I have come to accept that. Even if I don't like the idea, I will do it."

Her father smiled to her, summoning his long scythe with a brown handle and pointed it to her. "Then prove that your worthy for the job." Sophie ran at him, the black sword disappearing from her hands as she evaporated into the black haze. She appeared behind him, striking behind him with her long black scythe. Maurus stopped her blow, holding his scythe up behind him as she snarled at him. She jumped back slightly, the yellow in her eyes almost taken over her eyes. "I'm going to have to step it up, huh?" he said, summoning three hound dogs from the black haze. "Eius devoraret," he ordered, the dogs running at Sophie with full force.

Sophie began to run, running around one of the buildings till she came around the bend to see her father again. She jumped onto a bench, slashing her scythe at the dogs. Two of them went down in an instant, the other dog jumping at her about to rip at her neck. She caught the dog by the top of his mouth with the tip of her scythe, throwing the dog back towards Maurus as she jumped down from the bench. She noticed the Undertaker and Fiona leave the building before she turned back to Maurus. "That's enough!" the Undertaker narrowed his eyes at Maurus, "You don't want to kill her, do you?"

"Maybe," Maurus said, giving him a shrug.

"Please stay out of this," Sophie said, looking over at the Undertaker with a reassuring look on her face before she walked over to Maurus. "Kill me if you'd like. You'll learn that it's harder to take down an injured bear then when it's calm."

He smirked, running at Sophie with his scythe raised. She jumped back, catching the scythe with her own as they were deadlocked in a glare match. A group of shinigmais were beginning to form around the fighting, several familiar faces appearing in a desperate attempt to help. The Undertaker and Fiona hushed them though, because of the forms they signed Sophie and Maurus could do what they were doing. Only until the goal of the fighting had been completed can someone go in and stop them. "It looks like you can't defeat me," he smirked, "so I guess you'll have to stay a _human_."

"You think so," she smirked, slamming her head against his temple. He jumped back shocked as she grabbed for the jar around his waist and got a firm grip on it.

Maurus' eyes narrowed, taking out a small sword from his other hand and slashing it at her hand. Instantly Sophie let go, her right hand bleeding harshly. "**What was that!**" he growled.

"I learned it," Sophie smirked as she licked the blood off of her hand, "from my mentor."

He narrowed his eyes, before laughter escaped his lips. "Of course you did," he chuckled. "You're rather ruthless, but that's going to stop _**here~**_" he finished, holding his hand up at her as a black haze began to form around his hands. "You better look down Sophia."

Sophie looked down, noticing a black pit had formed under her feet. Her eyes widened, the black haze wrapping around her legs and pulling her down. "Don't send me to hell!" she whimpered, slashing her scythe at the haze.

"Sorry Sophia," he shrugged, "but if you're really a Serbus then you can escape –"

"Maurus that's enough!" the Undertaker yelled at him, anger on his face as he began to run at him.

"Undertaker wait!" Fiona called to him. She was unable to stop him as the Undertaker threw Maurus to the side with the butt of his long silver scythe.

Without anything keeping the black haze there, the haze disappeared around Sophie's legs and she began to fall. "Sophia!" the Undertaker and Maurus yelled as they ran towards the hole in the earth to grab her hand. The Undertaker almost had hold of her, but she slipped through his fingers.

Then he sent death glares towards Maurus. "How could you!" he grabbed his shirt and punched him in the face. "She's your daughter for crying out loud! How could you –"

"Undertaker!" Fiona yelled, pulling him off of Maurus as he coughed up some blood.

"If you hadn't pushed me," Maurus glared, "then she wouldn't have fallen!" The Undertaker's eyes went wide and then he felt guilty, realizing the only thing holding her up was the black haze Maurus had around her legs. "I wasn't going to let her fall…" he frowned, looking at the crowd of shocked shinigamis and then back at the hole he had created in the earth.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie screamed as she fell farther and farther into the abyss, soon being unable to see. In the back of her mind she could sense something, a creature coming after her. She held up her scythe to the creature, letting out a battle cry and slashing at it. The creature let out a cry of pain, Sophie feeling herself slowly becoming engulfed into the darkness. The light above her began to get dimmer and dimmer, the bright light above disappearing from her sights. She cried out, trying to claw her way up at the sky as she fell. "No I can't go back!" she yelled. _'Wait what was that?' _Sophie realized, rubbing her eyes in anger. "No… what is this?" she grumbled. "Please let me out!" she yelled as she continued to fall, "I'll be a God of Death, just let me go!" Then all at once she closed her eyes, suddenly falling unconscious as she heard a roar coming from below her.

!#$%^&*()

"Stop this!" Fiona growled as she tried to pull apart the two legendary shinigamis from each other. "This isn't going to help her if you two keep bickering!" She narrowed her eyes, letting the Undertaker and Maurus pull apart from each other.

The Undertaker let out a huff, the smile completely gone from his face. "You're right, this isn't getting us anywhere."

"Well maybe if you would let me be the father then I wouldn't have to push her," he grumbled.

"Don't give me that," the Undertaker narrowed his eyes, "I was being a good friend by taking her in. That human wasn't going to stick around and she was forced into the orphanage. Don't you think she needed some **hope** that she could have comfort, huh? No, you don't seem to think about that stuff, do you. That's the difference between you and Sophia. She actually cares about other people –"

"Oh I don't!" he growled at him. "You just wanted her as a replacement for Aya, didn't you?"

"Don't you bring her into this!" he yelled back, Fiona putting a hand on her nose as she began to get a headache with all the yelling.

"Can't the two of you just shut up –" Fiona stopped, the Undertaker and Maurus jumping back in fright. Out from the crack in the earth came a bright black light, shooting past the Undertaker and hitting Maurus in the stomach. He gasped, and all at once the jar around his side was ripped from the rope. He was thrown into the ground, the being coming to a stop several feet away from them. Everyone gasped, even the Undertaker, as they noticed the being's appearance.

The creature was dressed in a white robe, the robe going down to her ankles. It wore golden sandals, the leather straps wrapping around past her feet and up her legs. It had a rope around its waist, the rope shimmering in gold with seven black pieces of rope interwoven into the gold rope and losing some of its luster. It wore a black cloak, the hood flopping off of its face as it revealed its face. Long-wavy auburn hair glowed blew in the wind behind it with bright crystal blue, shinigami green, and yellow glowing in her eyes. "What the hell!" Sophie gasped, noticing hazy black wings spread out behind her back. It was a third bigger then herself, causing her to be rather intimidating at first glance. "Why do I look like a pansy?"

She stared at Maurus, the Undertaker and Fiona looking over at him with baffled looks. "I ummm…"

"So you have wings?" Sophie blinked in confusion, looking over her shoulder at the wings and feeling them. They felt exactly like the black haze, the haze disappearing in her hands as she felt it between her fingertips.

"No! I mean… that's not from me," he sighed, getting off of the ground and rubbing his sore chest. That blow to the chest actually hurt. "Talk to your mother about that –"

"Mom was an angel," Sophie gasped, "or she was fallen, wasn't she?"

"No she was human," Maurus shrugged, beginning to walk over to her, "just… I don't know. You'll have to ask her about that –"

"Stop," she glared at him sternly, holding her hand up to him with fear in her eyes. "Don't. Touch. Me."

"But –"

"No!" she yelled at him, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sick of the secrets!" she growled at him, her eyes glowing in anger. "I'm sick of them… You think it was easy seeing my father die! I read your human life, Maurus, and you were a lot better off then I was," she huffed. "You may have been left alone, but you didn't see your parents die in cold blood! You didn't have people whom you hold dear hold secrets from you! If you want to know why I want to die," she sighed, "it's because I'm just tired of all this…"

"Come on Sophia," he grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm trying, I really am. It's not like there's a rule book for these sorts of things, you have to go with your instinct. I noticed you weren't giving me your full potential so I gave you a life and death situation. You want to be angry _fine_, but I am trying here… are you even listening to me?"

Sophie didn't turn her head to him, instead looking down at the jar in her hand. She popped it open, watching as the soul levitated out of the jar and fell into the palm of her hand. She held it gently, petting it with her thumb as she heard her father's voice. "I am listening…" she answered him, suddenly feeling rather calm, "I just don't see why you can't be the person I knew when I was a child." She smiled to him, turning around as she held the soul in her hand. "Whom told me that I'm not alone and that there are others like me in the world. In reality though, there's not a lot, is there?" She let a sigh escape her lips as she continued to speak. "Only a few are left, right? Beings with a purpose? Shezmu told me all about this father… about how you slowly changed."

"I didn't change –"

"Yes you did," Sophie stopped him. "You're angry more often; the cheerful young man he had met and trained with has almost disappeared. You want to know my theory, you let whatever that power we both have control you. I know it can turn you crazy, but aren't we supposed to fight that?" she cracked another smile. Maurus blinked in confusion as Sophie looked at herself slightly baffled. _'Did I really just say that?'_ she thought, putting a finger to her lips, _'I didn't… wha…' _she looked down at the glowing pure soul in her hand. She watched as it left her hand, creating a bright portal. "What is this?..." Sophie said, walking towards the light.

"Hey wait a minute! Sophia!" Maurus yelled to her, grabbing hold of her hand. "You're not supposed to go –"

"Mom?" she gasped, noticing a bright woman at the other end of the portal.

"Sophia wait –"

"Let me go!" she growled, kicking him and scratching at his hand.

Maurus flinched back at the scratches, letting go of Sophie's hand. She took off in a run, running into the light. The black haze quickly vanished from her body, the wings fading away in the glow. "Wait! Stop!" he yelled to her, but it was too late. He ran as fast as he could but the portal closed on him, not allowing him to follow Sophie.

"Well…" the Undertaker said casually as his hands where crossed, "**that** was interesting."

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: I would have added something at the beginning to tie chapter 21 to 22 together, but it would be too much and very unnecessary. So… yeah I hope to get the next chapter done now, but we'll see since my own laptop isn't working. For anyone I talk to, I'm sorry if I don't answer you right away. It's because of my laptop not working. I _could_ answer your questions while I'm at school and using my school's computers, but I don't want my information stolen. So if I don't answer at days/weeks or something like that, it's because I haven't been able to use my family's laptop ^^ For anyone I talk to an a daily basis, yeah that's my situation. **

**I was actually working on making the characters how I see them and making them IDs (got the idea from ****EiseiNoMuzai, ****so thank you ^^) but now that my laptop isn't working that has stopped… but if I get back into it then maybe you'll see drawings of the characters! I did a colored pencil piece for my art class of Sophie, and an acrylic painting of Grell. Maybe I can post it? We'll see ^^ I hoped you liked this chapter! It was hard**** to write the fighting and make everything make sense, but I hope I did its justice =D**

_pulchra __puella_ – Latin – _beautiful girl_

_t__u __vigilans_ – Latin – _are you awake_

_gratias_ – Latin – _thanks _

_n__on __opus __gratias_ – Latin – _no need for thanks_

_tata _– Latin – _dad_

DMD – Dispatch Management Director (I just made that up ^^ if you have a better name for this then suggest it! I may change it if I like it =D) – high standing status of a corporate director or CEO of a shinigami division

Oba – Nigerian – ancient river goddess

Fiona – Scottish/ Irish/Gaelic – the fair one; a vine

Aya – Japanese – beautiful

כן – Hebrew – _yes_

_eius __devoraret_ – Latin – _devour __her_


	23. The Eternal Oath

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm coming towards the end of this arc, not the story but this arc! I figured I should ask you guys this now till later (since my internet connection isn't working and I'm very limited on my time to answer you guys) so my question is: Who would you like to continue seeing and who would you like to see? Soon enough we'll be making a time skip to the modern time of the Kuroshitsuji series, so I was wondering who you would like to see from there? All the shinigamis will be there though, especially Alan, Eric, and Ronald. They'll definitely be added in there =D I'm asking about characters like Ciel, Sebastian, and etcetera. I can take them or leave them out, but it just depends on you guys if you want me to add more characters! Like do you want to see the Vincent again? Do you want me to come up with a story behind Ciel's parents and him? Things like that. (though I must say that I'm not into the second anime season with Alois and the rest of them. They're not my cup of tea, but once again if someone asks for them then I'll add them in!) I figured I will get this question out of the way, since I'm hoping it will be a few more chapters till I get to it! =D **

**And one more question: what OCs would you like to keep seeing? There will be some that will show up regardless, but here are a few I'm not sure about: Chaz Hoover, the Teutas family or just Patrick, Byrne, Merletta, Otis, Jasmine Farah, and any of the human dancers. I don't know if I'll need them in the story or not, but I probably don't need them to keep the story going. If you guys want to see their characters again just ask! I can add them in and develop their character or not if you didn't actually like the OC in the first place. I don't know… mostly I'm asking for Chaz. He may or may not graduate from the academy and I don't really need him later. If I add him in that means he graduated, but if I don't then that means he flunked out and just died for not completing the school. Also Otis. I don't have to add him again, but does anyone want something to evolve from William's past and with the demon Otis? Should I add Grell's past in there? (still not sure how I'd add his past… but does anyone care? ^^;) Just thought I would ask. Then everyone else, if I add them in the future then their characters will be developed more. So what do you guys think? I'll leave that up to what you guys want ^^ And as always, enjoy the next chapter! **

!#$%^&*()

"Interesting, interesting!" Maurus got up, running at the Undertaker and almost punched him in the face. The Undertaker's scythe held him back as Maurus growled and tried to get to him. "Shouldn't you be worried –"

"No," he said simply, "because I know Sophia can take care of herself. Now onto _**you**_ –"

"Geeze can the two of you just quit fighting all the time!" Fiona grumbled, shoving them away from each other as she stood between them with her hands crossed. "Do you really have to bicker right now? Gods! Do you **want** to get into trouble?" The two of them shrugged, watching as Fiona walked away from them slightly fuming mad. "I would rather be with Sophia right now. Are you two-year-olds or something? Be men and apologize! Do I have to do everything around here!" she yelled, her fists clenched by her side as she stared them down.

The two men looked at each other and back at Fiona. Then they began laughing, Fiona's eyebrow twitching slightly. "Wow I've missed this!" Maurus laughed, wrapping an arm around Undertaker's shoulder as he wiped away a tear.

"Can't two friends bicker every once in a while?" the Undertaker snickered, causing Fiona to roll her eyes.

"More like a cat and dog fight," she grumbled to herself. Then she cracked a smile, unable to keep her angry demeanor as the two of them continued to laugh. "Okay I get it! Geeze!" she grumbled.

She narrowed her eyes at Maurus, who flinched slightly. "What's with that look?"

"Could you _kindly~_ close up that portal before I **throw ****it ****up ****your ****butt**?" she sneered at him.

"Wow! Harsh much?" Maurus smirked, summoning the black haze and closing up the hole in the earth until it looked as if nothing happened. "This reminds me of the _**Dark **__**Harvesters**_, remember?"

"Yeah you're right…" Fiona sighed as she reminisced a little, "but we don't have our Black Rose here… I miss her…" Then she looked over at the Undertaker, noticing as he frowned at her statement, "I mean… yeah that was fun! It's nice to meet up with old friends every once in a while," she chuckled sheepishly. "Well I'd better get back to my paperwork," she shrugged, beginning to walk away.

"And I have to go back to the morgue. I have _fresh__new__bod~ies_ to dress up," the Undertaker giggled to himself and began walking away in the opposite direction towards the human realm.

"Hey wait a second!" Maurus yelled at them, "What is this? You're not going to help me get Sophia back?"

"Didn't you say this is a _family~_ matter?" the Undertaker smirked, continuing to walk away.

Maurus grumbled under his breath, knowing he had been beaten. "Fine…" he grumbled to himself, "I'll get her back myself."

"Good," Fiona said as she shooed away the spectators, "less paperwork for me!" She gave them a quick wave and walked back into one of the buildings.

The Undertaker stopped, turning around as he noticed Maurus scratch the back of his head as he grumbled something under his breath. "And once you find her and everything," he began, causing Maurus to look over at him, "tell her to come back home. She's aloud to stay with me from now on instead of in the shinigami realm, of course if that's what she wants."

Maurus nodded, beginning to walk away from the shinigami realm. "Fine… I'll tell her…"

"Are you jealous that I spend more time with her?" he asked, Maurus flinching slightly as he looked over at him.

"No! I mean… I'd rather not talk about it," he grumbled, beginning to split away from the Undertaker as they made their way into the human realm.

"You don't have to talk about it with me," he advised, "but do so with your daughter. She needs to know." Then the Undertaker vanished from Maurus' view as Maurus set off in the opposite direction and towards the rolling hills.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie ran as fast as she could, leaving her father behind as she ran into the light. The light singed her eyes and she fell to the ground, landing on a bed of soft grass. She groaned, her eyes slowly adjusting to the bright light around her. Once she stopped seeing random black dots in her vision she sat up and looked around. She gasped, seeing fields upon fields of prosperous grass and flowers. She slowly got up and had noticed that the soul that had led her here had disappeared. Then she noticed something, a woman wearing a white dress with brunette hair blowing in the light breeze. "M-mom?" she asked as she slowly walked over to the woman.

"Sophia," she said, a smile on her face, "you're finally here."

"Mommy!" she gasped, running as fast as she could and jumping into her arms.

Her mother caught her in an embrace, letting Sophie's head lie on her chest as she cooed a soft melody to her. "It's okay, I'm here…" she smiled, staying in the embrace for a while and refusing to let go of her head.

"Mommy," Sophie said, lifting her head up and gently pulling away from her mother, "W-where are we?"

"This is the afterlife," she beamed at her, "were pure souls go when they die."

Sophie got up, looking around again at the long stretch of fields with random pieces of forest and other landscapes. "Woh…" she gasped as she looked around. The place was bright with a lot of white, but not in a way that hurt her eyes like the shinigami realm did. It was a nice and calm feeling, a place where she would like to spend hours simply staring at the landscape.

"Come Sophia," she said, holding out her hand to her, "there are a few people I want you to meet."

Sophie smiled, grabbing hold of her mother's hand as she led her away from the field they were standing in and into another. Sophie quickly gasped when a few figures came into view, tears quickly forming in her eyes. "H-haden… T-t-homas?... Charlotte?" She frowned, walking over to them and hugging Haden tightly.

She had to crouch down to hug him, which felt awkward because she remembered him being taller than her, but it was understandable since she was younger when he died. "I **knew** you were destined for something great," Haden giggled, letting Sophie hug him tightly as tears fell down her eyes.

"Oh it's great to see you Haden," she smiled, giving his a kiss on the forehead and gave him a smile.

After she was done she gently set Haden back down on the ground, and then went over to Thomas and tightly hugged him as he let out a joyful chuckle. "You've gotten bigger," he smirked.

"And you smaller!" Sophie laughed, noticing he was only a few inches taller than she was. Then she let go of him, walking over to Charlotte with a sad look on her face. "Y-you died? When?..."

"Somewhat recently," she shrugged as she looked to the ground. "We were walking along the streets and a carriage ran me over. Karol and Marc were with me, but Marc grabbed hold of Karol as he tried to push me out of the way. Karol was able to live but… Marc died also," she frowned.

"Oh come here," Sophie said, grabbing hold of Charlotte and gripping her into a tight hug. She let Charlotte cry on her arm and she rubbed her back as she softly rocked her back and forth. "So where's Marc?"

"I don't know…" Charlotte frowned, "He didn't show up with me when I died… so his soul must have went to someone else."

"I understand," she smiled to her, letting go of her slightly, "but now you're here! I'm glad to see that you're okay." Then Charlotte let go of her, ushering her over to a slightly taller man. She quickly noticed that he looked almost like her, seeing short auburn hair and pure crystal blue eyes. "And who are you?" she asked with curiosity.

The man chuckled, taking Sophie's hand and giving it a quick peck. "The name is Marius, Marius Serbus. I am… your older brother."

Her eyes widened as her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared into his one-iris pure crystal blue eyes in shock. "B-brother?... Brother? When did I have a brother!"

"I was our mother and father's first child," he smiled, "but I died before I could be born. I have been growing up here all my existence, never seeing the world you have come from."

"Oh…" Sophie frowned, biting down on her bottom lip as she held back tears. "So there was someone before me… M-marius…" she cracked a smile, a tear falling down her face. "It's great to meet you!" she giggled, jumping into his arms.

He stumbled back slightly, shocked by her sudden enthusiasm. She buried her face into his shoulder and let tears fall down her face. "There there…" he patted her head, unsure of what he should do.

Their mother walked over to them and gently brushed Sophie's hair as she cried into her older brother's shoulder. "I told you she would like you," she smiled to him as Marius chuckled.

He kissed Sophie on the forehead, setting her down on the ground once she stopped crying. "Hey!" Haden said as he noticed that Sophie was done crying. "Can I show her around?"

"Of course," Ellen smiled to him, "just take Marius with you."

"Okay!" he said giving Ellen a salute, grabbing Sophie's hand as he pulled her along. She gasped slightly, not wanting to leave her brother standing there. "There is so much for you to see here!" he smiled, stopping slightly to let Marius catch up. "I know you'll be leaving soon, but you should still come and see!"

Sophie smiled to him, giving him a quick nod. "Alright," she smiled, setting her head on Marius' shoulder once he caught up, "Show me the way!" she said as she pointed to the fields. Haden smiled, pulling on her arm as she closed her eyes and let out a content sigh. Marius looked over at her with a smile on his face, brushing his hands through her soft and wavy auburn hair as they walked through the field of grass and flowers.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie gasped in awe as she looked at the top of the hill in wonder. There stood a black mystical horse slowly eating from the grass at the top of the hill. "That horse is a meanie," Haden grumbled, hiding being of Marius as he spoke, "he is always chewing on my clothes and butting Marius in the stomach."

"Oh he can't be mean," Sophie reassured them, beginning to walk up the hill.

"Sophia…" Marius frowned, letting Haden hid behind him as he took a few steps up the hill and stopped.

Sophie didn't bother to take their warnings and ventured up the hill, the horse not noticing her yet. "H-hello…" she said, causing the horse to look up from its food. It snorted at her, slowly finishing its grass before completely notice her. "Well fine," she sighed, scratching the back of her head, "I just wanted to say thank you for saving me so many times." She smiled over to the horse, noticing it stopped eating and was staring at her. She bowed her head slightly, keeping her eyes on the ground as she did.

She heard trot sounds coming towards her and waited patiently for the horse to make the first move. "Sophia…" she could hear her brother say a ways behind her with a worried tone in his voice.

She looked up and saw that the horse was a few inches from her face. His bright blue eyes stared into her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes, making a shiver go down her back. The horse neighed, gesturing to her hand. "You want me to pet you?" she asked it and he answered with another neigh. Sophie smiled, standing up straight and petting the horse's long and soft mane. "Awe hello to you too," she giggled, the horse licking her on the cheek as she scratched the top of his head. "Hey come on up Haden," Sophie reassured them, Haden looking from behind Marius' back and began to walk up the hill.

He paused, standing several feet from them. Marius trailed behind him, keeping a close distance on Haden. "U-u-uammmm…"

"It's okay," she smiled, keeping a hand on the horse's nose as she lightly pushed the head down. "It won't hurt you. Now give me your hand." Haden stood there, unsure about this, but decided to go towards them and reached his hand toward the horse. The horse neighed back, Sophie having to stroke its nose to calm him down. "Gently… gently…" she cooed to the horse, her words directed towards Haden. Haden looked at Sophie with in understanding, his hand slowly reaching back up for the horse. She whispered into the horse's ear and the horse lowered its head slowly. Haden gently petted the horse and smiled when the horse neighing happily in response. "There you go…" she smiled, looking over at Marius.

Marius looked at her with a smug look on his face, Sophie let go of the horse and the horse contently letting Haden pet him. "You're good," he smiled to her, walking up the hill to stand by her side.

"You just have to be nice," she smirked back, patting the horse on the side. "I've been meaning to ask you… what happened with you?"

He smiled, helping Haden onto the black horse as the horse gestured to Marius to put Haden onto his back. "Well…" Marius sighed, watching as Sophie sat down in the grass and he sat down next to her. "About four years before you were born I was in our mother's stomach. At that time, well according to father, her family didn't know who the father was. So what they did… well they killed me," he frowned, "and when father found out… well it's not like I was going to come back from the dead or anything. As mother told me, she ran away after that and tried to never come back… until you were born."

He looked over at Sophie, noticed she was frowning, and wrapped an arm around her shoulder as he pulled her over to his body. "I can't believe this," Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, leaning her head against his chest as she fought back sobs. "I know that mom's parents were bad… but I never knew they would do **that**." She looked up at him, letting a sigh escape her lips as she looked over at the view they had from the top of the hill. "So… how come you're…"

"Older?" he smirked, rubbing her shoulder as he sighed. "Well when I died I woke up here. I was only a little premature baby soul at the time, but someone took me into their home and raised me. I know that sounds weird, but a loving family here brought me into their home. They taught and raised me till father died and then I lived with him here. I still visit the couple who raised me and always do chores for them, but I've never been allowed to go to the world you grew up in." Then he kissed her on the top of the head, lightly rubbing her hair with his thumb. "You should have seen father's reaction to me. He was hysterical to see me and even more so when I showed him what I had been taught. I heard that you also have black wings as I do sometimes… well that comes from mother," he smirked to himself. "That's what father said and I had to confront mother about it when she died. Apparently the Ioreta family came from a fallen angel… few thousands year old angel. The angel died in the human realm, but he had one child and they passed on the name Ioreta. That's how she was able to tell that father was a God of Death… and be able to take in everything in he told her."

"So you must be twenty three now?" Sophie asked, a chuckle escaping his lips as he shook his head.

"Nope," he admitted. "I stopped growing when you died… so I'm twenty one." Then he shrugged, "but I guess I can be twenty three now… but my appearance will stay as twenty one now."

Sophie smiled, letting another sigh escape her lips as she cuddled into his chest. "I'm happy to know that I had – I mean _**have**_ a brother," she giggled as she closed her eyes. "Can I just stay here forever?" she asked him.

Marius smiled to her, rubbing her head as he spoke, "I wish… but in order for father to be able to rest and stay here then you'll have to make the contract to be a God of Death. I'm sorry –"

"Hey that's alright!" Sophie responded, putting up her hands to him to stop him from apologizing. "I… well it's nice to know that I can see you guys again," she smiled to him, looking over at Haden as he rode around of the black horse. "So what is this _Death_ you talk of?" she asked, Marius chuckling to himself.

"Well…" he quickly paused, noticing an eerie presence behind him.

"Well _what_ young Serbus?" an intimidating man said from behind them.

The two siblings turned around, Sophie's eyes widening in awe as she looked up at the figure. "Nothing sir," Marius said as he bowed.

He chuckled, looking over at Sophie as Marius held onto her shoulder tightly. "I told you to call me Death," he said, sitting down next to Sophie as he looked at her with curiosity. "So you know my horse?"

"Y-yes…" Sophie said, trying to take in the man that stood before her. She noticed he had solid dark black hair and crystal emerald eyes. She gave him a smile, her own eyes peaking with curiosity. "Are you Death?" she asked.

Marius looked over at her shocked as the man chuckled. "Yes I am," he continued to chuckle lightly, "and how do you know that?"

"I just figured," she shrugged, "plus I have a feeling about you."

He smirked, rustling up her hair slightly. She flinched and tried to swat at his hands, his actions quickly reminding her of someone she knows. "So this must be young Sophia Serbus," he said holding out his right hand.

"Yep," she smiled, taking his hand and shaking it. "I knew there was an actual Death," she snickered to herself quietly, looking back at him with a smile on her face.

"Marius, tell her how you know me," he said to him, Marius scratching the back of his head as he chuckled nervously.

"Well…" he began meekly, "he is the being that took me into his house and he and his wife raised me. Usually unborn babies are sent back to the living world, but Death decided to keep me around. I don't know why but –"

"It was because I know you are a Serbus," the man named Death admitted, "and a soul like yourself cannot go into another unborn baby's body. It could lead to complications… plus it's unusual to find a baby at my doorstep," he smiled to them. Sophie couldn't help but keep smiling at him, feeling a warm and fatherly feeling coming from him.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Maurus let out a huff as he appeared in a realm of vast fields and light. He grumbled, running a hand through his maroon hair before walking into the nearby woods. He let the soul he had in his hand go, watching as it wandered off over the hills and vanishing into the vast domain. He walked a ways and came upon a small house in the middle of the forest. He smiled, noticing a woman with brunette hair bringing materials into the house and coming right out. "Hello Ellen," he grumbled, grabbing something from her hands and eating it.

"What's with your attitude?" she stared at him, a frown on her face.

"Sorry," he sighed, throwing the remains of an apple core on the ground. "Just Sophia wasn't supposed to come here yet and… ugh things got out of hand!" he yelled, slamming a hand into the trunk of a tree in frustration.

Ellen narrowed her eyes, noticing the indent in the tree. "How about you calm down first before you go and find her?" she suggested, going back into the house and putting away the food she had in her hand. "I don't want a fight between the two of you… besides Marius and Haden is with her. She's in good hands."

Maurus stared at her with straight up uncertainty as a sigh escape his lips. "Okay Ellen…" he smiled to her, taking her hand and kissing it. "I'm sorry for being rude to you. I'm just a bit flustered… that's all," he sighed, rubbing her soft hand before looking at her bright blue eyes.

He noticed she was blushing slightly and smirked, letting her lead him away from the house and back into the fields. "Here I'll take you to them," she smiled, a giggle escaping her lips when he wrapped his hands around her waist and nuzzled his face into her neck playfully. "I'm glad we got that house in the woods we've always wanted," she sighed, holding onto his hands around her waist.

"Same here," he sighed, closing his eyes before opening them back up to speak. "Too bad it isn't in the world of the living."

"Well… it happened and that's all that matters," she smiled to him, noticing a black horse coming towards them. "Oh hello!" Ellen exclaimed in surprised as the horse stopped right in front of them and trotted to them so he could be petted by one of Maurus' hands.

"Okay, okay," he smirked, letting go of Ellen's waist to rub the horse's nose. The black horse neighed with satisfaction, letting out a snort as Haden waved to them. "Now is that Haden I see?" Maurus asked, watching as Ellen helped him down from the horse.

"What have you been up to?" Ellen asked as she made sure he was on the ground till she asked.

"Not much!" Haden smiled, taking a hand and nuzzling his face into the horse's nose, "Just getting to know him."

"Oh I see you are not enemies now?" Ellen smiled to him, looking over at Maurus as she said it.

"Yep!" Haden exclaimed, "Sophie helped me!"

"So where are my two children now?" Maurus asked, letting go of the horse's nose and patting it on the side.

"At the top of this hill," Haden pointed with a shrug, "talking to Death. Then Thomas and Charlotte joined us for a while… but then I think they left. So it's just the four of us now."

Maurus nodded, taking his wife's hand as they walked up the hill. "Well thank you," he said, noticing that the black horse was following them. "Especially you," he said directed towards the horse, "it has been a while since I rode on you… hasn't it?" The horse neighed and he chuckled.

Once they walked to the top of the hill Maurus' eyes widened. He saw Death talking with both of his children, the two of them listening intently. Sophie was asking questions on why he was there and etcetera as Marius quietly sat next to her. He had both hands wrapped around her waist as she leaned into his chest, sitting upon his lap with a content smile on her face. He couldn't help but let out a happy sigh, seeing that their children were able to get along so quickly. Marius was constantly worried that Sophie wouldn't like him, but it looked like he was worried over nothing. Death looked up after he was done speaking, noticing their presence. "Hello Mr. and Mrs. Serbus. Maurus it took you a while to get here, did it not?"

"Sorry about that," he grumbled as he rubbed the back of his head, "I couldn't find a pure soul in a dying body. I had to travel a ways away till I could find one! It's hard to find one, you know."

"I understand," Death said back, looking over at Marius and Sophie. "I was wondering if your lovely family would like to join us for supper. Of course Haden is invited if he wants to come."

"No that's okay," Haden chuckled to himself, "I want to get going anyways. It was nice to see Sophie again."

"Same here," Sophie said, blowing him a kiss as he caught it in his hand.

Haden giggled as he gave them a wave, and brushed the horse's nose before he ran down the hill. Death got up from the ground and the other two followed, Sophie stretching slightly as she woke her body back up. "Well we mustn't keep them waiting," Death said, gesturing Marius and Sophie to follow him as their parents walked behind them. Marius led the black horse over the hill they were standing on and to the hilltop, letting go of Sophie's hand as he led the horse over to a nearby stable to graze over yonder. Sophie looked over at her parents, making sure they were following behind them, and then back at the destination they were coming towards. It was a large gray house, which could be mistaken for a mansion or something perhaps smaller. The architecture was superb, different centuries of art lining the outside of the house. It had a magnificent view, looking over several valleys and peering over most of the landscape. She noticed a figure standing at the door, a small tan woman with long silver hair and crystal blue eyes. Sophie blinked in confusion, her eyes reminding her of the same color of blue in her own eyes. "I brought guests," he said, walking up to the top of the steps, grabbing her hands gently, and kissing her on the lips.

"I can see that," she smirked back, waiting for Marius to come back before she invited them into the house. "Thank you Marius," she said to him, letting Death kiss her on the cheek as they stood at the top of the hill.

"You're welcome… Briana," he responded, the woman giggling at the sound of her name. Marius walked back to Sophie, wrapping a hand around her waist as they walked into the house. "This is where I grew up till our father started raising me," he admitted, wandering away from the group as they walked through a corridor. No one seemed to mind, letting the two siblings wander off on their own and explore the house.

"So you lived with Death huh?" Sophie answered, peeking into every open room of the hallway as they walked past.

"Y-yeah… this place is my second home," he said, a warm smile coming over his features as he said it. "They raised me like one of their own children, Death and Briana I mean. It was mostly Briana who was raising me though… she told me she lived for many years, but not as long as Death did. She even changed her name, she told me, but only Death and her child on earth knows her real name. So… yeah," he shrugged. "Death will leave when he's needed, but usually he's around taking care of us. He taught me a lot of what I know, how to fight and do chores around the house. I learned things from Briana and Inaya also."

"Inaya?" Sophie asked, pausing as she was peering into a room. "You mean there are more like you here?"

"Well…" he paused with a smile, "not necessarily. You see Inaya died in the world of the living and came here long before I died. She likes to coddle me like a little brother, but she is more related to Death then I am." Then Marius let out a sigh, scratching the back of his head, "She is rather troublesome really… actually she looks like you a bit."

"Really?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, following Marius through the hallways and up and down stairs.

"Yep," he admitted. He looked over a railing and noticed the four adults talking among themselves. There was another girl among them, a young maiden who looked to be the age of seventeen. She wore a white dress as Sophie did with a golden cord around her waist, but had only four pieces of black rope instead of the seven Sophie had around her own waist. She had long and wavy burgundy hair with bright sea green eyes. "Oh there she is," he said over the railing and catching her attention.

"There you are!" the girl said, running through the adults and startling Ellen slightly. Sophie blinked in confusion, noticing how quickly she appeared and ran at Marius. "You left without saying anything!" she pouted, punching him playfully in the shoulder. "I was getting bored around here… _grrr_…" she growled at him.

"Sorry Inaya," he said as he scratched the back of his head. "I had to meet someone."

"And is this the sister you were talking about?" she asked, pointing over to Sophie.

Sophie blinked in confusion, not liking the finger in her face. "Yes," he chuckled. "Inaya this is Sophia Serbus, my younger sister. She'll be taking my father's place in the world of the living."

"Hello," she said, shaking her hand.

"Hi-yah," she smiled back, her attention back on Marius. "So does this mean you can go to the world of the living now?"

"Hmmm?" he said, not quite getting the answer right away. "Y-yeah I think so… well that depends. Sophia is that okay if I come visit you every now and then?"

"I don't see why not," she shrugged, "just be prepared for it. It's not all good and free like here. Someone may try to take advantage of you and –"

"Yes I know that," he shrugged it off. "Everyone has told me about it. I just want to see for myself… so could you?"

"When?" Sophie asked with a smirk.

"I-I don't know…" He sighed, "Whenever Death will let me come. I'd be there on business, but he'll probably give me time to explore if I ask."

"Sure then," she smiled, "just make it a time when I'm not busy. I'd hate to let you go off by yourself."

He nodded in understanding, the three of them hearing someone calling them from the lower level. "Come down for supper," Briana called, Inaya perking right up and running down the stairs.

Sophie followed behind Marius, who led the way back down the stairs and to the dining room. Sophie looked around the room and noticed pictures of desert villages and of various skeleton pictures. She sat down next to Marius, who had set down next to Inaya, who sat next to Death, and who sat at the head of the table. His wife sat next to him and Sophie's parents next to her. "So Sophia," Death said once they began to pass around the food to eat. "What do you plan on doing? Your father told me about your nervousness about becoming a God of Death." He glanced over at Maurus before he looked back at Sophie, "so if you need any clarification on anything then just ask."

"Okay," Sophie answered, gathering a large helping of food before speaking. "So if I become a God of Death will that mean I'll be working for you?" she asked, drinking some of the wine they set out before proceeding to eat the food in front of her.

"You can say that," he said, beginning to eat some of the food laid out before him. "It depends on what your calling is. In your family's case it is to be a God of Death, or as you've heard, shinigamis and grim reapers. You see I was created around the time the world began, making the world that is called the living a place where things live and die. The intention before I was created was for the world to only be a place of the living, which is why angels and demons can live for eternity. Now that I am around, things die. Plants, animals, and humans especially, but even supernatural beings die now. When you're father died," he said giving a glance at her father and then back at her. "He was taught by a God of Death to take souls and spirits of the dying and already dead. In the world you live in now shinigamis only specialize with humans, but in reality it's supposed to be with all creation. Your family's soul is very interesting," he said as he took some food into his mouth before talking again.

"You can give and talk away the breath of life, which means you can decide if a being should live or die. You had been spending your existence in the underworld, in hell as it has been named now. Under description you would be a demon," he said simply as he at some more food, "but that is not the case. Your father became a God of Death instead of becoming a demon when he died as a human, so the statement that the underworld houses only demons cannot be true. Plus there are demons in the realm of the living, which I expect you have met plenty of already. That man whom you call Alexander Agon would be one of them. He may have a father of a shinigami, but since his mother is a demon then he is also a demon. He simply made a choice for the rest of his life to be a shinigami. The man you know as Shezmu is another God of Death. He is a real God of Death, though in what you call the ancient world he would be a demi-god or demon. He takes souls as shingamis do, evaluating them and etcetera. I think what happened was a change in who controlled who lived or died, who are these shinigami and grim reaper characters. They forced many Gods of Death to call themselves demons, but in reality they are not. A demon eats souls and Gods of Death take and evaluate the soul. Some Gods of Death actually end up eating the truly tainted souls, but that is different than the beings you can demons today. Only a few Gods of Death decided to join these shinigamis and their council, as your father had, but that did not make things easier for them. They are always contradicting things, trying to persecute more Gods of Death. The disaster about 900 years ago was what turned the control around. Many young Gods of Death like yourself were forced to go and fight for souls. It was more of a death sentence, killing almost every young God of Death in existence. That's how young Inaya died, isn't that right?"

Inaya looked up from her plate, not really paying attention till now. "Yes sir," she said, gulping down her food quickly before she continued. "It was… during the Black Death I am guessing. Ironic the name is really," she began, setting her napkin down to continue. "I was the age of a seventeen, but with Gods of Death it can take us centuries till we are old enough to make the transition from a child to an adult. I was sent from my home in England to the Mongol tribes in Asia. They were killing many humans and I was sent there to reap souls before demons could get to them. It was when I arrived that the Black Death began to spread across the world. Instead of staying where I was assigned, they sent me to collect the souls as they died and alert the departments of shinigamis as the Black Death passed through. It would have been all fine… but then I began to lose my powers," she sighed as she looked at her food in slight disgust. "I told them I needed to rest, but they not let me. The council of shinigamis made me keep reaping, even when I completely turned into a human. You see, my birth mother was a half human and half God of Death and my father was a God of Death. Unluckily for me, even with my genes I turned into a human as you did Sophia." She pointed a knife over to Sophie as she said it, almost cutting Marius' neck without even realizing it.

"Well anyways," she said as her attention returned to cutting up her food, "my soul was eaten by a demon in Bruges. I was actually close to home when it happened, but I didn't know it at the time. When my father found out I died… well he went after my soul and killed all the demons that had devoured me and using it. Once he collected my soul and pieced it back together, he let me go to this realm of the dead and stay there with Death. Everyone else I knew that had died didn't get their souls put back together, but my father took the time to fix mine so… I thank him for that." She let a sigh escape her lips as she set her silverware on the table and continued. "Sophia, I'll warn you that council is **not** very nice to our kind. I hope they know now that if they kill anymore of us then the world will be put into complete chaos, but we'll see about that," she grumbled to herself. "Just be careful. They feel more threatened about you being there then just you as a person. Marius has told us of the incidences you had made, saving a demon wolf pack and such. That's all good and great, but they don't seem to like stuff like that. Also," she said again, not done talking yet, "there will be demons and angels asking for your assistance. It is up to you to help them, but this is just a warning. If we had more Gods of Death then you wouldn't have to worry about it, but now that there are fewer there then they'll be coming to ask you for help. The only authority you have to answer to is the Almighty, who will immediately make you take or give the breath of life in an instant. You won't have a choice in **that** matter, but that is what will happen if you take the oath. You lose some of that freedom you have as a human." Then Inaya smiled to her as if to comfort her a little. "Don't be worried about it though. It is only a snippet of your freedom. If an angel doesn't come to you with the authority of the Almighty then you don't have to listen to a word he says!"

"That's right," Maurus said, "in our history we were only told by direct orders to do something, which was when our soul was in the underworld. It probably won't happen for… a while," he smiled to her.

"Yep!" Inaya smiled to her. "Don't **not** take the jobs! Some of them are beneficial and have to befall on you because you are a God of Death, but you still have a choice to say no. That's up to you."

Sophie nodded to her, giving her a slight smile. "Okay Inaya… thank you."

"No problem!" she giggled to herself, whispering something into Marius' ear before she went back to eating.

"Yes well…" Sophie thought before looking back to Death. "Still, do I have to take orders from you?"

"No," Death said as he wiped his mouth with his napkin. "You are free to make your own choices. You are in that world to take and give the breath of life, that is all. To be a shinigami is your choice, to become a demon is your choice, and to make the oath and follow in your father's footsteps is your choice also. If you want to help me then I won't mind, but I am the ultimate death and nothing can stop death, even Death Gods," he smirked, drinking down some wine and letting out a satisfied sigh. Sophie smiled to him, looking over at her father with curiosity. He was looking over at Sophie as if he was silently evaluating her. She looked back at her plate; eating some more food from her plate before she said asked anything else.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie walked with her father back into the realm of the living, leaving everything she had seen behind. She smiled down at her hand; her finger brushing over the engraving on a silver pocket watch Death had given to her when they left his house. She attached the new item to the rope around her waist, tightening it to make sure it was secure. She was still dressed in a white robe and golden sandals, her human clothes not appearing since she had grown wings and flew out of the underworld. "Father," she began as she looked at her black cloak, "will my clothes come back or something?"

"If you want them to," he chuckled as they continued to walk. "The clothes you are wearing will always be your clothes, especially if you summon a lot of your power. Other than that your clothes are in the content of the shadows. You can just bring them back to your body if you want."

"No that's quite alright," she smiled to him, "I'm fine." Then she frowned, looking over at her father as they came across the white buildings of the shinigami realm. "Are you jealous that I have been calling the Undertaker my dad and father? Because if you are then I can stop. I don't want to be the reason the two of you stops talking to each other… because he has told me that you two have been good friends for years so..."

He blinked for a second before he chuckled. "Yes I _was_ jealous, but now I'm over it," he smiled to her and brushed a comforting hand through her hair. "I will be honest and say that I am jealous of the attention you give him, but I don't hate anyone for that. I hate myself really… I couldn't be a better father to you."

She smiled, standing on her tiptoes and giving his a peck on the cheek. "You are a **great** father," she smirked, "and the best papa I have ever had. I couldn't have anyone else as caring as you are… okay?"

"Okay…"he smiled, kissing her on the top of the forehead. "Now let's go on with this, I need to get back soon," he said looking at his watch. Sophie giggled as she skipped next to him, contently following him to whatever destination he had in mind. Sophie looked up to the sky and noticed it was close to nighttime. She followed next to Maurus into the white building, taking several hidden corridors till they made it to a locked door. Taking out his collection of keys he opened the door and held it open for her.

Sophie looked down and noticed it led immediately to a winding staircase, leading down into the dark unknown. Her father grabbed a torch from the stone wall and lit it, closing the door behind her. Then he led her down, lighting up the stone staircase as they made their decent. "I didn't know there were secret corridors here," Sophie commented as they continued to walk.

"Yep," he answered as he kept looking for the end. "Not a lot of shinigamis do. I think only a few do... the council who made the buildings, Gods of Death, and probably a few executive shinigamis who have lived for a long time. Mostly everyone else doesn't... they are far too young – oh here it is!" he exclaimed, coming to a large stone door. He smirked to her, whipping out his keys again and opening the door. Once he opened the door her father set the torch down in a holder on the wall, walking in first to look into the space. It was rather small, only a storage facility from what Sophie could notice. "Here hold this," he said, handing her a jar as he counted it off in his head. "Let's see... I have the blood but... oh oil! Here you go," he said, handing her another jar before deciding to walk out of the room. "I think that'll be enough. Everything else we can do ourselves," he said as he locked the door behind him and led the way up the steps. "And I almost forgot," he said, stopping slightly on the stairs as he remembered. "You need to wear what you were wearing when you died. The white dress in no problem, but I think the Undertaker put something else on you..."

"Oh okay," she said as they made it up the steps and her father blew out the torch. "Then I'll have to go back to my dorm room."

"Okay," he said, setting the torch back where he found it and locked the door behind them. "I'll wait for you. Give me those vials," he said, grabbing the jars from her as they began to walk into the main part of the hallway. "Now don't get caught by anyone. No one should know you're alive still, so it's better to keep you hidden until we initiate you."

"Okay," she agreed, wrapping the black cloak tighter around her body as she kept the hood over her face. "I'll be back in a sec!" she called to him, running down the hallway as quickly as she could. He chuckled, walking out the door before anyone saw him. Sophie ran through the hallways as she tried to keep her face hidden. From the events that happened earlier that day, someone may recognize her and start asking questions. She really didn't want anything like that right now, so once she made it to the student dorms she hustled up the stairs and to her room. Trying to figure out how to get in, the black haze summoned her room key for her. "Oh thanks," she smirked, quickly opening the door and quietly closing it behind her. She looked into the room and smiled, suddenly wondering how Margaret was doing. It had been so long… was she studying or back to partying and getting drunk off her ass? Either way she had to hurry; Sophie didn't know when Margaret would come back.

She walked over to her footlocker and opened it, revealing only a few items in the trunk. One thing caught her eye was the black rose clip Karol had given to her. Sophie remembered that she was buried with it, which she was grateful to see since it brought back memories of the Juvéniles of Dance. Oh how she missed the dancing! She always felt better when she danced with them, even more so then when she baked sweets and would visit the orphanage. "Wow really?" Sophie heard from the hallway, recognizing Margret's voice.

'_Crap,'_ she frowned to herself, quickly closing her footlocker and locking it. She rushed to the window, opening it up as she noticed a key fumble into the doorknob. She crawled out the window and closed the window behind her, just in time for Margret to walk into the room without her noticing. Sophie watched as she threw her stuff on her side of the room and walked over to Sophie's side. She ran a finger over her footlocker, a smile on her face till she walked back to her side and began taking out books._ 'She's still studying,'_ Sophie smiled, noticing that she turned on a light on the desk and opened up the book in her hand.

"Hey are you coming down!" she heard from below, noticing that Maurus pointed to his watch to hurry her up.

She smirked, letting go of the windowsill and landing next to him. He flinched back, not expecting her to jump down from a thirteen story building. "So now what?" she asked with a shrug as she held the clip in between her teeth.

"Nothing much," he said, grabbing the clip from her mouth with a smirk on his face. "Come it's almost time," he said in a serious tone, turning around and walking into the forest. Sophie blinked in confusion, chasing after him as he disappeared from her sight.

)(*&^%$#!

Maurus and Sophie stood in the middle of a circle her father had outlined in the middle of the dirt. They were in the middle of a field, the sun about to go down in a few moments. Maurus was murmuring to himself, eyeing Sophie as he poured the blood and oil into two separate bowls. "Sophia," he said, getting her attention, "this is a serious question... do you still want to become a God of Death?"

"Yes," she said without any hesitation in her voice. "I do."

He smiled and gave her a nod, taking the old Roman sword from his waist and handing it to Sophie. She took it willingly, tying the cord around the rope around her waist as she looked back to him. "Then take our family's sword out from the hilt and stab the blade into the ground in front of me." She nodded and did as he asked. Once she had done so Sophie noticed the black haze grow from the blade and began to engulf them, surrounding them in complete darkness. Right when the sun went down the haze consumed them completely, not leaving the circle he had made upon the ground. "Now kneel before me and we can begin." She nodded, kneeling down so her left knee was on the ground and her other knee was up to keep her stable. "Now repeat after me," he began, a black book appearing in his hand as he began. "Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."

"_Ego __Sophia __Ioreta __Serbus __Maur__us_."

"Ut faciendam plegium anima cor meum."

"_U__t __faciendam __plegium __anima __cor meum_."

"Quod perpetuo faciendum oportebat iustissime condemnabunt animam et apud veritate viam videbitur expedire."

"_Q__uod __perpetuo __faciendum __oportebat __iustissime __condemn abunt __animam __et __apud __veritate __viam __videbitur expedire_."

"Nolo vires abusus malum et terminis non necessaria."

"_Nolo __vires __abusus __malum et__terminis__non necessaria_."

"Ego faciam quod necessarium ad salvandum pura ex damnation."

"_Ego faciam __quod necessarium __ad salvandum __pura __ex damnation_."

"Etsi delere est modo mihi."

"_E__tsi __delere __est __modo __mihi_."

"Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus."

"_Ego __Sophia __Ioreta __Serbus __Maur__us_."

"Huius pignus esse in aeternum Deus usque in diem Mortis meum locum habet aut aliud ego morior."

"_H__uius __pignus __esse __in aeternum __Deus __usque in diem__M__ortis __meum __locum __habet __aut aliud __ego morior_."

"Ego nunc imperio imperium est in ac tenebras anima mea tollere spiritus vitæ facere dare."

"_Ego nunc __imperio __imperium __est in __ac tenebras __anima mea __tollere __spiritus vitæ __facere dare_."

"Ex hoc saeculo usque ad diem pereo."

"_E__x __hoc saeculo __usque ad diem __pereo_."

Then her father dabbed some oil onto his thumb, rubbing it across her forehead in the form of a cross. "Amen."

"Amen," Sophie responded, her head bowed to her father as he grabbed the blood and dabbed some on his thumb.

"You will now take on the responsibilities of your ancestors before you as a _Serbus_, _**servant **__**of **__**the **__**darkness**_," he said as he formed a cross on her forehead, and then made two marks on each side of her cheek. Then he smiled, setting the bowls next to him and standing up. "Rise Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death." She stood up and looked to him, her eyes beaming with crystal blue, shinigami green, and bright yellow in her eyes. "Now address yourself," he said to her.

"I am Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death," she picked up the sword as she said so, the black haze vanishing from the circle and into the ground.

She took the shaft of the sword and put it into the hilt, letting it hang to the side as she looked over to her father. Her auburn hair blew freely in the breeze; the only thing tainted on her face was the blood marks he made upon her face. "Welcome Sophia," he smiled as he collected the bowls and let them vanish in between his fingertips. Then he walked over to her, clipping the black rose clip to the right side of her face. He smiled, which caused her to crack a smile to him. "Well that's it," he said as he brushed away the lines on the ground. "Your powers will slowly come back to you, but it won't be right away. For now the scent of Death you have on yourself will keep the demons away, so don't worry about being eaten anymore," he chuckled, lifting his head up and looking over at her. He couldn't help but be in awe, noticing how her body seemed to be glowing as she stood in the darkness of the trees, _'__truly __a __pure __soul,__'_ he thought as he finished cleaning up. "Now the Undertaker told me to tell you to go back home to him… and I accept that he will be your father here in this world, alright?"

"Good," she smiled, grabbing him in a hug and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you for everything," she whispered into his ear, letting go of him as he chuckled.

"You are welcome my pulchra puella." Then he gave her a wink, wandering away from her towards a light that suddenly appeared before him. "Keep yourself out of trouble, okay?"

"I'll do what I can," she waved to him, both of them chuckling as he departed. She let out a sigh, leaving the smile on her face as she left the shinigami realm.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let a tired sigh escape her lips, the whole day having overwhelmed her as much as when she regained her memories. Changing her mind from wanting to die to becoming a God of Death and living on for centuries to come was overwhelming, but she wanted to do it. Not only for her father, but for everyone else she holds dear. Now she can see both worlds, the world of the living and the world of the dead. She was rather hung up on seeing the people she had known dead, but she will get over it in due time. Besides Death comes to everyone and will soon eventually come for her soul also.

She opened the door and gently closed it behind her, hoping to not disturb the Undertaker if he was asleep. She set her stuff down and walked from the back door towards the main room in the front. She frowned as she noticed none of the rooms were lit, finally coming across a dim light in the corner of the main room. There was Undertaker sitting contently on top of a coffin, a small candle lit on top of a small cake. "_I __have __been __waiting~_" he smiled to her, ushering her to sit down.

She nodded and complied, sitting across from him as the cake sat in between the coffin they were sitting on. "Y-you didn't have to do this," she chuckled nervously, "no one really celebrates my birthday."

"You never _told_ me when your birthday was, little maiden," he smirked, then gesturing towards the cake. "Now make a wish and blow out the candle."

She scooted a little bit closer, closing her eyes as she thought of the perfect wish. "But I don't need anything you know," she smiled, "I have everything I need."

"Well… just blow out the candle then," he smiled back.

She opened up her eyes and giggled, thinking to herself for a moment before looking at the Undertaker. "I wish," she began, "that everyone I know has a good life and my older brother doesn't become corrupted when he comes to this realm." Then she smirked to him, "and I wish that the Undertaker would show me his eyes more often."

He chuckled, "You're only supposed to wish for **one** thing."

"Well I feel I need a bit more," she smirked and blew out the candle. Then the room went pitch black, only a thin light from the moon shining into the room.

Sophie watched as he took a knife from his sleeve and slowly cut the cake, cutting it into eight equal pieces. Then he set two slices down on a plate, adding two forks once he set the knife down. Then he took the candle from the top of the cake and set it back where he had it in the room, lighting it to illuminate the room. "Dig in," he smirked, sitting down next to her as he handed her a piece of cake.

She smiled to him, grabbing the cake from his hands and taking a piece. Her eyes widened slightly, "Wow this is good… you improved?"

"Are you shocked about that?" he chuckled, grabbing his own plate and taking a piece of the cake. Then he ran a nail through her hair, "You still have the rose clip?" he asked as he took another bite of cake.

"Yeah well… I never threw it away or anything because I figured it had value," she smiled. "Plus… papa wanted me to wear it once I was done with my pledge. Like a transition from death to life, or something like that. I don't know," she shrugged.

He smiled as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. "_My_, aren't you a sentimental creature," he chuckled as he nuzzled his face into the nick of her neck. "So you are a God of Death now?" he said quietly into her ear.

"Yeah," she shrugged, "I won't get my powers for a while longer, but papa told me that I'll be protected if I go out… so I guess I'll start going back to the academy."

"Hopefully you can get the rest of the notes then," he smirked, kissing her neck before lifting up his head to eat more cake. "You smell like Death," he said in a monotone voice, the piece of cake vanishing from his plate as he grabbed another slice.

"I know," she sighed with a smile on her face. "He's nice though and I met his wife! It was a lot of fun… and I met Haden, Thomas, and Charlotte… I didn't know she even died," she chuckled to herself before another sigh escaped her lips. "Then Marius… I didn't know I had an older brother."

"You do?" he asked, Sophie giving him a nod in return.

"He was an unborn baby… my mom's family killed him before he even had a chance to live," she frowned as she felt a tear go down her face. "I always wanted a sibling, but not like that… he told me he would be coming to this world though," she said in an attempt to cheer herself up. "I don't know when, but he says soon. Apparently he helps Death and will be doing some errands when he comes here. I don't know how that will all work, but I can't wait!"

"I see…" he smiled to her, eating the new piece of cake as he looked at her. Even though her auburn hair was messy it looked beautiful and wavy. The white robe she wore gave an interesting contrast to the red of her hair, followed by the crystal blue, shinigami green, and bright yellow eyes that lingered in her eyes. The black rose in her hair was what made him smile; reminding him of the day he had to bury her into the ground. How he loathed that day, wishing he never had to do it in the first place. He noticed her yawn as she finished the slice of cake on her plate, a compassionate smile coming to his face. "When are you going back to the academy?"

"Probably two days from now. Tomorrow is a free day off so no one will be there anyways. Might as well stay here till later, but I plan on staying here at the morgue if it's alright with you," she finished with a giggle as she set her plate down next to the cake.

Sophie let out another yawn, which was quickly stopped when the Undertaker leaned into her face and licked some frosting from her lips. "I think it's time for bed," he smirked as he stood up, collecting the plates and cake and walking into the kitchen. Sophie followed behind him, holding onto the utensils and blowing out the candle. Once he put everything away he turned around and picked her up with a devious smile on his face. Sophie yelped, not expecting the sudden movement. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close to his chest, his mouth breathing softly against her cheek. "You may be a God of Death and know about your past, but I you're still mine, right?" he asked her as it sent a chill down her spine.

"D-do I need to repeat myself?" she responded, getting a smirk from him as a response. "I'm yours, okay? Utterly yours… if you still want me," she smiled to him, snuggling her face into his chest as she clung to his clothes.

He held her bridal style as he walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "Of course I still want you," he said as he cooed into her ear. "Tu mihi, little maiden... tu mihi…" he continued to say, carrying her into the bedroom and lying her down on the bed. She giggled, refusing to let go of his coat as she tightly clung to him.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: So yeah that's it for now! Everything is going well and steady for Sophie again… I hope I haven't been jumping into some things too quickly. I just need to get the story going and stuff like that. If there is something you think I should have held up till later then go ahead and say so. I'll keep comments like that in mind when I continue writing this story. Sadly my situation right now isn't very good. My laptop works though! (_for now_ .) I just gave it some time to start and its fine now. I really don't know what happened to it… so I saved my files before anything else may happen to it ^^ **

**Now we had a power outage about two nights ago and the internet connection at my house isn't working anymore. So I've had to go and walk to places with free wifi and also use my school's connection to look at my emails and such. That's my I'm _soooooo_ slow with my replies and I'm sorry for that. It's just something I can't really control! Plus I have one more day at school because of finals, so I'll be on the computer _less_ often then thought. My dad says we're hoping to have things fixed in five days, but we'll see about that. It's not a guarantee. At least I'm still writing now! And I may spend time drawing some of the characters. I'm drawing Sophie and Undertaker, is there anyone else you would like to see? Just ask me and I'll do something! Perhaps you want to see them at a certain age in my story? I don't know, but comments are appreciated! It'll give me something to do over my break =D And thank you for reading another chapter! I'm glad that I have a lot of people reading this story. It keeps me going! X3**

Marius – Latin – manly; dedicated to Mars

Briana – Irish/Gaelic/Celtic – high, noble, exalted

__Ego__Sophia__Ioreta__Serbus__Maurus, ut__faciendam__plegium__anima__cor meum__ quod perpetuo faciendum oportebat iustissime condemnabunt animam et apud veritate viam videbitur expedire. Nolo vires abusus malum et terminis non necessaria. Ego faciam quod necessarium ad salvandum pura ex damnation, etsi delere est modo mihi. Ego Sophia Ioreta Serbus Maurus, huius pignus esse in aeternum Deus usque in diem Mortis meum locum habet aut aliud ego morior. Ego nunc imperio imperium est in ac tenebras anima mea tollere spiritus vitæ facere dare, ex hoc saeculo usque ad diem pereo. __– Latin –_I Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, make a pledge to the soul within my heart that I will forever do what is necessary to condemn a soul rightfully and truthfully in the way I see fit. I will not abuse my powers for evil and unnecessary terms. I will do what is necessary to save a pure soul from damnation, even if it means I must destroy myself. I Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, make this pledge to forever be a God of Death till the day I die or another takes my place. I now command dominion over the darkness in my soul to give or take away the breath of life, until the day I perish from this world._


	24. The Support

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: No one else cares if I leave out OCs or not?... not even Otis huh? No one wants to see Grell's memories either? Well alright I guess. I was hoping on some answers on these things ^^**

**Well another chapter is here! Just a little something before we keep going. Oh and guess what, my internet is back up and my laptop is working. Now I can answer your guys. Woot! A few explanations on things and etcetera (I seem to like to use that word now… hmmmm…) actually I've noticed it'll be a bit longer till there's a major time skip. I'd still like my questions answered, but all I've gotten so far is concerning Chaz, Ciel & Sebastian, and the Phantomhive family in general. I was hoping for more than just that, but if that's what your guys' concerns are then I'll just leave it at that ^^ Towards the end I'll ask again, but if you want to say something say it! I really like to see comments from you guys still =3 Also one more thing: should I make a new story for the next part? I don't know how far the chapters go on . Does someone know? Because on a website I was on earlier (for something else) the limit was 50 chapters. Is it limitless here or do you get cut off at 50 or some other number? Just thought I should ask because I don't know. If it does then I want to plan ahead ^^ that's it for now! Enjoy as always!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie pulled on her black necktie nervously, walking through the door and into the academy building. There were several things she needed to do before the end of the day, so she arrived an hour early to talk to each one of her teachers. She walked through the hallway to the cafeteria to have something to drink, almost running into another student shinigami. "Oh sorry," she quickly said, giving her a weak smile.

Margaret's face went pale, a giant smile coming on her face when she saw her. "Sophie!" she laughed, hugging her tightly and almost dropping a pile of papers she had tucked under her arm. "Where have you been! Everyone thinks you're dead!"

"Dead?" she questioned her, walking over to a hot tea dispenser and pouring herself a cup of tea. "I'm not dead, just human."

"Human?" she asked, Sophie adding some honey to the paper cup as she looked up at her.

"Yep," she smirked, "_hu~man~~_. I've been with my dad the whole time – say how are you? Is school going well?"

"Yes thank you," Margaret smiled, walking over to an empty table and sitting down. Sophie followed behind her and sat across from her at the table, slowly drinking her tea gleefully and eating a scone she grabbed without anyone noticing. "Jasmine has been a great mentor for me… thank you for introducing us."

"Hey no problem," she chuckled as she finished the scone in her hand. "I figured she would. How has Julia been lately?"

"She's doing okay," she shrugged, "but once she heard the news you were dead she wouldn't leave her house. I hope her father comes back! She needs the extra support… say will you be going to her house today since you're back?"

"No," Sophie shook her head as she drank down her tea. "I'm only going to go to school and then back home. I don't want my dad to worry… plus I don't feel like going out right now. I just want to sleep," she smiled to her. "My dad made it so I'll be living with him till I graduate… he told me he wrote up the forms and everything while I was gone… so yeah. Do you want me to take my stuff out of the room?"

"No it's alright," Margaret frowned, "I was hoping you would be staying and we could hang out some more… but I guess not…"

Sophie looked over at Margaret, a frown coming across her own face. "Hey don't frown about it," she said as she put a hand upon Margaret's hand in a comforting way, "We can still talk. I just have a lot of things to sort out right now… that's all." Then Sophie took her hand away, leaning back in her seat as she sipped more tea. "Plus I can't really talk about it everything right now. I'm still trying to get over the stuff that happened with me."

"W-what was that?" Margaret asked as she drank down some tea from her own cup.

Sophie let out a distressed sigh, looking over at the window as she began to think. "Just the normal stuff: my powers disappearing and I turned into a human, Grell leaving me with the Undertaker because he is the only one who knows what was going on with me, demons coming after me and trying to eat me, Alex almost dying by a powerful demon, gaining all my lost memories and finding out that same demon killed my parents and I watched them die in cold blood, learning that I know more about the shinigami realm when I was a human then I had thought, learning that a man I held in high standards sealed my powers away because I couldn't control them, my father coming by on my birthday and convincing me to take up an eternal oath to do his job, and only having two weeks to study for the finals even though I missed about a month and more of material. Just normal stuff really," she shrugged.

Margaret's mouth dropped for a second as she collected herself. "N-normal?... Sounds like a bunch of **not** normal stuff to me! Bah… just wow," she responded with a sigh. "I can't believe this… and I thought I was having a hard time."

"Hey don't worry about it," Sophie chuckled, "I've gotten over it! I figure that a lot of random stuff will happen in my lifetime and there's nothing I can do to stop it. I just have to go with the flow, you know?" Sophie smiled to her, sipping down all of her tea. "Yeah I went through a lot, but I'm okay now. Really… I'm okay…"

Margaret gave her a reassuring nod, a smile back on her face. "Whatever you say, I guess. I'll tell Julia you're alive then… but it's nice to see you again."

"Yeah same here," Sophie smiled, whipping out the silver pocket watch from her pocket and opening it in a swift motion. Margaret blinked in astonishment, watching as she put it back into her pocket and stood up. "I better get going now. There's a lot I have to go and do today…"

"Okay," she smiled to her, giving her a wave as Sophie left. "Take care!"

"I will!" Sophie smiled to her, throwing her paper cup in the trashcan and quickly left the cafeteria.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie flipped open her pocket watch and looked at the time, noticing it was about time to get to Grell's office. "Nice watch," she heard from in front of her, causing Sophie to stop in her tracks.

"Thank you," she smirked as she closed it and put it back in her pocket, "It was a gift… How are you doing Alex?"

"I'm alright," he responded, turning around and walking with Sophie towards the office buildings. "They have me on medications for the pain, but I don't really need them anymore. So how are you doing? When we left you with the Undertaker… I really didn't think you would be coming back Sophie."

"Oh that," she chuckled to herself. "Actually I'm still staying there, but it's fine. Actually I'm getting my powers back! But it'll be a while… just have to give it some time," she smirked.

Alex blinked in confusion, rubbing his nose slightly. "You smell weird."

"Is that so?" she raised an eyebrow, giving him a shrug as they turned a corner and began walking up the stairs. "That explains things. I met a man named Death just the other day and became a God of Death. I bet you saw me fighting out there two days ago? Yeah that was me," she shrugged as they made it to the top of the stairs.

Alex paused on the stairs, looking at Sophie wide-eyed. "What?" he yelled, taking a few steps back. "Hey I knew something was different about you!"

Sophie turned around and looked at him confused. "The part of being a God of Death or smelling like Death?"

"… both!" he yelled at her. "Probably the Death part though. I knew something smelled funny!"

Sophie smirked to him, leaving him on the stairs as she stood at the top. "What's so bad about it? He's a nice being actually. He took care of my brother when he died; so why are you getting hysterical?"

"B-brother?" Alex asked, scratching the back of his head. "Woh… you're going too fast Sophie."

"Yeah well this whole time I've had things thrown at me from left to right! After learning all my memories I was shoved into an eternal job that my father had done before he died. Do you think I like all this being thrown at me? **No**, but I'm just going to let it slide," she finished calmly with a smile coming back to her face. "I just have to be calm and take it all in… that's all. Now I have to get to Grell's office and tell him I'm back," she said as she looked at her silver pocket watch.

"Wait," he said, causing Sophie to pause. "Sorry if I made you angry… I-I didn't know a lot of things happened to you. I guess it's a lot for someone to take in, huh?"

She gave him a nod, "Exactly. I may be slightly different, but I'm still the same Sophia you met in the detention room. Oh which reminds me," she said as she took out her glasses case and opened it. "I forgot all about these things," she chuckled to herself as she put them on her face. "Oh, woh!... that hurts," she frowned as she rubbed her eyes.

Alex laughed, patting her on the back as he walked past her. "Well I mustn't be keeping you. Tell Miss Sutcliff hello from Mr. Tyrant and me."

"Sure," she waved to him, walking in the opposite direction for Grell's cubical. She paused for a second, noticing there was someone else in his cubical and his stuff wasn't there. "What the…" she looked around, trying to find some hint of red in the white, gray, and black cubical. "Excuse me," she said looking into the room, "do you know where Mr. Sutcliff went? He used to work in this spot –"

"He got promoted," the man responded with as grumble as he continued to work on some paperwork. "You can find him in office E47."

"Okay thank you," she nodded to him, looking around the rows of cubical and started to get dizzy. She grumbled to herself and rubbed her eyes, taking off her glasses and had them hang in the front pocket of her suit coat. Sophie went to the stairs and dashed up the stairs, walking into the E level of the building. She looked around for the room 47, going past office E30 in haste. That's when she ran into an elder shinigami, papers scattering everywhere. "I'm so sorry!" she gasped, grabbing papers as they flew in the air and scattered on the floor.

She heard a woman's voice growling at her as Sophie gathering the papers quickly. "Why you incompetent – Sophia is that you?" the woman asked, Sophie pausing as she looked up and saw a familiar face.

"Oh Fiona! It's nice to see you again," she smiled as she handed back the papers. "Why are you on a lower level? Don't you work on level T?"

"A shinigami working here hasn't been getting his paperwork in on time to me, so I had to come down here and yell at him," she shrugged. "So you must have taken the oath then! How was it?"

"I-it was okay," she chuckled, "Death was nice… hey did you know I have an older brother?"

She gasped, "Really? Wow, so the Undertaker doesn't know right?"

Sophie chuckled with a smile, "Well he didn't know till I told him. Isn't that weird though? I thought I was an only child till now… ugh this is starting to get to be too much."

"Oh hunny," she frowned, rubbing Sophie's back in a comforting way. "Don't say that. Hey before you know it everything will be back to normal, **trust me**. Things were crazy when I started being a God of Death, but once you start doing your job things will get better."

"Yeah but my teachers aren't helping me," she grumbled. "They won't give me notes or anything! Darn hard asses. Each one is telling me to just retake their class next year… but what's the point in doing that if I have straight A's in those classes? Are they being hard on me because of my vow or something?"

"No it can't be that," Fiona told her, "insubordinates like them won't know anything about your files. Actually the only ones who know right now is just me. No one has been allowed to look at your files, and since I'm the DMD then I can keep them hidden for you," she chuckled as she noticed the shocked look in her face. "Hey this gig has its perks every once in a while," she smirked to Sophie as she patted her back. "So how about I help you? Tell me the names of your teachers."

"B-but I"

"Sophia Serbus, _**the names**_," she narrowed her eyes.

Sophie grumbled quietly to herself, giving her a nod. "I will in a second. I need to find my mentor's room first."

"Oh okay. I'll come with you then," Fiona smiled, turning around and walking past the offices. Everyone in the cubicles looked over at them, cowering slightly as the DMD walked past them. Sophie rolled her eyes, hating how people kept staring at them. "Just let it go," Fiona said to her, causing Sophie to quickly look over at her. "You will be stared at for the rest of your life, especially since you're a Serbus. A lot of beings will look to you for help, others for guidance, and most to simply dispose of you. It's up to you to decide which way you will go, but the important thing is to keep true to the promise you made in your oath. Other beings will be jealous that you have a special job, but don't let it bother you. Walk tall and proud when you walk past others because you can't let them get under your skin, okay?"

Sophie cracked a smile, "Thanks," she said meekly as they continued down the room. Fiona gave her a nod and followed Sophie, stopping once she came to a halt to a door. "Okay they said Grell is in E47 now," she said as she pointed to the label.

"E47 is where your mentor is?" Fiona said with a frown.

"Yeah why?" Sophie said with curiosity, suddenly understanding as her smile went to a frown. "Oh no, what did Grell do this time?"

"As I said, he didn't turn in his paperwork on time," Fiona sighed to herself, "and since he is new here I had to come down and _**remind him**_ what the rules are here. I don't think he'll like it if I come in –"

"Hey don't worry about it!" Sophie said with enthusiasm in her voice. "He'll get over it… plus that can't really be that bad. He has gone months without bringing paperwork in on time, so he'll be fine."

Fiona smiled and gave her a nod, "Well if you say so. I'll stay at the door though; you walk inside first."

Sophie nodded back and knocked on the door, opening the door slowly as she peek her head into the office. "Grell are you in here?" Sophie called into the room quietly, noticing a red head lying on the desk. She looked around the room and noticed that he moved the red things he had in the cubical into the new office, adding some more red things to spruce up the place.

Grell lifted up his head and his eyes widened, almost throwing his chair into the wall behind him. "Sophie!" he gasped, running over to her and grabbing her into a hug. "You're back!"

"Y-yeah…" she groaned as he squeezed her tightly. "G-grell… Grell, you're choking me…"

"Sorry," he said sheepishly, letting go of her and setting her back down on the ground. "I-it's just… are you better now? What's going on?"

"Going right to **that**, are we?" she smirked. "Yep I'm okay. My powers will come back in due time, but I have to keep staying at the Undertaker's place. Actually I don't mind that… but I think you already know why," she smiled to him and then let out a sigh. "So how are you?"

"It's been dreadful!" Grell groaned as he walked back around the desk and sat down in his chair. "The Director of the _whole~_ _Dispatch_ came by and talked to me, me! Doesn't she have other things to do then yell at me? Everyone seems to be doing that lately, even William."

"William?" Sophie asked, sitting down in a chair and scooting closer to his desk to hear him. "What is going on with him?"

"He's being all fussy over **something**," Grell grumbled. "I don't know what… Something about not being able to see a file or record? I don't know," he sighed as he slouched in his chair, "and the paperwork is more then I thought, and they won't let me reap now! That's what I love to do, you know what I mean!"

"Yeah," she nodded as she was deep in thought, "I get it… could it be that he can't look at my record anymore?" Grell looked up slightly with curiosity. "Because I was told that my records are now being kept away from public view. That's probably why he's being mean… I mean meaner than normal," she chuckled slight.

"Yeah probably," Grell grumbled, "but why does he have to lash out at me? I don't do anything wrong… I mean the only time I can talk to him is when we're off work, but he stays late now! What if I come by his office at night every once in a while? He need to sleep more anyways."

"Plus I expect that **every** employee of mine is having the proper rest and care for themselves," Fiona said as she walked into the room. Grell looked up and flinched back slightly, unsure of what to do. "If this William man isn't getting the properly care for himself then I'll have to take matters into my own hands… I guess," she grumbled to herself.

"Oh you don't have to do that Fiona," Sophie smirked as she leaned back in her chair to look at her. "Mr. Spears is always a stick in the mud. He'll get over it… besides Grell takes good care of him anyways. He may not know it, but he'll be grateful about it later, right Grell?"

"R-right?" Grell responded as he looked at Fiona. "W-what are you doing back, Mrs. Obki?"

"Please Mr –"

"Miss," Sophie interrupted her.

"Miss?" Fiona asked as Sophie looked back to her with a smirk.

"Grell would rather be called Miss, but if you're going to make fun of him then don't say it," she explained with a rough tone in her voice.

"No I wouldn't make fun of someone's decision like that!" Fiona said, and then smirked. "Besides I make the best nicknames around here!"

Sophie chuckled, "Oh I bet you do!"

Sophie snickered at her own comment as Fiona gave Grell a slight bow. "Sorry Miss Sutcliff. Anyways I'm just here because I wanted to talk with little Sophia over here, and since you are her mentor I hope we can become friends," she smiled to him.

Grell huffed slightly, crossing his arms. "Grell…" Sophie frowned, "She's trying to be nice. Plus things work related should stay at work, right Fiona?"

"Right Sophia. Someone taught you well, huh?" Sophie gave her a nod, looking over at Grell and noticed that he was eyeing Fiona suspiciously. "And I will hope that you call me Fiona while we're have nice chats Miss Sutcliff… if you would like. I don't want to be rude or anything."

"No it's quite alright… Fiona." Grell blinked for a few moments trying to swallow the word. "Wow… Sophie how do you know her?"

"My biological father is friends with Fiona… and so is my current father actually," she shrugged. "Geeze," Sophie sighed as she looked over at Fiona, "how am I going to keep those two separate?"

"Call one of them big bimbo and the other little bimbo. That's what I do," Fiona smirked.

Sophie's eyes went wide and then she laughed. "Wow! You guys are _so~_ nice to each other!"

"Meh," she shrugged. "They bicker every **single** time they're together. I think that's a way for men to bond, I suppose," she laughed to herself, "but I don't like it. They always end up giving me more overtime. You know that fight you had with Centurion? Well that was a **lot** of paperwork, thank you very much."

"_Sorry~_" Sophie rolled her eyes, "perhaps you shouldn't have signed my forms then," she smirked.

Fiona laughed, "Hmmm… I think you act more like the Undertaker than anyone else. I'll have to tally this up later," she smirked. Then she looked at her watch, "Oh look at the time! If you want me to call your teachers down then I'll have to do it now."

"O-okay," Sophie frowned as Fiona went to Grell's phone, "but I'd rather you didn't. I can do another semester and –"

"Your teachers are being highly unacceptable," Fiona interrupted her with a snarl in her voice. "A good teacher will help their students succeed and not fail. Perhaps I should teach again just to teach these youngsters a lesson," she winked at Sophie, causing Sophie to giggle.

Sophie got out of her chair and walked over to Grell, noticing the confused look on his face. "Yeah sorry about all this –"

"No need to apologize. I just wasn't expecting all of this," Grell sighed as he rubbed his forehead.

"Do you need help with paperwork or –"

"Nope!" he smirked, "I finished my paperwork for the day! That's why I thought Mrs. – _Fiona's~_ comments were rather _**ru~de**_."

Then they looked over at Fiona, who was talking to someone on the phone. "Yes connect me to the intercom please," she said into the phone. "Sophia, who are the teachers you have for this semester?"

"Mr. Ingraham, Mr. Earnshaw, Mr. Kendrick, Mr. Upham, Mr. O'Mahony, and Mr. Gillpatrick," Sophie said to her.

"Wow… no wonder you're close to graduating," Fiona smirked. "That's a lot of classes to take since we teach a **lot** in every class! Okay then… Mr. Ingraham, Earnshaw, Kendrick, Upham, O'Mahony, and Gillpatrick come to RM E47 **immediately**," she said in a rough tone, hanging up the phone once she was done. Then she looked over to Grell with a pleasant smile on her face. "It's up to you Miss Sutcliff if you want to stay. I'm sorry I have to do this in your office but –"

"Hey I don't mind," Grell shrugged her off, "and call me Grell."

Fiona smiled to him, giving him a nod. "Grell… okay sounds great." Sophie grabbed the chair she had been sitting in and brought it around to the other side of Grell's desk, slamming her head onto the desk with an annoyed sigh escaping her lips. Fiona hummed happily to herself and grabbed another chair, sitting down on it on the other side of Grell's chair. "So Grell… how is it that you are young Sophia's mentor?" she decided to ask to start up a conversation.

"Well…" Grell thought to himself as he sat back in his office chair, "I met her when dear William brought her in. Oh she was such an angel to me!" he squealed slightly before letting out a cough, trying to act professional. "You see I had an A average when I graduated from the academy, and when I saw dear little Sophie's name… well there you go," he giggled to himself.

"Oh I see," Fiona thought, "I didn't know how they did all that stuff… huh."

"Yep," Sophie said as she let out a sigh with her head on the desk. "Haven't you been around for a while? Shouldn't you know?"

"Hey!" Fiona yelped as she let out a huff. "I just don't pay attention to boring details like that!"

"Well maybe you should," Sophie lifted her head up and pushed away stray hair from her face, "aren't you a director?"

"Exactly my point," she huffed, "I'm much too busy to notice –"

"But you have time to spend **here** yelling at six teachers that won't give _**one**_ student their notes?" Sophie looked over at her with a smirked, noticing as she stuttered slightly. "Really Fiona? Are you using your time wisely?"

She narrowed her eyes and let out a huff. "I don't have to do this!" she began to say, "I'm just doing this because you're father is my friend and –"

"Yeah, but that doesn't give you a reason to do it," Sophie chuckled and then beamed. "Hey don't get so mad about it. I'm just stating a point."

Fiona blinked for a second surprised before she chuckled back. "Yep, Undertaker. Kid you need other influences then just him. He's a bad influence on you."

Sophie stood up stunned, "Hey don't pull him into this –"

Then the door flew open as six man walked into the room with sweat coming down their brow. Fiona gave Grell and Sophia a smirk before narrowing her eyes at the men in front of them. "Did I say you can come into the office?"

"No but –"

"Get out!" she hissed at them, throwing a random object from Grell's desk at them. They quickly left the room and closed the door, Fiona sitting back down in her chair and letting out an annoyed sigh. "Incompetence."

"Talk about a _**bad**_ influence," Sophie smirked to her as Fiona stood up.

She let out a sigh to collect herself before answering Sophie. "Sorry you have to see that. I just get so angry when they just walk in without a knock on the door."

Sophie smiled to her as she stood up. "Yeah well," she sighed, "you don't have to be mean."

"I'll try not to," Fiona looked over at her and then giggled. "Now you'll see how a master does it," she said with a wink. "Take notes, there will be a test," she smirked as she walked around the desk and sat upon it.

"Not a test," Grell and Sophie groaned at the same time, Sophie giggling and Grell chuckling.

Fiona smirked at them, calming herself down to prepare herself for the meeting. "You can come in now," she said, the door slowly opening and the six shinigamis walking in. Fiona let out a huff, watching as each one filed in behind the other. "Like an assembly line, how dull."

"No kidding," Grell grumbled to himself, getting another giggle out of Sophie.

Fiona crossed her arms, narrowing her eyes as she stared at each one of them. "Now I am hearing that you are not helping a young student with her studies. What is going on? Can one of you explain the situation to me?"

"Well Mrs. Obki," one of the more confident teachers stepped forward began, "Could you care to tell us who the student is?"

"Miss Sophia Ser –" she paused when Sophie coughed into her sleeve. "Oh sorry, Ioreta," she responded. "Miss Sophia Ioreta informed me that she has come to each one of your rooms to ask for notes."

"Well we can't simply give her the notes," the teacher began, "A student needs to be able to come in during lectures and gather their own notes –"

"That may be true," Sophie said as she interrupted him, "but I told you the entire entire situation. If it were up to me I would have attended the classes, but I was under strict jurisdiction to stay away until further notice. I have forms filled out during my stay and the shinigami who was taking care of me _if you need to see them for __**proof**_. Plus," she said looking over at Fiona, "you don't have to do this –"

"Yes I do," she said in a huff. "When I was teaching, we would help our students if they were put into situations they themselves **could not control**. From what I know, and from your own files, you're a hard worker. If you are _**anything**_ like your father you'll be able to learn the material in no time," she smirked.

"Yes but –"

"No buts!" Fiona narrowed her eyes. "This is a favor –"

"I don't need favors Fiona!" Sophie snarled back. "Look I'm fine with taking one more semester."

"Sophia you don't get it," she shook her head. "Once you take your oath you're supposed to start working once you have all your powers." Sophie blinked for a few moments in shock. The other shinigamis looking at them in confusion, especially Grell. "If you try to take another semester at the academy then you'll be overly exerted! No time off at all! You won't be able to control all of the hours you'll have to take and you won't have time to sleep. Trust me Sophia; they've pulled this shit on us all the time. That dang council piles so much overtime on my desk that I can't even think straight. That's a reason why Undertaker quit. And don't get me started with those before you, oh it wasn't pretty," she sighed. "Come on I'm just trying to help –"

"Please stop," Sophie grumbled to herself. "So many things at once! Look I'll be fine with just waiting for a while. You don't seem to get that I've had to swallow a **bunch** of new things in the past few weeks and it has been torture. I can't thank you enough for helping me, but some things I just have to do on my own… alright?"

"No Sophia, no," she shook her head. "Dang now you're acting like your father. Make up your mind will you?"

"Why?" she shrugged. "They were both influences on my life. Don't expect so much from someone… god I'm so tired with all of this already," she slammed her head back into Grell's desk.

"Oup you've cracked," Fiona sighed as she looked over at the man who had stood forward. "So you are…"

"Mr. Earnshaw," he said with a bow. "I actually told her that she can take the final exams for my class," he explained, "and after this conversation then I won't mind giving her the material we went over in class."

"Alright," Fiona shrugged. "What about the rest of you?"

They all nodded in comply. "It seems reasonable. If Sophia had gone over the reason for her absence then we wouldn't have turned her down."

"Well…" Sophie mumbled into the desk with her head down, "I can't talk about it and if Mrs. Obki wants to keep them hidden from everyone so be it.** I don't really care**."

"Come by my office tomorrow and we'll discuss this," Mr. Earnshaw said as he got a nod from Fiona. "Can we go now?"

Fiona narrowed her eyes, looking rather crossed. "Fine, be gone, but if there are more complaints then I'll have to call you into my office." They nodded and they left the room, leaving a frustrated director, a tired student, and a close to exploding red head. "Now back to you," Fiona said as she stood up and peered over at Sophie. "Do **not** undermine me in front of my subordinates. You may be the daughter of a dear friend of mine and a God of Death, but if you pull something like that again then I'll kick you out."

"I don't care," Sophie mumbled to her, refusing to lift her head up.

"You don't care?" Fiona yelled. "Don't say stupid things like that!" She grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled her out of the chair, coming into contact with her face, "Why you little –"

"Sophie?" Grell asked as he pulled down Fiona's arm, starting to hear silent sobs coming from her.

"W-wait I'm sorry –"

"Please leave me alone!" Sophie gasped, pushing her arms away and sitting back down in the chair. "I told you, I'm tired of this. It took my papa the whole day to convince me to do his job… but I'm starting to regret all of this now."

"Sophia…" Fiona frowned, "I-I'm sorry if I –"

"Look," Sophie said in a monotone voice as she rubbed away the tears in her eyes. "I wish things could be simpler, but they aren't. I've learned to just let things slide, but if you're going to push me back into the academy then so be it. I'm tired of all of this… okay," she grumbled as she put her head back on the desk. "I'm sorry for getting angry," she mumbled into the desk, "but I'm just tired right now. I was only going to say hello to Grell, go home, and sleep… that's all."

Fiona gave her a nod, leaving the chair and walking around the desk, "I get it. You need some time to cool off… well I won't put it against you if you want to take another semester… I-I'll go now." She nodded to Grell and walked over to the door, leaving swiftly and closing the door behind her.

Grell looked over at Sophie unsure of what to do. "Is there something you want to say Sophie? I'm here to listen if you want."

Sophie lifted her head and looked over at him, letting out a sniffle as she rubbed her nose. "I don't know… I'm just tired. Today just stressed me out a little."

He nodded to her, suddenly grabbing her waist. "Sophie come over here," he said as he pulled her onto his lap. Sophie smiled to him and nodded, resting her head on his chest as she sat down. "Look, I don't know what happened but I don't want to see you a sobbing wreck. Whatever you decide I don't care, but don't do anything too stressful. I want to see my little apprentice smiling again," he smiled as he rubbed her back in a comforting way. "Come back to my office later… I don't care when, but try to come back this week so I won't worry. Then you can tell me _everything_ you want to talk about, okay?"

Sophie lifted up her head and gave him a nod. "A-alright… later then," she cracked him a smile before getting off of his lap. "I think it's about time I get home."

"Oh dear don't go yet!" Grell exclaimed as he stopped Sophie. "We'll need to cover up that redness in your eyes. We don't want anyone to notice that you've been _crying_."

"Okay, okay," she smiled to him as she sat down on a nearby chair. "I'll stay a little longer."

"Great!" Grell said as he pulled out a drawer his top drawer that contained hoards of makeup. "Now stay still. It'll just take me a few moments…"

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

The door opened and Sophie walked into the back of the mortuary. She sighed to herself, closing the door behind her and locking it. She took off her shoes and left them at the door as she walked towards the bedroom in her socks. "Sophie?" She heard her name being called from the main room and instinctively looked up.

"Yeah?" she asked, walking down the hallway and into the living room instead. She set her bag down on the couch, letting another tired sigh leave her lips as she walked into the hallway again.

"How was school?" he asked as Sophie walked into the main room.

"Okay, I guess," she rubbed her head. "I'm just tired… I don't know if I can do all this."

The Undertaker looked up from the body he was working on, his smile fading slightly. "Do what?"

"All of this!" Sophie grumbled as she plopped over on his desk. "Just… everyone is saying that I changed. Then others are putting all these expectations on me… I still haven't gotten over my memories, and… I'm starting to regret becoming a God of Death," she sighed as she put an arm over her eyes.

Then she heard him getting up, walking over to where she was laying and loomed over her. "It must have been a stressful day, huh?"

"Y-yeah…" Sophie replied as she rubbed her eyes. "Fiona told me she's keeping my records hidden from the council, but I wonder how long that will be. Plus my teachers wouldn't give me the notes or any help and Fiona talked to them… I didn't like that though. Why does she care so much if I succeed? Can't I just take another semester or something?... Undertaker I don't know anymore."

"… Sophie sit up." She groaned as she got up, the Undertaker sitting down where her head was. Sophie grumbled as she rubbed her irritated eyes, her head flopping onto his shoulder. "If you feel overwhelmed then we can wait till next semester for you to graduate. Aren't you working ahead of everyone else anyways? Just take this time to relax…" Then he looked over to a speck of dust floating down from the ceiling. "… so many Gods of Death have died already. Please understand why Fiona wants to keep you safe. You're the first new God of Death in years! We have lost so many already… it would be a waste to lose another with stress."

"I know," Sophie groaned as she kept her head on Undertaker's shoulder, "just… I don't want to be babysat. I want to do what I need to do, you know? And the finals are _**so**_ close… I don't know how I'll study for everything in time."

"How about this," he began as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him, "you talk to your teachers tomorrow. If they won't help you to study then I'll help you. Okay?"

"… okay… as long as this doesn't keep you away from your work," Sophie responded.

The Undertaker chuckled, "It's a deal," he smirked as he gave her a peck on the top of her head. "Now it's about time we go to sleep. I'll finish up this body in a few more minutes, but it's about time we take a look at those wounds of yours, yes?"

"Okay," Sophie said as she gave him a peck on the cheek, jumping off of the desk and walking away. The Undertaker gave her a smile and went back to work, his Cheshire cat grin back on his face as he whistled to himself.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat on the edge of the bed completely naked as she stared down at the bandages around her chest. She was picking at them, getting close to poking at her scabs and wounds. Then the Undertaker came in, quickly slamming the door shut as he backed away. "Sophie put something on," he said seriously, trying to not giggle at her appearance.

"What's the point if you're going to tell me to take everything off anyways?" Sophie grumbled, getting up to find something.

"Well at least put on some pants –"

"The scar goes all the way down to my torso, _remember_?" Sophie said with sarcasm in her voice.

"Put a towel on or something," the Undertaker said with a slight annoyed tone in his voice.

Sophie smirked, grabbing one of his oversized white shirts and draped it over her body. "Fine come in," she huffed, crossing one leg on top of the other and sitting back down on the bed with her arms crossed over her chest.

The Undertaker walked in again, leaving the door open as he set down a bag full of medical supplies next to her on the bed. "Now turn around and show me that _love~ly_ wound on your back –"

"Oh see!" Sophie responded as she turned around and flopped her body down on the bed. "No point in any of that!"

"I'm just trying to keep some _decency~_ around here," the Undertaker hummed to himself as he helped her take off the shirt without seeing nothing but her back. "Unless you want to walk around the mortuary **bare naked** and show yourself off to the visitors," he giggled to himself as Sophie grumbled back.

"Yeah I bet you'd like that," she responded. "Having the men see a young maiden like myself around the morgue naked. You'll get a lot of customers **that** way," she smirked, hearing the Undertaker pausing for a second before he mumbled to himself.

"Sophie sit up for me so I can take the bandages off," he said in a monotone voice.

"Oh did I make the _mean little Undertaker_ **mad**?" Sophie smirked as she sat up in the bed and moved her hair away from her back.

Then she felt long sleeves wrap around her body and grasp her suddenly, sending a painful sting up her spine. "Don't make me regret keeping you, little maiden," he growled into her ear, sending a chill down Sophie's spine.

"Okay fine!" Sophie grumbled, "Just let go!" He quickly let go and Sophie let out a huff, rubbing her back in pain. "Ow…"

"_Now_…" he began to hum again as he cut into her bandage and began undressing the bandage around her body. Sophie sat there quietly, just feeling his sleeves brush by her waist every so often as he undid her bandage.

"Why is everyone being mean to me today?" Sophie grumbled quietly under her breath, enough for the Undertaker to hear.

He frowned as he brushed a nail across her cheek as she sharply flinched away. "I'm sorry little maiden…" Sophie just looked at her knees as she rubbed her eyes with her left hand. "How's your arm?" he asked to change the conversation.

She shrugged, moving it slightly as she poked her right arm with her left hand. "Okay. Obviously the scar is gone… but the poison is still there. It hurts and I don't like using my right hand, but at least I'm more comfortable writing with my other hand… why?"

"Just asking," he smirked as he continued to undo her bandages. "… I'm sorry."

"For what?" she grumbled back.

"Not saving you… I should have been doing my job," he said in a monotone voice.

Sophie lifted her head up and turned her head, her eyes coming into contact with his bangs. The Undertaker frowned, noticing that she had put makeup on to hide the fact she had been crying. She smiled, brushing the silver bangs from his eyes so her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes looked into his double-iris shinigami green and yellow eyes. "It's alright," she said with a sigh escaping her lips, "you couldn't have known… I shouldn't have left the morgue. I knew I was being tricked but…" She looked away from him and down at the dusty floor. "I… I couldn't see them hurt Alex. It just happened okay? I don't know how to explain why I went out there but –"

"Shush," he said as he pressed a nail to her lips. "You don't have to explain," he smiled to her, grabbing the bundle of dirty bandages and setting them to the side. He gently put a finger on her long scab and she flinched, letting out a hiss in pain. "Hurts?"

"What do you think?" she grumbled under her breath closing her eyes and wincing.

"You'd think it would heal up by now," he said with curiosity in his tone of voice as he put his finger down and went into the medical bag.

"I was still a human when I got it," she grumbled again, turning her head so she was facing forward on the bed. "Plus it was from a demon… I don't know what type of demon, but a demon nonetheless."

"I get it," he chuckled as he grabbed a bottle from the bag and popped it open. "Now I'll have to put the ointment on your back, is that okay?"

"Y-yeah okay," Sophie cringed slightly, pulling her hair back so the Undertaker wouldn't get her hair gross and sticky with medicine.

The Undertaker put it some on his hands and gently dabbed it on her scar, making her flinch back. "It's okay," he cooed in a reassuring voice, "it will just be a few moments." Sophie nodded, still arching her back as he started from the top of her spine and down to her left torso. She held her breath as he rubbed her back, whimpering in pain until he closed the bottle and put it away. "Now was that so bad?" he chuckled as he cleaned his hands with a rag from his pocket.

"Y-yes…" Sophie responded, closing her eyes as she started to feel dizzy. "I-is there something else you have to look at?"

"The scar on your chest," he said as he grabbed the dirty bandages and began to walk away from the bed, "but first I'll let that ointment dry on your back."

"C-could you get me some wat-er?" she asked, looking over at him with a tired look on her face.

He smirked, giving her a nod. "I'll be right back," he told her as he left Sophie in the room.

She groaned, closing her eyes and sprawling out her body on the bed. Sophie laid there for what seemed like hours, trying to reorient her head on what was going on. Everything that she had gone over in her head was overwhelming her, causing her to have sudden blackouts during a few of her classes. She knew that was because of the reopened wound on her chest, the same type of stab that killed her when she was human. Now it was a lot more agonizing, since she was forcing her body to keep moving and pretend that nothing is wrong. Really **everything** was wrong and Sophie was being overwhelmed by everything. Perhaps Fiona was right; the stress will be the end of her.

Sophie rolled her head to the side, watching as the Undertaker walked into the room holding a glass of water with an insanely huge smile back on his face. "_Here you go~_" he smiled to her, sitting down on the bed next to his medical bag. Sophie slowly sat back up, grabbing the glass of water from him as she turned slightly. He poked her wound to see if the ointment had dried, causing her to wince. "Sorry," he quickly stopped, a chuckle escaping Sophie's lips.

"No that's alright," she said as she slowly drank some of the water, "I-it's fine…"

He smiled back, "Turn around so I can see the wound on your chest." Sophie nodded, scooting around on the bed to face him. He frowned, noticing the faint mark where the wound had been. "That healed faster than I thought."

"Well… of course," she smirked, "the wound wasn't from a demon… just a knife." The Undertaker nodded to her, still looking at the wound with a depressed look in his eyes. Sophie's smile faded as her hand went up to his top hat and took it off his head. He looked at her in confusion, a smile planted on her face. "You're not still hung up on Dorren… are you?"

"I am," he honestly told her, a long nail poking her wound, "but that's alright. I'm just glad you're safe." Sophie chuckled, swinging her arms around him and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "I think it's time to sleep now."

"Okay," she nodded. The Undertaker looked away as Sophie put the white shirt back on and buttoned up the front. "I do have a question," she began as she finished with the last button, "do you have scars also? I know of one on your face, one on your finger, and one on your neck. Is there another one somewhere?"

He smirked, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her shoulder. She gasped in surprise, giggling as he forcefully kissed her left shoulder. "Maybe I do," he whispered into her ear, "and _maybe I don't_," he smirked as he kissed her cheek. Sophie kept giggling as her face began to turn red.

Then she roughly jumped on his chest, pushing him onto the bed. "Come on. Show me. _Please~~_" she begged, lying on top of his chest as she pouted her face. "I don't want to see it when I'm dying like last time! Come on… just this once?"

He smirked, grabbing her shoulders and chuckling when she let out a high-pitched squeak. "If you let me take off my clothes then I'll show you," he said. With that Sophie quickly jumped off of his chest and rolled back onto the bed. He got up and grabbed his medical bag and top hat, setting it down on a chair in the corner.

She sat down on the bed contently, watching as he took off his big black coat and threw it onto the chair. Then he took off his shirt, setting it down on the chair. He coughed slightly in embarrassment, refusing to take anything else off. Sophie gasped as she looked the newly-found scar. It was a large faint gash on his chest, starting from the top of his right shoulder and leading down to the left side of his lower abs. "H-how did you get that?" she asked, noticing it was a long, deep, and straight line.

"A death scythe," he shrugged as he walked back over to the bed and poked her on the nose, "but that is all I will tell you."

Sophie pouted, "Fine…" She grumbled under her breath, but was happy that he showed her something that, she's guessing, no one else has seen.

"Now go to sleep," he smiled to her, letting Sophie crawl under the covers and wrap her arm under a pillow.

Then he walked over and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Sleep well," he whispered into her ear, straightening back up and beginning to walk away.

"C-could you," Sophie began before the Undertaker walked out of the room, "stay here tonight?" He turned around at her and looked over with curiosity, noticing how Sophie pulled the covers tighter over her body. "B-because I'm scared to be alone right now," she said as she looked to the ground, "and –"

She stopped talking as long boney hands wrapped around her body from behind as they pulled her into the owner's chest. She squeaked a little, her face turning bright red again. "I'll be here when you wake up, okay?" he said as he snuggled his face into her back, careful to not touch her wound.

"Okay…" she whispered back, closing her eyes and leaning back into his body. Then she happily giggled to herself, the Undertaker shifting his head slightly to look over at her. Sophie turned over and smiled to him, looking up at his vivid eyes. "I'm yours still, right?"

He chuckled and pulled her closer to him, her face becoming buried into his chest. "Of course you are," he still laughed, brushing a hand through her auburn hair. "My…" he paused as he looked down to Sophie. She had her eyes closed as she was curled up into his chest, a blissful smile on her face. He smiled contently, continuing to brush his hand through her hair. "Little maiden," he sighed to himself, grabbing the covers and pulling them over the two of them as they both fell into a deep sleep.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Awe, another intimate moment ^^ as you can see Sophie hasn't gotten over things yet. Sure she's trying to go with everything, but she'd rather understand everything then just letting things happen. Well… I hope you liked this chapter. In the next one I hope to go forward in the story more… perhaps cutting it off in the middle of something or just letting it happen. We'll just see what happens =3**


	25. The Details

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hello guys! Sorry I haven't updated for a week! Actually I am almost done with the chapters I wanted to finish before Christmas, but I didn't have time to go through everything yet. So I'll give you guys chapter 25 to hold you over XD There will be three more chapters before this arc is over. No the story is still going! Just something will happen and there will be a time skip. Plus after chapter 28 I want to work on some other projects I have been neglecting because of school at etcetera. So… I hope you enjoy this chapter! =D**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie took out her watch and looked at the time. "Oh geeze," she grumbled under her breath as she dashed down the stairs,_ '__I__'__m __completely __late __to __see __Grell __again! __Agh __I __told __him __today __and __it __will __be __today.__No __ifs, __ands, __or __buts!__' _As she dashed to the office buildings she paused slightly, her bag flying in front of her and almost caused her to trip on herself. "What the –"

She coughed slightly and collected herself, letting out an angry breath as she stared at the person in front of her. "Oh Miss Ioreta," he smiled as he tilted his head to the side in a creepy manner, "I thought we were going to go over the lessons you told me you needed to practice, **right**?" he finished with loud emphasis on the last word, a big grin still on his face.

She stared at him, narrowing her eyes as she envisioned him bursting up into flames. "I don't have time," she said as she began to run past him.

"Oh but _Sophia~_" he giggled as he grabbed her arms and swung her back towards him. She yelped in protest as she was pulled tightly into his chest, "You said today –"

"I didn't mean **now** Undertaker!" she growled as she tried to force his arms away. "I'm going to be late!"

"Don't be like that," he sang as he rocked her back and forth. She kept yelling and swinging her arms around, trying in a desperate attempt to get away. "You classes end now right? Well what's more important, your final exams or talking to your _dear__mentor_," he smirked noticing she stopped moving, "_hmmm~?_"

"But. I… UGH!" Sophie grumbled as she stomped her foot. "Look I was going to tell Grell about some stuff okay. Just… can I go?"

She looked around and noticed that a lot of shinigamis were looking over at them, either were confused with the outburst or were shocked to see a legendary shinigami hugging a mere student. The Undertaker slowly let her go, not wanting to let her go in the first place. "But I came all the way here," he tilted his head and whimpered like a puppy that had been refused a treat.

"Then come with me," Sophie said in a huff as she rearranged her suit back to normal, "and we can do it later today." He stood there for a few moments, watching as Sophie began to dash off again. The Undertaker smirked to himself and walked after her, a devious smile back on his face. He had to admit, Sophie could be fast when she was in a rush.

Sophie dashed as fast as she could up the stairs, noticing Alex as she ran past him. "Hey wait up!" he called to her, flinching back slightly when the Undertaker slowly walked past him. He couldn't help but stare at awe, not used to seeing the Undertaker a different wardrobe other than his mortician outfit. He was wearing a long black trench coat that was buttoned all the way up. His silver bangs still hid his eyes and he wasn't wearing any glasses, but his demeanor alone would send chills down one's spine. Collecting himself, Alex looked up at Sophie before she began to continue dashing up the stairs. "Sophie I said wait!" he yelled again, causing her to stop on the stairs above him.

"What?" she yelled down as the Undertaker slowly caught up with her, "I'm late!"

"I just… well keep going. I don't want to keep you," he chuckled nervously, dashing into the level his mentor's office was on. Sophie shook her head and grumbled to herself, continuing her run up the stairs.

Once she got to the E level she was out of breath, having to stop for a few seconds to pant on the stairs. In the time she was pausing, the Undertaker had already made it up the stairs and was waiting for her. "You shouldn't exert yourself so much," he smiled to her as he turned around and walked over to her, "You'll get exhausted before you even get started."

She narrowed her eyes at him, coughing into her arm as she straightened herself up. "Yeah well…" she sighed as she let go of the railing and walked onto the floor, "I'll keep that in mind." She looked around at the offices, hastily walking past the cubicles to the room she was looking for. All the while they got bewildered and astonished stares, the Undertaker not giving any of them notice. Once she got to the door she put a hand on the wall next to it, letting out slight pants as she tried to recollect herself. "Sorry," she said to the Undertaker once he caught up with her, a slight frown on his face when he noticed how tired she was. "W-what is it?"

"Don't tell me your _tired~_" he frowned, Sophie letting in a gulp as she felt cornered by him.

"N-no…" she looked up to him, noticing how demining the Undertaker could actually be. "I am not," she huffed as she turned around to knock on the door.

Then she felt gloves wrap around her, feeling a low breath on her ear. "_Gooood_…" he whispered into her ear as he held her close, though the slight frown he held on his face was different then his understanding action.

Sophie let in a gulp and the Undertaker chuckled, letting go of her body as she knocked on the door. "Grell?" she called into the room, noticing that no one was there.

"What's the Undertaker doing here?" Grell said with a _**'**__**humph**__**'**_, walking past them and setting a collection of papers on the table.

"I _really_ don't know," Sophie grumbled to herself, walking into the room and walking over to Grell. "Hey Grell –"

"Hmmmm?" he asked to the sound of him name, watching as the Undertaker walked into the room and closed the door behind him.

"C-can I talk to you about it now, I-if you're not too busy?" she asked him, Grell turning around with sudden interest.

The annoyed look on his face suddenly became joyful as he gave her a nod. "Of course Sophie," Grell smiled, letting her sit down on a chair. He swung his chair from behind his desk and sat across from her, a curious smile on his face as he looked at her with glee.

"Do you want me to stay?" the Undertaker asked, about to leave the room.

"I don't care," Sophie shrugged as she set her bag down next to the chair she was sitting in. "Do what you like. You already know about everything so… yeah."

The Undertaker nodded, opening the door and leaving the two of them alone in the office. "So why is he here?" he asked again in a rough tone, a giggle escaping Sophie's lips as she noticed his crabby attitude.

"Well it's… I'll get to all of that!" she laughed slightly, a sigh escaping her lips as she calmed down and sat back in her chair. That's when Sophie told him everything: about her lost memories and how everything pieced together in her mind. If it had been someone like William that was her mentor she wouldn't even bother explaining, but since she trusted Grell so much Sophie thought it would be for the best to explain everything to him.

!#$%^&*()

"… so before we left his house Death gave me a pocket watch, see," she said as she took out the silver watch and showed it to Grell.

He nodded to her, taking the pocket watch and looking at the exquisite engraving on the front. Sophie smiled to him, glad that he hadn't interrupted her as she tried to piece everything together for him in an understanding way. Honestly she didn't really understand everything herself, but she felt better whenever she was able to talk about it with someone she trusted. "Wow Sophie…" was all he said as he pressed his thumb into the engraving, an imprint of a large skull staying on his thumb of a few moments before it quickly disappeared.

"Yep," she sighed, taking the watch back and putting it into her pocket. "Then after that my parents showed me to their little house there. It was rather cozy, a little cottage in the middle of the woods. My mother told me that was what she wanted to bring me to… to have me grow up in instead of a morgue." She let out a sigh, closing her eyes as she tried to remember everything that came after that point. "Then… Maurus and I came back to this world and he initiated me as a Serbus. I got a sword and everything… responsibilities and etcetera. He told me I wouldn't have to start working till… well till January I think. So if I can just get through this semester and graduate I should be fine," she said as she opened up her eyes and smiled, "and then I got home and celebrated my birthday, which I usually **never** do. I would when my parents were alive, but when my father died the celebrations for my birthday stopped. I didn't care about it, but I eventually forgot that I even had a birthday. So when I was surprised with a cake… well that was great." She looked up Grell who was looking over at her quietly, which made her suddenly suspicious and cautious. "I didn't come the next day because I wanted to just rest. Then I came here and… well I started to get stressed. All of the sudden I'm starting to feel sick, which I know won't end well if it continues. A few times I've coughed up blood, but I didn't tell the Undertaker about it," she sighed, "but that's really it. I think I told you most of what I can understand… oh and yes I know Fiona. Not well, but she seems to know me so I'm not going to argue. I don't like being helped so much… but maybe I need it right now, you know," she chuckled slightly before letting out another sigh. "A-are you going to say something?"

Grell lay back in his chair, a small smile on his face as he showed his sharp teeth. "Why that's quite a list of things… I can understand why you don't want to talk about it." Sophie nodded to him as she coughed into her sleeve, rubbing her sore throat before looking back over at him. He frowned slightly as he heard the rough sound of her coughing. "You… I advise you to take it easy. You don't have to get an A in the final exams… plus right after you take the exams they'll have you accomplish a final assessment of your skills. I don't want you passing out or anything… so just be careful." Sophie nodded, coughing again after feeling a sharp sting go down her throat. "Well while you're here," he leaned into her causing her to look over at him, "what's a God of Death anyways?"

"Well…" she thought to herself, "I don't completely know what one is myself. From what I've read in books, a legendary shinigami have yellow in their eyes. I think a God of Death and a legendary shinigami may be similar in some way… that is I don't know much about the subject yet but –"

The both of them flinched then the door slammed open, especially Sophie since her back is facing the door. "I brought some tea," the Undertaker giggled happily as he set the tray down on Grell's desk and roughly handed Sophie one of the cups. "Would you like one _Mis~s __Grell_?" he asked with a smile, grabbing one of the cups and beginning to drink some down.

"No thank you," he huffed, looking over at Sophie as she slowly drank down the warm liquid. She let out a satisfied sigh, drinking down all of the tea, "Just give the cup to Sophie. I don't need anything," he smirked, handing her the cup.

Sophie looked over at the two of them and shrugged, drinking down the tea in her hand as it warmed up her hands. "Hey Undertaker," she began to ask as he looked up from his drink, "what's the difference between a God of Death and a legendary shinigami anyways? Is there a difference at all? Do shinigamis even know what a God of Death is fully?" Then she looked over where his eyes would be and quickly looked down at the floor. "I-I mean… I'm just wondering," she shrugged.

The Undertaker set down his cup beside him, coughing to clear his throat before he began. "Well… should I simply tell you later?"

She grumbled at him, causing him to stop talking and look over at her solemnly. "Grell is the one who asked, and plus I want to know myself," she smiled back, sipping down the tea from her cup as she looked at the floor again.

He looked over at Grell and then at Sophie, giving her a nod as he began. "In the academy curriculum, you can't find anything on Gods of Death or legendary shinigami anymore. There is a small section in the history books that talks about these two groups, and you have to take a special class on different species for the names to even come up again. Even when the council was trying to define a God of Death and a legendary shinigami they got everything confused. Their definition of a legendary being is very different from what it really means. True, you will see a legendary being with yellow in their eyes, but the yellow is different than described. Yellow is formed in the eyes when a being is using its powers or has used its powers so often that the yellow stays in the eyes. The yellow in one's eyes shows that the being is very powerful and using their most potential, like a demon when their eyes start to glow a light red when they use their powers. Your eyes are rather strange Sophia. I have noticed they go back and forth from different shades of color, the primary colors being blue and green. I don't see a lot of beings where their eyes change frequently, but there have been a few," he shrugged, drinking down some more of his tea before he continued again. "The council's definition of a legendary should only be a powerful being that they do not know about. It doesn't hold any true meaning behind it, but helps with any questions and confusion that will come up. The yellow is there with a powerful creature, but there are others where yellow does not show up at all. It simply depends on the breed and what that being is in the world for.

"A God of Death is entirely different then a legendary creature. There have been many Gods of Death that never became categorized as a legendary creature, but that's because they weren't widely known. That's why it's called legendary. The being impacted the world greatly that they made their names into the record books. To clarify first, a God of Death will be categorized differently than a Death God, shinigamis, and the like. Why? The Gods of Death have been around longer then a Death God. They are more recent," he said simply as he drank down more tea. "I think Sophie already knows how Death was created, so I will not explain if she has not told you, Miss Sutcliff. Gods of Death began to appear to help with the increase of the dying. Some were made to judge, others simply to devour the evil and wicked, and etcetera. It was a primitive existence, but it all worked out for the main goal, a being's death. Over time these different beings would be called gods by humans if one saw them at work.

"Angels and demons were created before the world began. The demons are those who were angels, but had fallen by rejecting a divine order that I cannot tell you about," he shrugged again. "I will say about two to three thousand years ago the demand for more Gods of Death increased. The humans were becoming larger as well as other beings in this world that needed Death to come to them. So over time other beings became Gods of Death, but had been composited from a human's death instead of simply being created for a taste. A group sprang up that had a more effective way of finding and reaping souls. Before a being would simply walk around wherever it felt he/she was needed, but then these creatures became organized with how they reaped. This group was mostly human souls turned to Gods of Death, coming together for the same goal. Several Gods of Death joined them, but others did not anything to do with them. Soon arguments would erupt between the groups, and the human souls tried several times to vanquish those who would not join them. That is the council that you see today, which is why you call yourselves Death Gods and not Gods of Death." Then the Undertaker shook his head in disappointment, setting his empty cup down beside them. "However, everything didn't end in disaster. They have a desire for trying to learn information and preserve it. They write down everything they learn and organize it into books you see before you. Back in the day, when someone needed a mentor, they would find one that would suit their personal needs. Now it's through the council and they assign you who your mentor is. In reality this is not needed. If a being wants to be taught then they will find a reliable mentor.

"Even with their thirst for knowledge they get a lot of the details wrong. For example, their definition for demon is different then what it really is. A true demon has fallen to the underworld for disobeying. Demon defined today is someone who devours souls, which is not the definition for a demon. A demon is a divine being while the other is not. They used to be put under a category of a god or just a creature, but now they're considered demons, which makes almost more than three-quarters of the supernatural beings demons. It also depends on the offspring. There have been many different species and creatures created from thousands of years of breeding. So there are supernatural creatures that will die like human do, but will die in a very short period of time or if they cannot simply sustain themselves. Now Gods of Death are now defined to creatures that have a divine purpose that no creature already in existence. That is why you are a God of Death Sophia, because of **that** purpose you made a vow to. Without it you are simply a creature, a shinigami if you pass your exams," he smirked to her. Sophie shrugged at him; since she would rather hear more from him then ask him anymore questions. "There have been feuds about this for centuries. The council, of course, wants to have some Gods of Death that will do what they want, which is why I got tired and quit," he shrugged. "Shezmu is the prime example for a God of Death that left. He was not persecuted at first, but for how he had to destroy evil souls and condemn them is what disgusted the council. They got along fine till a thousand years ago. The council was growing far out of hand and Shezmu did not like their methods. I don't like their methods myself, but I didn't want to be killed at the time. He lost many children to their stupidity and lack of common knowledge. They would have Gods of Death go forth, while they were in their parting stage, to reap that gave other creatures a feast. After the massive lost and still not changing their methods, Gods of Death that have children don't have them go to the academy and have mostly quit. They mostly work in the shadows, doing the jobs they were assigned to do in secret and in hiding.

"Now for **you**…" he thought to himself as he looked Sophie in the eyes. "Your father could handle the pressure. He helped many Gods of Death transition to this council so they would not have to work in the shadows, but the council never made everything easy for him. He became rather famous for his determination to see everything through and unite conflicting groups, which the council doesn't talk about anymore," he grumbled and shook his head. "Your job, Sophia, is simple on the outside, but can get complicated once you get in depth. Your father… well his job is to simply give and take the breath of life. This is every essential for the council to have, which is why they tried to keep him around for as long as they could. It's not all that simple. He had to get into a high enough position where he could take the souls he was internally assigned to do as well as complete his tasks. It was hard work for him to get everything to how he liked it, but Maurus did it eventually," he chuckled to himself as he thought about it. "The problem with your father and your soul is that it is a being from the underworld. I do not know if this soul is a demon or not, but my belief is that it is not and just created for the underworld like a hound dog of hell or something along those lines. Because of this you have problems as you stand on the border of being considered a demon and being considered a god. It just depends on what you chose to do, because, other than your father, you are the only one who has this power. So it's in your hands on how you can handle everything." Then he stood up, walking over to her chair and wrapping his hands around the upper part of her chest.

The Undertaker rested his head upon hers, looking over at Grell as he continued to speak to her. "Many Gods of Death have died from one thing to another," he said solemnly, "From being killed or being destroyed. Please little maiden take my advice: don't overexert yourself. _**You can't fool me**_. I know you're having problems because of your heart condition. If you take your time everything will work out in the end, but if you push yourself too far then you will end up destroying yourself… and I don't want that, _okay~?_"

He nuzzled his head into her shoulder, Sophie flinching slightly and putting a hand on top of his head. "O-okay…" she sighed as she leaned back. "I-I get the message… but what if it can't be helped?" she asked.

"Then… don't die," he talked into her neck, causing Sophie to shudder from his hot breath.

Sophie looked down at him and then at Grell. Then she smirked, rustling up the Undertaker's hair so he would let go of her and fix his hair. "Well thank you for the history lesson," she smiled as she stood up. "I hope that answered your question Grell."

"Yes," Grell laughed, trying to see if he could get a peek of the Undertaker's eyes. "It was nice to see you again Sophie… perhaps I can talk to you again?"

"Of course," she smiled, jumping into his chest and hugging him tightly. He gasped in surprise, Sophie giggling by his reaction. "And you'll always be my mentor, okay?" she smiled, leaning up from his lap to look at his eyes.

He nodded to her, showing off his sharp teeth. "Good. I wouldn't want you to think that mangy old man over there is your mentor," Grell glared at the Undertaker causing Sophie to giggle.

The Undertaker walked over to Sophie and flung her over his shoulder, getting rather violent kicks into his stomach. "It's about time we get going now,_ little maiden~~_" he giggled as he kept her over his shoulder and walked out of the door. "See you around Miss Grell," he called into the office, Grell hearing Sophie yelling at the Undertaker until they started walking down the stairs.

Grell frowned as he grabbed his chair and fixing up his office. Sophie was in a situation he could not fully understand and he felt awful for not being able to help her. He wished he could have helped her more, but now it's time to move on. That Undertaker is the man she calls father anyways, so he'll just have to let her go and hope for the best. He sighed, slumping down into his chair as he looked at the door in boredom. "Je te vois tard Sophia," he smirked to himself, leaning over his desk to look at the paperwork he had gathered. Grell groaned; he **hated** paperwork.

!#$%^&*()

"Work on your footwork," the Undertaker said, appearing behind Sophie as she tightly gripped the small standard scythe in her hand. "Pretend you're a tree and plaster your feet to the ground. That way you won't stumble around _so much_," he cooed into her ear, pushing down on her shoulders as she swiped his hands away with her scythe. He smirked, pushing up his thin, black-rimmed glasses higher on his nose. Sophie nodded as she let out a sigh, trying to concentrate on what he was telling her to do. "Now again."

Sophie ran at the Undertaker with the scythe raised, jumping up into the air and striking for his chest. He caught her scythe with his own, pushing her off of him. She grumbled, narrowing her eyes as she coughed into her hand. "How much longer will we be doing this?" she coughed, looking around at a few of the spectators. They were practicing on the edge of the shinigami realm, between the white buildings and the forest. She growled at those watching them, letting out a huff when a few of them left because of her glare.

The Undertaker smirked, holding up his scythe as he thought. "Until you're done. Now again." Sophie groaned, hanging her head in defeat and running at him. There were several moves Sophie had to accomplish before she strikes her opponent in the final exams: four side strikes, five from behind, and two in the front. One of those moves has to either knock out her opponent or cause them to forfeit, which was what she was aiming for. She would be fighting against other students for the grade. So even if they have the same grade one of them would not be able to continue and would have to wait till next semester to try again. That was the beginning of the final assessments before she would be sent out to reap a soul, starting with the practical technique. That's what she wanted to train more on, since she can only take that test every semester and she would be going up against her peers. As she was thinking, the Undertaker got behind her and almost slashed into her back. Her eyes widened as she swung around, blocking his attack. "Remember the other opponent will be trying to attack you," he said as Sophie jumped back a few feet. "You don't want to give them a head start."

"Okay…" Sophie said as she rubbed her forehead. "So how can I stop that?"

"That's simple," he chuckled, pausing for a second so she could rest. "I'll teach you a few moves to strike your opponent in **two** areas." As soon as he said the last parts the Undertaker ended up behind her, the blade of his scythe in her neck and the butt of his scythe aimed at her side. "This is a _good~_ way of finishing someone off, but I wouldn't use this move until you're close to the end. Your opponent can grab hold of your scythe and take it away, which also leaves your stomach vulnerable to a counter attack." Then he swung his scythe around her so he had the butt of the scythe hovering behind her back and the blade was close to her side. "This is more effective to attack from behind or from the side. That's the easiest places to strike at the same time, but," he finished as he swung his scythe to his side and took a few steps in front of her with a grin on his face, "it's always easier to kill something from _be~hind~~_" he smirked, swinging his scythe over his shoulder and pushing up his glasses. Sophie nodded, swaying slightly as she gripped her scythe and getting ready to attack again. "Are you okay?" he asked as he noticed her swaying back and forth once he let go of her.

"Y-yeah," she chuckled nervously, feeling dizzy. "I'm fine." Then she ran at him with her scythe raised, spinning past him as he held his scythe up to block and hit him in the back with her scythe, the blade coming around the bend to touch his shoulder. "L-like t-th-at?" she asked as she began to lower her scythe to her side.

"Exactl— Sophia?" he asked, noticing that she started to fall to the ground. Sophie slumped on his back, her eyes closing as she let out a tired groan.

"I-I'm sorry… buhhhh… ummmm…" she said, her scythe falling to the ground and the blade embedding itself into the dirt.

His scythe evaporated at his side as he grabbed her shoulders, spinning around quickly so he could grab hold of her properly. "Little maiden…" he chuckled as he held her upright and picked up her scythe from the ground. "You could have told me you were tired."

"Grummm…" she responded as she closed her eyes tightly to try to get the migraine to go away.

The Undertaker picked her up bridle style and walked away towards the morgue, having to go through the forest to get to the cemetery. "Tomorrow you'll wear your glasses, alright?"

"Umhmm," Sophie nodded her head, soon rolling over and latching her arms around his neck and pressing her head into his chest. He smiled and kissed the top of her head, holding onto her tightly as he walked out of the clearing and into the cemetery. Luckily for him, the cemetery isn't marked with a fence, which made it a straight away from the forest.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie swung at the Undertaker and hit him in the side, causing him to jump back quickly. She smirked at him and rubbed her eyes, the glasses being a complete irritation to her vision. "Good," the Undertaker smirked as his scythe disappeared, "we'll start with more _advanced_ moves later."

"Okay," Sophie yawned, putting the small scythe in a holster at her side and following him as they walked back to the white buildings. She couldn't help but smile to herself as they made their way to the cafeteria. It's been almost a week of training and she hadn't been fainting as much as she used to. The Undertaker was actually taking it rather slow with her, but she didn't mind it one bit since she was training with a legendary shinigami. She can see why a lot of shinigamis were trying to listen in on their conversations; he had a lot to say and was very knowledgeable about almost everything! It sometimes amazed her, but she quickly got over it once he began teaching her advanced methods of fighting. It was just something new she was learning about the Undertaker. Plus Maurus was right when he told her she hadn't really seemed to know the Undertaker fully. This must be one of the things he had been hiding away for… who knows why.

"_Mmmmm scones~_" the Undertaker licked his lips, causing Sophie to giggle.

"Hey don't just get sweets," she huffed as she threw him an apple, "You need to eat healthier anyways."

"That's what _**you**_ think," he huffed back in a silly way, making Sophie giggle at him again. After filling up a cup of instant tea, Sophie followed him to a nearby table next to the window and sat across from him. The place wasn't very crowded, but once a few of the other shinigamis saw the Undertaker pass by they started whispering to one another and the room got quieter. Once Sophie sat down she grabbed a scone from the Undertaker's plate and ate it with her tea, smirking when he scooted his plate of sugary food away from her grasp. "How has school been?" he asked as he grabbed something from his plate and gulp it down in one bite.

"Just fine," she shrugged as she took off her glasses and set them on the top of her head. "I hate wearing my glasses all the time."

"That's what your father says," he laughed, taking off his own glasses and setting them down on the table next to him. "I wonder why you two can't wear your glasses anyways…"

"Humph," she responded when she drank some more of her tea down. "I think our eyes just don't deteriorate as a shinigami's does. I don't know. There are times when I can't see a thing, but that's when I start using the black haze. I start to only see darkness, but a being's soul is the only thing that I can see and that's what will guide me. These glasses can help with that, but I'd need a different prescription or something for them to work properly… I guess," she shrugged as she ate something from her plate. "Why? Did my papa never tell you about it?"

"Nope," he said as he ate another sweet. "He had his own secrets and I have my own. It's better to keep some things to yourself anyways."

Sophie nodded, gulping down the rest of her tea and letting out a satisfied sigh. "There… okay let's go again!" She grinned as she stood back up and about to leave the table.

"What's the rush?" he asked as he ate more sweets from his plate. "You're not running a marathon. _Re~lax~~_"

Sophie narrowed her eyes and sat back down, setting her glasses to the side and slamming her head into the table. "**Fine**," she mumbled as she listened to the Undertaker eating.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie stumbled back, holding up her scythe in defense. If only she could use her bigger scythe! Then maybe she could strike back instead of trying to evade everything the Undertaker did. She stumbled back and almost tripped, stopping his scythe with her own. She could feel her scythe slowly cracking as she was held in place with his scythe. _'Don't these things last?'_ she grumbled as she kicked her legs up to keep him at a distance.

"Come on now," he cooed as he jumped off of her and let Sophie stand up to collect herself. "You're not trying."

"Yes I am!" she huffed as she brushed herself off. "I'm trying as hard as I can with this small and useless piece of –"

"The size of your weapon shouldn't be the concern," he said with a calm and all knowing voice, "but your own skills behind the weapon. I saw you fight Maurus; you have more in you then you probably know. Now try again." Sophie ran at him and tried every which way to strike him, unable to even touch him with how he held back her attacks. "You're still not trying," he sighed in a disappointed way, stopping Sophie from behind as their scythes clashed together.

Sophie began to frown. She was getting angry with the Undertaker's disappointment and was also beginning to feel disappointed in herself. Then she heard someone laughing at her, looking over and noticed Chaz with his mentor as they walked by. "You suck!" she could make out from what he said, her eyes narrowing at him.

"Ignore that fool… Sophia?" he blinked in confusion, noticing she wasn't looking away from Chaz. The Undertaker narrowed his eyes from behind his glasses and jumped at her, slashing his scythe at her to knock her back to her senses. Sophie turned around and stopped him, yellow beginning to take over her eyes. She jumped at him and growled, evading the large swing of his scythe and slashing at him. He jumped back, his right arm almost falling off of his body as he knelt down from the sudden pain.

Suddenly Sophie stopped as she let out a horrified gasp. "Undertaker!" she yelped, grabbing her bag and quickly taking out her sewing kit.

She ran to him and knelt down to her knees, noticing how he held his arm in a desperate attempt to reattach it without her help. "Hah so stup –" Sophie narrowed her eyes and threw her small scythe at Chaz, the scythe flying past his chest and cutting his cheek, which grabbed hold of his tie and flung him into the ground. He gasped, struggling on the ground as the scythe stayed firmly in place. His mentor ran to Chaz's aid, while Sophie made a desperate attempt to reattach the Undertaker's arm.

She ripped away his sleeve on his trench coat and threaded the needle quickly. She used her teeth to steady her shaking hands as she knotted the thread. Sophie looked at the wound and began to sew his arm back together, doing it skillfully from what the Undertaker noticed. "I'm _**soo**_ sorry!" she kept saying as she attached his arm back to his body without any real problem. He blinked in amazement, noticing how he wasn't in pain from the needle but only from the wound. She knotted the thread and let out a sigh, holding his arm up so she could have a better look at it. "O-okay stay still now…" she told him, not bothering to notice the commotion coming from anyone else when the shinigamis began to notice the bleeding shinigami.

Sophie let out a sigh and concentrated, her hand beginning to glow in a black tone. In a few moments it went from black to white, much to the Undertaker's amazement. "Little maiden…" he responded as he looked over at her. She looked deeply into his eyes, the Undertaker noticing how the blue and green was showing through the yellow swirling around in her eyes. She gave him a meek smile and closed her eyes, gently pressing her hand into the wound in his arm. Then it quickly healed itself, much faster than the Undertaker would have been able to do with a wound of that magnitude.

The white glow in her hand slowly left, and Sophie slowly opening her eyes and let him move his arm on his own. The Undertaker was astounded, moving his arm to the fingers on his hands as if nothing had happened. "I-I'm so sorry!..." she gasped as she looked to her lap and had her eyes tightly closed. "I-I didn't mean… oh I'm so sorry! Please forgive me! I-I don't know what happened t-to me but –"

She let out a surprised squeak and opened her eyes suddenly when she felt arms wrap around her body and pull her in tight. "I should have been expecting it," he chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek and then looking into her eyes. He smiled, noticing the yellow leaving her eyes as crystal blue and shinigami green stayed behind. The Undertaker bruised her cheek, brushing away a tear that was falling down her face. "You seem_ tired~~_" he smirked as she looked at him confused. "I think it's time for us to go home, yes?"

"S-should we go to the infirma –"

"No need. You seemed to have sewed up my arm better than anyone there could do," he chuckled, moving his right arm back and forth in an amusing way. "Go and retrieve your scythe and we'll leave."

Sophie nodded and stood up, the Undertaker not too far behind as she walked over to Chaz and his mentor. Chaz was close to running at her to strike back, but his mentor was currently holding him back and threatening him with extra work. Then his mentor bowed, noticing that the Undertaker was right behind Sophie. "I am sorry," she said with a bow to his mentor, "to you sir." Then she narrowed her eyes at Chaz, straightening her body up and crossing her arms. "I shouldn't have gotten as mad as I did, but I couldn't control it."

"W-why of course," Chaz's mentor laughed it off, handing her scythe back to her, "I'll keep my apprentice in line, _right_ _**Mr. Hoover**_?"

"… Right," he grumbled back, keeping angry eyes on Sophie.

"I do not believe a word you say," the Undertaker said, stunning the three of them. "Now come along Sophia. It's time to go."

Sophie blinked in confusion as she quickly followed after him, noticing that the tone of his voice seemed as if he was annoyed, and perhaps threatened. "A-are you sure you're okay? I'm sorry –"

"I'm alright," he smiled cheerfully to her, trying to interrupt any doubt and worry she may have had about him. "_Now_," he smirked grabbing hold of her and swinging her into his arms, "you're going to have to be_ punished~~_"

Her eyes widened and she fought back, kicking at him as if she had never injured him. "Don't! I don't even want to know but don't!" she growled at him, a long black nail coming into contact to her lips as he hushed her.

"You'll see when we get home… _little maiden_," he smirked as he licked her cheek as they walked into the woods and was hidden away among the trees. Sophie yelped in disgust, wiping her face of the slobber he left behind on her cheek.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let a sigh escape her lips as she walked from the human realm and into the shinigami realm. Her supposed punishment wasn't as much of a punishment to her at all. She had to clean up the morgue, which she does all the time anyways, and sleep with him in a coffin, which she didn't mind doing either. Just the constant fondling from him is what made her shudder. The more she thought about it, the more Sophie noticed that the Undertaker was becoming more protective of her than anyone else she had ever known. Even her own mother wasn't as defensive as the Undertaker was, holding onto her tightly and refusing to let go at times. She wondered why he was being like this all of the sudden, but then again some things she figured should just be kept secret. Whatever had happened to him to make the Undertaker so protective was something she figured he would want to keep secret, so she just went along with everything as if the world was as bright as rain.

As she walked out of the forest she noticed someone in the distance, a young lady who looked to be about her age with long forest green hair. She walked up to the shinigami realm as fast as she could, anger in her hazel eyes. Sophie chased after her, unable to stop her till she almost made it to the white buildings. "Julia what are you doing here?" Sophie asked, Julia whipping her head around and letting out a gasp.

Julia ran at her, wrapping her arms around Sophie as she buried her head into her shoulder. "They told me you where dead!" she cried into her shoulder. "And then they said you were alive! Someone needs to tell me what is going on!" she huffed, holding Sophie close as she cried.

"O-okay I'll tell you," Sophie said as she gently patted Julia's back. She quickly stopped, pushing away from her slightly to look into her worried eyes. "But not here. If the shinigamis learn that a demon is here then –"

"They already have," Sophie heard from behind, noticing Alex standing behind them with his arms crossed. "What are you doing here –"

"You won't talk to me!" Julia said as she let go of Sophie and pointed an accusing finger at Alex. "Why can't you tell me what's going on? I need to know! Alex why are you keeping secrets from me!"

"Julia I'm sorry," he sighed, walking over to where she stood and taking her hand into his. "Look if I had an option I would have told you right away, but Mr. Spears had me promise to keep everything a secret until things were sorted out, okay?"

"I-it's not only **that**," Julia grumbled as she looked to the ground, "but it's _**everything**_. The sudden concern to be like a father you had _never_ known. You don't talk to me as much as you used to and I miss that… I miss our time together. I miss you."

Alex frowned, noticing how she was holding back tears. "Julia… don't be like this. You know why I want to be a shinigami. Why can't you accept that it's just something I need to do?"

"But I –"

"Look I'm sorry to break up a meaningful moment," Sophie said as she grabbed Julia's arm and began running back to the human realm, "but if we don't hid you quick they'll kill you!"

"W-wait I –" Alex grumbled to himself and followed after Sophie, looking behind them and noticing the shinigamis jumping out of the building in an attempt to look for the intruder. There was an alarm that was sounding through the building when Julia had walked in, and it would only be a matter of time when they would be organized to go off and properly search.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Bam! Ending it with a cliffhanger X3 Don't worry though. The next chapter will be up once I finish my chapter 28. I just want to make sure everything is in order before I post more updates. COMMENT IF YOU LIKE IT! I've noticed an increase in viewers, but you newbies seem to not want to comment. Well go right ahead! I don't bite… much X3 Plus I like comments, constructive or not. **

**Oh and when it comes to role-playing requests, I don't mind role-playing but I would like to know what you want to role-play about. Sometimes I get confused on what you guys are expecting, so just talk to me about what you'd like! Just saying "Can I role-play with you?" is alright, because I usually don't turn things down, but it's hard to work on a role-play if I don't know what you guys want. So yeah! Just for any clarification. See you later! =D**

_Je te vois __tard __Sophia_ – French – _See you later Sophia_


	26. The Snag

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! Three more chapters till this arc ends! Of course this doesn't mean that this story is over, but I'm going to take a bit of a break to finish up on other projects I've had on the back burner for this fanfic and school. Anyways, I hope you guys have liked this story so far. If you have any ideas this would be the best time to suggest something! I'll ask for certain questions later, but right now just keep that in mind =D And of course enjoy this chapter! **

!#$%^&*()

Sophie roughly pulled Julia along as Julia tried to run back to Alex. He decided to stay behind to stall the shinigamis for as long as he could as they made an escape. Sophie pulled her into the dense part of the forest among a large grouping of rocks, pushing her into a corner of the wall as a couple of shinigamis jumped over them. Sophie let out a distressed sigh, looking over at Julia as she looked around helplessly as if she was still a young child not knowing what was going on. "Julia what would make you come all this way?" she tried to say in a calm voice, even though Sophie was equally frightened as Julia was. "You know that demons aren't allowed in the shinigami realm, right?"

"I know!" Julia grumbled, leaning against the rocks as she shook her head. "Just this demon came to my house and we got into a conversation about Alex… he doesn't seem to trust me Sophie," she looked over to Sophie with a frown on her face, "He won't tell me anything. That shinigami Margaret is better at giving me information then him! I don't know what's going on with him…"

"Oh I see…" Sophie frowned, walking over to her and rubbing her back. "Hey he's just busy. Did you know he contracted the Thorns of Death and almost died?"

Julia jumped back slightly as she looked at her wide eyed. "No! See that's what I'm talking about," she grumbled, "he's not talking to me anymore…"

"Did it happen around the time I disappeared or during?" Sophie asked.

"During," Julia answered in a huff. "Why?"

"Then it was probably that," Sophie shrugged. "He's probably going through some things that he doesn't want to talk about… but perhaps you talk to him in a _calm_ way then he'll open up, alright?"

"O-okay…" Julia agreed, beginning to walk away from the rock and back towards the city. "I'm sorry for causing your trouble. Just that man… he seemed to know what he was talking about and convinced me to walk into the shinigami realm to confront Alex."

"I see… who is this man?" Sophie asked as she began to follow her.

"I-I'm not exactly sure," Julia confessed. "He has dark amethyst with a hint yellow eyes and messy looking short black hair. He was rather intimidating, which is why I didn't refuse him when he knocked on the door, and he said he knew my father. Plus he called himself… the Apep I think. Why he would call himself **that** is beyond me –"

"W-what? Sophie gasped, her calm expression quickly turning into dread. "C-come on let's get you home then," she responded as she grabbed Julia's hand and pulled her through the forest faster.

"Sophie…" Julia asked as she noticed Sophie's eyes darting around and looking all around them. "Is something wrong?"

Sophie looked at her and then at the ground as she let out a sigh. "Julia…" she began as paused, "There is something that I need to tell you about that demon."

"W-what?" she asked, walking over to her when she noticed how Sophie began to shudder in fear and wrap her hands around herself in a protective manner.

"H-he killed –" Sophie grabbed Julia and pushed her to the ground as a sharp object went flying at them. Sophie jumped in front of Julia and growled at a demon as he popped out of the trees and jumped own. "**Dorren**," she said roughly.

He laughed as he noticed her cowering, aiming a dagger at her as she quickly stood up. "Now what's with that sour greeting," he smirked, walking towards them as Sophie pushed Julia back protectively.

"Stop right there you snake!" she growled at him, taking out the small scythe from her holster and holding it in front of her in defense. "Run Julia," she said quietly behind her as Julia stumbled to her feet and passed.

"B-but I can't leave you –"

"Go damn it!" Sophie yelled at her, causing Julia to jump up in fright and start running in the other direction.

Dorren laughed at Sophie, walking towards her as the yellow began to take over his eyes. "Oh so you're a God of Death now… hah! Dim-witted just like your father," he smirked as she took steps backward and pinned her into the rocks.

Sophie narrowed her eyes, the yellow starting to take over the blue and green in her eyes. "He was **not** stupid _you bastard_."

"Oh and your mother has a _love~ly_ scream," he chuckled.

That's when Sophie couldn't take it anymore and jumped at him, her scythe raised as she slashed for him. "You bastard! You bastard! Leave my parents out of this!" she slashed at him, Dorren easily dodging her.

Then he let out a bored sigh, grabbing hold of her left hand and stopping the scythe from reaching his face. He twisted her arm and she gasped at the sudden pain, her scythe dropping to the ground. "You don't get it do you," he hissed into her ear, his voice getting low and menacing. "Even if you don't like it you're **mine**, and if you don't like it then I'll _**kill you**_." Sophie gasped as he continued to twist her hand, and she began to scream out in pain as the bones in her hand made _**'snap'**_ sounds. He laughed at her, kneeling down as Sophie fell to the ground, "You scream just like your mother," he smirked as he bit down on her ear.

She yelled and kicked him in the gut, biting down on his hand, which made him quickly let go. "Leave me alone!" Sophie yelled at him as she began to run off.

Dorren growled and chased after her, tackling her to the ground. "Bitch hold still!" he hissed into her ear. Then he pulled out a dagger and stabbed it into her back, causing Sophie to cry out and whimper. "There we go," he chuckled, rolling her over as blood poured from her back and onto the ground. Then he slowly stabbed his dagger into her chest, laughing as he did so. "See you're nothing without me. Nothing! You have no meaning of an existence without me here!"

!#$%^&*()

Julia ran as fast as she could, trying to make it back to the city before the shinigamis got wind of where she was. She couldn't help but look back, hearing a loud cry from the where she left Sophie. "S-sophie…" she paused, taking a few steps backwards as she debated which way she would go.

Then she was grabbed by the hand, Alex pulling her away as he ran as fast as he could towards the city. "I can't hold them off anymore," he huffed at her as he pulled her along.

"Alex wait! We have to help Sophie," Julia said, causing him to stop.

"But we have to get you home –"

"I don't care!" she yelled back. "If she dies then… I-it'll be all my fault. Alex you have to tell me what's wrong. Why won't you talk to me!"

"I ummm…" he said, looking away from her as he rubbed his shoulder uncomfortably. "I'm sorry Julia. It's just… the academy and the stress… and seeing Sophie's memories mostly. God I… I can't stop thinking about it! I just… UGH –"

"Alex it's okay," Julia said as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug, "You can tell me… right?"

He looked at the ground and then back at her, wrapping his hands around her in a tight hug, "Yes… yes I can." Then he chuckled, letting go of her and looking into her eyes, "but right now we have to get going."

Julia nodded as they grabbed hands, running as fast as they could to the city. Suddenly they were stopped, William standing in their way and looking at Alex in a disappointed manner. "What is the meaning of this? Bringing a filthy leech into our realm! You should be ashamed Alex," he said, aiming a long metal rod as the one clippers extended towards them, separating Alex and Julia from each other.

"Julia run!" Alex said as he ran at William to stop his scythe from reaching her. Alex tackled his mentor and pushed him to the ground, his scythe curtail back to its original height. "You leave her alone! She didn't know what she was doing!"

"She is a demon and must be disposed of," William said in a huff, pushing Alex off of him as other shinigamis appeared next to them. "She ran that way," he pointed to the trees, "towards the boulders."

"Wait no!" Alex yelled, getting up and running towards the area Julia ran off in.

"Restrain him," one of the other shinigamis said, grabbing hold of Alex and taking hold of his standard scythe. "He must have been the one who let the demon into our realm," the shinigami said roughly as he pushed his glasses back on his face. "Come Mr. Spears. You will direct us to the demon."

"Yes sir," William said and he stood up, running with them towards the demon that took off.

Julia looked high and low for Sophie, trying to figure out where she left her. She was never good with directions, but hopefully just orienting herself with her surroundings will tell her where Sophie went. As she continued to run she heard another scream, causing her to flinch and take a right. "Sophie!" Julia yelled, running through the forest as her eyes darted around for her. If she died because of her ignorance then… oh she didn't even want to think about it.

"There she is!" she heard as the shinigamis ran after her, Julia taking off in a fast dash to escape. Then she tripped on a tree branch, falling to her face as landed on the ground. A death scythe came towards her; William's long clippers flying at her as it flew towards her slouching body. Julia flinched as she was unable to stand up in time, a whimper escaping her lips as she closed her eyes in alarm.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie gasped as the dagger was roughly ripped out of her chest, and in a blink of an eye she saw Dorren get thrown into a tree with a long silver scythe. "U-uundertaker?" she called to him quietly as he stood over her with his scythe up in defense.

"You lowlife of a God of Death," the Undertaker hissed, Sophie tilting her head because she never heard that language before.

"Oh hello Undertaker," Dorren chuckled as he stood up. "I would have invited you to the party, but you weren't availa –"

"Do not piss me off Dorren," he snarled at him, causing Dorren to frown, "this is **my property**, you got that? If you do not then I will send your soul straight back to the underworld where it belongs."

"Oh is that so?" he smirked walking towards them. The Undertaker raised his scythe and slashed at him, causing Dorren to jump back. "So the big bad Death God took a little slore to be his _whore_, how cute –" he winced, jumping back as the Undertaker ran at him and slashed his scythe at his head.

"Don't you dare call her a whore you son of a bitch!" The Undertaker growled. Sophie blinked in confusion, having never seen this side of the Undertaker before. She slowly got up with the help of a boulder, holding onto her chest protectively as the blood flowed out of her body and onto the ground. "You can torture me all you want, but I won't let you drag Sophia into this," she heard the Undertaker say as he began cornering Dorren. "Sophia get out of here," he said roughly, not turning his head to her.

"B-but –"

"Histalek!" he yelled at her, causing her to stagger backwards and run.

She began to run and stopped, looking back and watched as the demon summoned a black mattock with green markings of snakes on the handle. "Μην πεθάνετε πατέρα," she said quietly but enough for the Undertaker to hear, running as fast as her body would allow her. Sophie glanced around as she held onto her side with her right hand, her left arm just swinging around as she ran. She could feel pains moving through her whole body, especially her broken arm. Dorren hadn't stabbed into her chest as much as he would have liked, but she could still feel the sting of the wound. As she got closer to the direction Julia ran off in, she saw her running in front of her and stumbling. Sophie gasped, watching as clippers went flying towards her face. Without even thinking Sophie ran as fast as she could towards Julia, just in time for Alex to yell at William to stop as William noticing much too late that Sophie had jumped in the way. Sophie closed her eyes and quickly accepted her fate as the clippers were an inch from her bleeding chest.

She flinched back but then blinked in confusion, expecting a throbbing pain in her stomach. Sophie looked up and noticed a dark man standing before her gripping the clippers with his hand, blood flowing from his hand as he gripped it tightly. Then Julia opened her eyes, looking around in fear at the two beings standing in front of her. "S-sophie, Dad!" she gasped. Then Sophie batted her eyes and stumbled to the ground, the large amount of blood loss making her body weak. "Sophie!" she yelled as she noticed the blood coming out of her back.

Sophie groaned in reply, unable to think straight anymore. "S-shezmu wha…" she asked as she closed her eyes with her face in the ground. Julia slid over to her side and turned her over, gasping in horror as she saw blood coming out of her chest. She moved Sophie's arm and set it on her stomach and Sophie cried out in pain as she touched her broken arm.

"What the hell is going on?" Shezmu glared at the shinigamis, noticing that two shinigamis had their hands on Alex. "I'm gone and what do I find? A bunch of brainless shinigamis going after my daughter. I swear…" he growled as he began stepping towards them. "If you caused the death of this young woman for your stupidity then I'll kill each and every one of you in cold bloo –"

"Stamáta!" Sophie cried out, latching hold of his leg as he walked forward. "No, don't kill anyone! Please! Please…" she cried as her grip on his leg diluted, "I don't want to see any more useless deaths…"

Shezmu huffed slightly, but stopped moving forward and stood upright. "Julia attend to Sophia."

"Y-es sir," she meekly answered him, grabbing hold of Sophie's body and tired shaking her to wake her back up. Julia started crying at the sight of all the body, never coming across someone bleeding as much as Sophie was.

"Who do you think you are _**demon**_?" one of the older shinigamis asked.

"Is that you, Enrique Lagle?" Shezmu said with a smirk on his face, "How drone. I thought I taught you better then to chase after weak demons."

"M-mr. Shezmu!" he gasped, taking a few steps back as he bowed. "I'm so sorry sir! We didn't know that was your daughte –"

"No thanks to you lot," he growled at them. "Sending my children out to their deaths. You're whole organization is despicable and if I have anything to say about it I would kill you all right here and now –"

"Now don't say things you _can't take ba~ck~_~" Shezmu heard from behind him, noticing the goofy smile on the Undertaker's face as he appeared out from the trees. That was all the Undertaker said on the matter though, rushing over to where Sophie's body was. "Is she dead?" he asked in a monotone voice.

"I-I don't know!" Julia gasped in complete fear.

"Here let me take her," he said gently to her. He scooted her over onto his knees and he shook her slightly. "Sophia… little maiden wake up please."

"Uhmmm…" Sophie said as she shook her head slightly and opened her eyes. Then her almost completely yellow eyes looked up at him and her eyes widened in fear, pushing away from him harshly. "Áfisé me ísiho! Get off! You'll eat me! Ahh!" she yelled as she scratched at his hands, trying to flee from his grasp.

He frowned and quickly moved his silver hair away from his eyes, noticing how Sophie slowly stopped trying to fight him off as she stared into his shinigami green and yellow eyes. "It's alright. He's gone now… he won't hurt you anymore."

She trembled slightly as tears fell down her face. "U-undertaker?…" she asked as she tried to keep her eyes open. "Y-you're not angry a-any-more… are you?"

He cracked a smile and cooed to her, brushing a nail through her dirty auburn hair. "What did he do to you?"

"H-he cut my back… a-and chest… a-and I think… I think h-he broke my a-arm…" Then Sophie let out a cough, blood splatting out of her mouth and onto the ground.

"Why are you just standing there?" The Undertaker growled at the shinigamis. "Go get some help. Go!" he yelled at the shinigamis, a bunch of them ordered to get someone from the infirmary. The Undertaker examined her body, trying to not move her so he would not irritate her injuries. "I'll have to sew up the wound on your chest, okay?" Sophie closed her eyes and rested her head on his chest as he took out a needle and thread from his pocket. "Julia hold her down for me," he told the frightened young demon next to him.

She looked up at him baffled, looking over at her father's back and then back at the Undertaker. "Y-you know me?"

"Sophia told me about you," he smirked to her, before he narrowed his eyes and skillfully took off her suit coat and white shirt to expose the wound to the open air. "Now hold her down please." Julia quickly complied and held down Sophie's right arm as her other arm was tucked close to the Undertaker. Then he took out a rag and cleaned the blood from her body, causing Sophie to cry out and scream from the stinging pain. "It's alright," he cooed to her as he cleaned up the blood and dirt from her wound so he could see the damage. Sophie whimpered to herself quietly, her right hand grabbing hold of his long coat as she tried to withstand the pain. Then he sewed into her chest as he brushed a hand through her hair to calm her down. "Well the wound isn't too deep. Good. One less bloody mess to look over," he smirked to himself, noticing Sophie giggled quietly at his comment. Once he was done he put her white shirt back on, though it wasn't really a white shirt anymore but that didn't matter. He picked her up, careful not to move her arm too harshly, and began walking over to the shinigami realm. "Thank you my dear," he nodded to Julia as he walked past Shezmu. He didn't even want to give any remarks to the other shinigamis as he walked past with Sophie in his arms, giving a nod to Alex as he made his way to the white buildings.

Shezmu narrowed his eyes at the shinigamis and shook his head. "I'm going to have to talk to your council about this," he roughly said to them.

"You can't do that!" one of them blurted out. "You're a demo –"

"Oh is that so?" he growled at him, suddenly appearing in front of the freighted shinigami's face with a sharp-blunt object aimed at his neck. "I'm more powerful then you can even imagine **weakling**," he snarled at him, the shinigami whimpering in fear. Then he huffed at him, putting his weapon down and walking over to his daughter, "but I won't waste my energy on you. You're just a bunch of pathetic beings in my book." He knelt down to Julia, who was still kneeling down on her knees and lost in her own thoughts. "Are you okay?" he asked as he ran a black glove through her hair.

She looked up at him and nodded as she quickly jumped to her feet. "I-I want to go see Sophie…" Julia said as she looked into her father's tired gray eyes. "I need to apologize…"

"Don't worry," he smiled, standing next to her and rubbing her shoulder, "Sophia will be alright. You can come with me if you desire, but I will not let these _**wretched**_ _**things**_ to get a hold of you." Unsure by what he meant by that, Julia took his hand and followed him up to the shinigami buildings, the alarm not blaring with their presence as they made their way into one of the buildings.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Alex, Julia, Sophie, Mr. Shezmu, and the Undertaker all sat on a bench waiting for the council to let them in. Mr. Shezmu had a look of anger on his face, while Alex and Julia were talking among themselves and kept themselves occupied. Sophie had her eyes closed and was resting her head on the Undertaker's shoulder, her body still tired after being looked at by the doctors. The Undertaker had made it difficult for them and would not leave Sophie's side as she was lying unconscious in the hospital. She opened her eyes about an hour since the incident, immediately being told to go to the court rooms where the council would precede. The Undertaker had to carry her there and that's where they had been since, waiting for the council to call them in. Once the doors flew open it was Mr. Shezmu who stood up, giving a nod to the Undertaker as he began to walk in. "Stay here with Alexander. I'll explain everything to the council," he said to Alex and Julia, the doors closing behind him as he walked in.

"But –" Julia tried to say but was cut off by the loud slam of the doors. Julia bit down on her bottom lip and brushed away a tear. "This is my fault… isn't it?"

"No," Alex said, flinching slightly when he saw her narrowing her eyes at him. "I mean…" he chuckled slightly, "it wasn't your fault. You were convinced by that demon to come here right? Well don't take it all upon yourself for this."

"B-but…" she looked over at Sophie, who was whimpering slightly and had a tight grip on the Undertaker's coat. He smiled, brushing a hand through her hair to calm her down. In an instant she did, murmuring something in her sleep as she clung to the Undertaker with her right hand. "Sophie…"

"Don't worry about it," Alex smirked to her, letting out a sigh and leaning his back against the wall, "she wouldn't want you to anyways." Julia looked at him unsure with his statement, but cracked a little smile once she heard that Sophie wasn't whimpering anymore. Then she leaned her head against the wall, closing her eyes in a desperate attempt to wake up and hope it was all a dream.

)(*&^%$#!

"… and that's what happened," Mr. Shezmu said as he finished his explanation of the events. "My daughter didn't know what she was getting into and Mr. Agon with Miss. Ioreta was simply helping her as any friend would."

"Being friends with a demon is highly irregular," one of the old shinigamis sitting around said, "but since this demon is your daughter then she must also be half-shinigami and must be dealt with our council."

"I will not let you," he narrowed his eyes gray eyes, a hint of red beginning to shine in his eyes. "Almost every one of you here knows why I left this organization. You did not agree with my methods and kicked me out. I will **not** let you corrupt my daughter with your insane ideology on how the life source of souls should be handled. I have already lost seventeen children and ten more have died **recently** in your care. I will not stand for how you treat me and my kind, and I will _**certainly**_ not have my daughter be taught here."

One of the shinigamis pushed up their glasses, looking sternly at him, "Does this mean you are against us now? Will we have to kill you like we have killed other Gods of Death who will not cooperate with our basic teachings?"

"I wish to not sound threatening," Mr. Shezmu began, "but I will not stand for your organization and how they've destroyed so many of my children. I, in this manner, have stayed out of your issues and concerns. I simply ask that you do not pull my daughter into your organization. She does not want to join anyways. We have been friendly for years and I only wish that this insignificant incident can be forgotten and we can all move on."

"… we have found forms of all the children who have joined us with the last name Shezmu," one of them began as they looked over a brown folder, "and we wish to not start a war with you. Many have them had risked their lives and some have even been proclaimed legendary shinigamis. We hope to keep in good terms with you as you have done for us, but," he began again as he pushed up his glasses, "we see here that Sophia Ioreta is not as she seems. She had recently written forms under the man Maurus Serbus, who died recently, for a God of Death ceremony along with other forms. Could you care to tell us about them?"

"Well…" Mr. Shezmu thought as he tried to come up with an explanation. "She is Maurus Serbus' daughter and is a servant of the darkness and God of Death. As you can see from the forms, she has already taken the proper procedures to stay a God of Death and be a shinigami. As you know, a being like myself cannot go back on a vow that they have taken. Plus I do not think you want to kill the daughter of the man that convinced many of my kind to side with you, do you Henry Lorelei?" he finished.

"I suppose not," he huffed at him, putting the forms aside. "That leaves Alexander Agon, who is **also** a demon. Alexander and your daughter are demons; even if they are half-demons they still pose a threat to us. We have been able to not bring up young Agon because he hasn't posed a threat to us, but seeing as he brought a demon into our realm we will have to condemn him for his treachery. He will be kicked out of our academy –"

"It wasn't his fault Henry," Mr. Shezmu stopped him as a growl escaped his lips. "They are only kids –"

"Kids who can kill us," he finished him. "Alexander Agon will hereby be kicked out of the academy and the shinigami realms, unless you want me to pose a more serious punishment?" he glared at Mr. Shezmu, who only glared back. He smirked, grabbing his gavel as he continued.

"Wait!" they heard as the door slammed open, causing Mr. Lorelei to drop his gavel by the sudden disturbance.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie opened her eyes in a gasp, looking around the room she was in. It was nothing but black, pitch-black darkness. She whimpered to herself slightly, trying to walk through the darkness with her hands in front of her. Then all of the sudden she was thrown backwards, her eyes widening as they came into contact with dark amethyst eyes. She gasped as she let out a scream and closed her eyes, the man plunging a dagger into her chest.

When she opened them again she winced slightly, her eyes slowly adjusting to the intensity of the whiteness in the room. She looked over at noticed a woman in white, who was humming to herself as she played the piano. Sophie gasped back slightly, quickly noticing she looked like her mother. "M-mommy?" she asked, the woman turning around and looking at her. Sophie gasped, seeing the color red drenched all over the front of her clothes. "Mom! Mommy!" she cried out, watching as the woman fell backwards onto the ground and gasping for air. Sophie ran to her, her hands getting coated in her blood. "You can't leave me here alone! Mom!" she gasped, leaning her head into her chest as she closed her eyes in terror. "M-mommy… please don't leave me… I'm **so** alone without you," she gasped, clutching her fists as her eyes were tightly closed.

Sophie slowly opened her eyes in fear, noticing she was kneeling down in the dirt. She quickly got up, looking around and trying to take in her surroundings. Then there was a man who sat with his head against the tree as he gasped for air. "P-papa?" she asked, walking over to him slowly. She was getting rather terrified now, her hands still coated in the blood of her dead mother. "No don't die okay! Just… uhh!" Sophie gasped, running to him and pounding on his chest. "What is going on! I hate this! Why can't this go away!" She cried out, blood gushing onto her face.

"It's because you haven't moved on," her father said answering her question.

Then he closed his eyes and gasped his last breath, causing Sophie to scream. "Papa what do you mean? Papa!" She cried, burying her head into his chest as she kept pounding on his chest. "W-what do you mean?... Why me!"

"Why me!" she yelled opening her eyes, noticing she was back in the darkness. It wasn't the darkness, but a cold, stony room with no light. She looked around as her eyes adjusted, hearing water dripping down in a puddle in the corner of the room. _**'Drip… drip… drip…'**_ she listened as she looked around, trying to get up. She gasped in pain, noticing chains on her hands, feet, and a tight one around her neck as she tried to get off of the ground. Sophie looked around in fear, expecting Dorren to pop out at her at any moment, but nothing came. She shivered as she curled up in a little ball, trying to warm herself up as her teeth chattered. "W-what is wrong with me?" she said quietly to herself, closing her eyes once again and hoped she would just stay in the place and not be disturbed by anything else.

She felt something in the back of her mind telling her to wake up, and she jolted up, flinching back slightly as she lifted her head. Then she felt a painful sting in her arm and she lay back down, looking up at the Undertaker with his big black hat and mortician outfit. She let out a sigh of relief, snuggling back into his shoulder and refusing to close her eyes again. "Nightmare?" he asked, Sophie shaking her head and grabbing hold of his sleeve tightly.

"N-no…" she said with a sigh, "memories."

She looked around and noticed that the walls where white, which she always despised about the shinigami realm. Sophie looked down at her hands and noticed they were clean, no blood coating her frail and cut up hands. She cracked a smile and kissed her hands to make sure they were real, quickly realizing that her left arm was still broken and flinched back in pain. That was going to take some time to heal. She closed her eyes and listened in on the councils' conversation and she frowned, noticing that they were talking about Alex. She bit down on her bottom lip, slowly getting up off of the bench and holding her left arm tightly in pain. "Sophia sit back down," the Undertaker said, quickly grabbing her hand.

"N-no I need to go in there," she quickly said, suddenly taking off in a dash and opening up the door. "Wait!" she yelled into the room, pushing it open with both of her hands. She winced in pain as she felt a stinging sensation surging from her arm and chest, refusing to back down now. "You can't punish him!" she gasped, staggering into the room.

"Woh," Mr. Shezmu said and grabbed hold of her before she fell to the ground.

"And why can't we?" one of the council members said. "This is mostly the fault of Alexander Agon. If it hadn't been for his connections to the demon then the demon wouldn't have come here to confront him –"

"But I'm friends with her also!" Sophie yelled at them, pushing out of Mr. Shezmu's grip and propping herself up. "If you want someone to blame then blame **me**. She came here because of **my** disappearance. She came here to get her questions answered on why I had been missing because no one would give it to her. Plus I've already caused overtime for all of you in the past, correct? **Alex hasn't**. Wouldn't it be more logical to condemn me, a shinigami who has been disobeying orders while Alex clearly has not?" Then she narrowed her eyes at them, anger streaming in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. "You better not say that you are not condemning me because I am related to my father, Maurus Serbus. I don't care what he has done for you in the past, but I am Sophia Ioreta Serbus. I am my **own** person and I can pick and choose what I do with the life I have been given. I am different from my father and that much should be clear to _**all of you**_."

Many sitting around them blinked in confusion, stunned by her outstanding explanation and defense for her peer. "… We will have to examine this investigation in further depth. We will come to a decision in a few days. Council dismissed," Mr. Lorelei said as he banged the gavel on the table, quickly getting up and leaving.

That's when the Undertaker ran in and grabbed hold of Sophie's body before she fell over and hit the ground. "Little maiden, you never cease to amaze me," he laughed, picking her up bridle style as they quietly left the room.

Sophie smirked at him, letting her left arm sit on her stomach as they walked out with Mr. Shezmu behind them, "That really was amazing that you defended Alexander, Young Serbus."

"Oh well…" Sophie looked to her stomach and shrugged before looking at the both of them. "I was only speaking the truth. I'd rather not see another person in trouble right now, okay?" she sighed, closing her eyes and letting out a yawn. The Undertaker smirked and kissed the top of her head, letting her fall asleep in his arms.

Once they walked out they noticed William sitting next to Alex, trying in a desperate attempt to apologize. When he noticed that the council had adjourned he stood up and bowed to them, about to take off. "Please stay for a moment,_ Mr. Sp~ears~_" the Undertaker smirked, sitting down on the bench with Sophie's face buried in his chest. William hesitated for a moment and sat down, looking over at Alex before he looked back to the Undertaker. "You could have killed Sophia today," he said to him roughly, causing William to cringe at the tone in his voice, "but I am more disappointed in the way you treated your apprentice than anything else. Can you keep your mind off of trying to kill demons and think about what he was trying to tell you?"

William looked at the ground and nodded, looking over to Alex as Alex continued to glare at him. "I am deeply sorry Alexander. It was wrong for me to yell at you like I did. It will never happen again, I promise."

"No it's okay," he shrugged, poking Julia awake, "It worked out in the end – hey Julia didn't you want to say something?"

"Oh yeah!" she yelled, jumping off of the bench and waking up Sophie. "Since father is back I was going to do a little celebrative dinner tonight. Do you three want to come also?"

"O-of course," Sophie chuckled.

"Now wait a minute," the Undertaker said interrupting her. "You've been badly injured and I refuse to see you get hurt again –"

"I'll be fine!" Sophie smirked, giving him a quick peck on his cheek before settling down in his arms again. "I need something to take my mind off of everything anyways… Hey are you coming Mr. Spears?" she decided to ask.

"Well I don't want to intru –"

"You are my mentor and I want you to come," Alex shrugged, a hidden smirk on his face as his mentor grumbled to himself.

"And invite Grell Sutcliff," Sophie said, causing William's eyes to widen in shock.

"Hey wait now –"

"If you're going to bring _your_ mentor, Alex, then I want mine to come," she huffed. "Besides I think they need to talk to Mr. Shezmu about… stuff," she shrugged.

Alex laughed, "Yeah stuff! Sure what do you think Julia?"

"The more the merrier!" she smiled, walking over to her father and grabbing hold of his arm. "When?"

"I'd rather do this tomorrow night," Mr. Shezmu sighed as he felt his arm being pulled. "I have some things I need to still do."

"Alright," she smiled, snuggling her face into his arm. "I'm just happy you're back now."

"Oh and don't forget Margaret," Alex told her.

"Why don't _**you**_ tell her," Julia winked at him as she was pulled away by her father.

Alex looked over at Sophie, who was out like a light, and let out an annoyed sigh. "Oh great," he grumbled to himself, "two people I have to invite."

"I'll leave you now," the Undertaker said, walking away from William and Alex with Sophie tightly in his hands. He frowned when she cringed slightly, her left arm being bumped slightly when he kicked the door open. He looked back at the building and then at Sophie, noticing the bewildered look on her face. "Now for the _two bod~ies_ I need to bury," he giggled to himself, his Cheshire cat grin quickly coming back to his face as he skipped back to the cemetery.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

With a skip in her step Sophie jumped to the top of the stairs, knocking on the door of the large mansion. "Hello Albert," Sophie grinned happily once the door swung open, the Undertaker finally catching up to the top of the stairs with his famous smile on his face.

"Sophia Serbus! It's great to greet you here again," he nodded to her, looking over at the Undertaker with an unsure look on his face, "and who might you be?"

"The Undertaker, Mr. Albert," he grinned, Sophie nudging him in the shoulder as she shook her head by his funny demeanor.

"I see…" Albert said as he let them in. "Julia is in the room at the far right. I'll direct you," he said, leading them down the hallways and into a room.

Julia was sitting on a couch completely asleep, while her father was in a nearby chair reading a book and sipping some tea. "Thank you Albert," Sophie nodded to him, Albert giving her a bow and closing the door on them. Mr. Shezmu looked up from his book and smiled as Sophie skipped around the room and looked at the books. "Hello Mr. Shezmu. It is good to have you back," she grinned, causing Julia to jolt up and rub her eyes.

"Yes well, thank you Sophia," he smiled back, looking back at his book. "The two of you can sit down if you would like. No one else has showed up yet."

The Undertaker quickly took up his offer and sat down on a couch, Julia looking up and smiling happily. "Sophie!" she giggled, jumping off of the couch and grabbing her in a tight hug. Then she gasped, jumping back and letting go of her once she remembered that she had been injured. "Oh no I'm so sorry –"

"Hey it's alright!" Sophie chuckled, a smile on her face as she waved her hands in front of her. "My wounds have pretty much healed up."

"Already?" Julia gasped, "b-but I thought you were a human or something?"

"Meh," Sophie shrugged, "sort of. I'm healing quicker by the day. It'll only be a matter of time till I'm back to my normal self… though I don't think I'll be back at full capacity for the final exams. I hope I can handle it." Then she moved her left arm, poking it and then punching it. "See! All better," she grinned.

Julia giggled and grabbed her back in a hug, letting go as she heard the Undertaker talking to them. "Don't do that Sophia," he said with a grin, as he grabbed a random book and began reading it, "you've not fully healed yet. I don't want to have to sew you back up."

"Alright mister _sour~puss_~" she puckered her lips and then let out a huff, crossing her arms over her chest before a smile came back to her face. Sophie did have to admit that the pain was still there. It wasn't as bad as it was yesterday, but it still stung. Plus her chest wound still hadn't healed up yet, meaning she would always have the scar on her chest. A scar in the exact same place as before; Sophie surely didn't like the idea of having to always be protective of her body. She didn't have the strength as the other shinigamis, but if she can just be swift with her actions then perhaps she will prevail over them during the finals.

She smiled when Julia dragged her to the couch she had been sleeping on, setting her head back down on the armrest and let out a yawn. "Alex is taking _**forever**_. He said he would be here earlier, but nope! At least I have some company," Julia grinned.

Sophie nodded and set her head on the other side of the couch. "I'm glad to see you again," she sighed, closing her eyes and yawning. "I've missed going out with you."

"Then we should start going again!" Julia giggled. "I found the greatest little pub with the best drinks! And they have dancing! I know how much you _lov~e_ dancing!"

"Oh yes," Sophie chuckled, "but not right now. I can't have any alcohol right now, but maybe after my finals we'll make it a date. How does that sound?"

"Great!" Julia giggled, looking over and noticing that Sophie was falling asleep. Then she calmed down, looking to the ground as she let out a sigh. "I'm sorry for getting you into danger. It was wrong of me to go to the shinigami realm when I knew what could happen to me. I'm sorry…"

"Hey it's alright," Sophie answered her, "I didn't die and that's a good thing! I'm just tired right now… a lot has happened right now and my brain has been on overdrive for a while."

"Like what?" she asked, sitting up on the couch to listen to her better.

"Ummm…" Sophie opened her eyes as she thought, looking over at Mr. Shezmu who was looking over at them with curiosity too. "It will be a long explanation though," she said as she glanced over at Julia.

"It's better than a short one," she smirked, watching as Sophie sat up on the couch and rubbed her eyes.

"Well let me start at the beginning then…" Sophie began, Julia looking over intently and listening to every detail she would think of.

)(*&^%$#!

"… so I now call myself Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death," Sophie said as she chuckled, "but I'd rather be called Sophia Ioreta any day… Hey maybe the name Serbus may grow on me! I don't know yet."

Julia giggled back, a sigh escaping your lips. "You're lucky Sophie," she said in a disappointed way.

"And, may I ask, am I _**luck~y**_?" Sophie tilted her head in a rather silly way. "I guess losing my memories is something to be lucky about… hey maybe it was the part of eternally sealing my soul to Death! Yeah that must be it, right?" she finished rather sarcastically, a frown coming to Julia's face.

"No," she said roughly, looking over to her father before back at Sophie. "You seem to know a lot about what you are, but I don't. My father has never told me who my mother is and now I want to know… and also," she said as she scooted over to Sophie to whisper into her ear, "I never knew my father was a God of Death till now. I want to know… why he hasn't passed his oath onto someone else. Did he do so already and the child just died?" Julia let out a sigh as she sat back on the couch, looking up to the ceiling as she grumbled to herself. "I don't know Sophie… I have so many questions now, like why can't I go and see what my father does for a living? Why haven't I seen any of these other children he supposedly had? I don't know, but I'm starting to get frustrated."

"How did you learn about all of that?" Sophie asked, setting her head on the couch and looking up to the ceiling.

"I read about it," Julia shrugged, "and it wasn't fun once I found out… but now I feel the need to find out, you know? Find out about this past of mine that can help me with my future."

"Well I **completely** support you Julia," Sophie said as she tilted her head and gave her a reassuring smile. "It is a lot of work to find out things about yourself, heck I haven't figured out everything myself! But if you keep at it then it'll be worth it in the end… trust me on this one."

Julia gave her a nod, grabbing her in a hug and squishing her head against her cheek. "Oh I've missed you so much!" she laughed, squeezing the life out of Sophie.

"Agh!" she yelped, "Choking, not breathing!" Sophie said quickly, Julia jumping back and giggling to herself.

"Ah sorry Sophi – Hey Alex is finally here!" Julia jumped to her feet and ran to the door that slowly opened to reveal Alex, Margaret, William, and Grell. Julia wrapped Alex in a big hug and pulled him into the floor. "Finally! We have been waiting for hours!" she groaned, Sophie and the Undertaker getting up at the same time, which caused Sophie to giggle at him.

"We're only thirty minutes late," Alex grumbled to himself as they got off of the floor.

"But we would have been here sooner if **Grell** didn't take so long," William grumbled as he pushed his glasses higher on his face.

"_S~~orry_!" Grell huffed and crossed his arms.

Sophie walked over to them and looked at Grell from top to bottom. He was wearing a red and black dress, obviously made by his own two hands. It fit him like a glove, which he wore a long black pair of gloves. He also wore 16cm red heels, which Sophie had never actually seen before and had to tilt her head a little in wonder on how he could stay up and not topple over. "Dang Grell, _looking __**go~od**_~" Sophie answered him, everyone looking over at her in surprise. "Well he does," she shrugged, walking over to Grell and giving him a hug. "Thanks for coming guys. I don't think we need an explanation on what's been keeping you," she winked to Grell as she let go and gave Margaret a hug. "Now…" she said as she looked over at Julia, "What now?"

"Oh I know!" Julia said as she jumped up and down. "You should show me your outfit!"

"O-ou… outfit? What outfit?" Sophie tilted her head in confusion, only causing Julia to giggle more.

"Yes what outfit?" Alex asked, equally confused.

"Oh _you know_," Julia said as she slyly walked over to Sophie and took her hands into her own. "Every God of Death has an **official** outfit. I would know because father has one," she grinned happily, Mr. Shezmu shaking his head and walking over to them as they stood in between the hallway and the room.

"Julia…" her father said as he walked over. "Don't force her to put it on. Sophia's been through a lot and probably feels tired right now –"

"Hey, now hold on!" Sophie said as she held her hands up, "I never said I **couldn't**. Plus I should dress up a bit, right?" she smiled, walking a few steps back so she could give herself some room. Then she paused, looking over to the Undertaker with concern. "W-wait should I?" she thought quietly to herself, "Or not?..."

"Go ahead," the Undertaker said with a smirk, causing Sophie to smile and let out a sigh.

"Okay here it goes," she sighed, grabbing one side of her shoulder and swiping her suit coat around. Her coat quickly transformed into a black cloak, circling her body and engulfing her. It swished around her and she grabbed it with both hands, tying a thin piece of black cloth around her neck to secure the cloak in place. Everyone at the door stood there in awe, except for Mr. Shezmu and the Undertaker. Sophie stood there and swayed back and forth, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips as she looked down at herself. The black suit she had been wearing turned into the outfit she had been wearing when she took her oath. It was a long white dress, causing her to look thin, secured tightly by a golden and black rope. She wore gold sandals, which she never really liked and may change it later. The black cloak flowed around her as she moved, the hood off of her head and showing them her face. Her auburn hair accented well with her crystal blue and shinigami greens eyes, making them sparkle more than normal. Of course she had her mother's green wedding ring handing around her neck, the silver chain complimenting well with the rest of her look. "I don't partially like the sandals," Sophie grumbled to herself as she moved the bottom of her dress slightly as she pointed her feet a bit, "but what do you think –"

Sophie let out a yelp as Julia giggled and wrapped her hands around her, jumping up and down excitedly. "You look magnificent!" she cheered as she jumped happily. "You actually look great! You should _see_ how others can look when they change form. **Ugh**, very gross."

Margaret took a step forward, enough for Sophie to quickly notice. "W-wow…" she couldn't help but say, still trying to take everything in. "Y-ou need to tell me how this is even possible…" she said to her, cracking a smile.

"Of course!" Sophie smiled happily as Julia let go of her. She looked over at the other three, noticing Alex was simply chuckling while the other two were in awe. "Are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

"Ummmm…" William tried to speak, quickly getting quiet again as he looked away uncomfortably.

"So beautiful!" Grell gasped, running at her and falling into Sophie, causing her to yelp when she was given a bone crushing hug by Grell. "I am so jealous! I wish I had your figure!" he huffed, still hugging her tightly.

"C-crushing, not hugging…" Sophie was able to say, causing Grell to quickly let go.

"Oh sorry dear," he smiled, brushing her slightly with a cheerful smile on his face.

"Do you like it?" the Undertaker asked, walking over to her with a grin on his face.

"Actually… yeah," Sophie smiled as she twirled around and let the dress and cloak flow behind her. "It's better than a suit is any day! I like how it flows and how it doesn't stick to my body in an uncomfortable way."

"Well it _**is**_ a transformation," Mr. Shezmu responded, "it fits to how **you** are, not anyone else."

"Oh okay," Sophie nodded, giving Julia a content smile.

Julia's eyes glowed happily, a hint of mischief behind them. "How about the wings? Can I see those too?"

"The wings?" Sophie paused, taking a big step backward in defense. "I-I don't know –"

"You have wings?" Mr. Shezmu asked, scratching the back of his head in confusion. "How could that be? Not if –"

"My mother?" Sophie said with a sigh. "She is human but… well it's a longer story I guess," she shrugged. "I don't know about the wings though. I may not be able to… I still don't understand how they show up."

"Oh," Julia said with disappointment in her voice. "If you can't then you don't have to –"

"Wait, give me a second," Sophie said as she took a few more steps backward, walking closer to the Undertaker than anyone else. "Let me…" she closed her eyes and concentrating, trying her best to summon the black haze to her back. She let out a deep sigh and the black haze formed out of her back, large black wings forming on her back. She cringed slightly at a sudden pain, the pain from the deep stab wound on her back. She opened her eyes and looked behind her, her wings flapping behind her before they settled down on her back. "Okay there we go," she smiled happily at them, looking over at the group. "W-what's with that look?" she asked, taking a sudden step back in fright.

"Black wings, huh…" Mr. Shezmu as he thought to himself, "from the black mist… interesting…"

"Sophie that's so cool!" Julia said, running into her chest and hugging her tightly. Sophie cringed back and pushed her away, feeling rather vulnerable all of the sudden. "Oh…" Julia frowned, a sudden smile coming back to her face as she understood. "Sorry. It's just, none of the demons I know have wings like you do. Not in such a weird form like that… c-can I –"

Sophie smiled, turning around so she could have a better look. "Yeah you can touch it, but not too much. My back still hurts."

Julia nodded and gently touched her wings, the wings evaporating in her hands and she gasped. "So cool! Alex check this out!" she said, ushering the group to come over to her.

Sophie bit down on her bottom lip as she still felt oddly vulnerable about so many hands on her wings. Even if it wasn't fully there, she felt that if they touched them then they'd burn up or something equally as bad. She closed her eyes as they touched her wings, all of them being rather curious once they saw her wings open up. "How does a God of Death have wings?" William thought to himself, talking to no one in particular but himself.

"They don't," the Undertaker said, Sophie noticing that he was a few inches from her face. "It's something only Sophia seems to have… even her father didn't have wings. It depends on a beings genetic makeup and what makes them supernatural. In her case she got the wings from her mother, who isn't an angel but has an ancestor that must have been an angel." Then her eyes shot open when he felt his protective arms wrap around her waist, pulling her into his chest. He frowned slightly, noticing her trembling and the fear in her eyes. "How the wings are formed is from the black haze that her father had. It is a rather puzzling thing, for I have only seen wings like this one other time… now you can put them back," he smiled, brushing a hand through her hair.

In an instant the wings disappeared, Sophie letting out a satisfied sigh once the black haze completely disappeared around her. She looked up at the Undertaker and turned around in his grasp, looking at the group who was still looking at her in awe. "Oh don't be so surprised," Sophie shrugged, back to her normal self. "It's not like the wings matter to me…"

"Oh whatever Sophie!" Julia smirked, a chuckle escaping her lips as she pointed to her. "I know you think they're cool too!"

It was around this time when Albert walked in, bowing to the group and causing them to look over at him. "Dinner is served sir," he said to Mr. Shezmu who gave him a nod.

"Thank you Albert," he said to him, letting the butler leave to attend to his duties. "Now if we're done talking about Sophia, let's go and have some dinner," he said, walking out of the room followed by Julia, Alex, and Margaret trailing behind him. William grumbled to himself as Grell wrapped his arm into his and pulled him along, unable to ask them another question on Sophie's wings or anything else concerning her powers.

Sophie let out an annoyed sigh, scratching the back of her head. "I wasn't expecting myself to be able to do **anything**."

"Well you're _improving~_" he whispered into her ear, biting down on her earlobe slightly and causing her to flinch away from. He giggled, Sophie narrowing her eyes at him. "Don't be so sour. I'll have to _punish_ you again."

Sophie huffed, wiggling out of his arms slightly so she wasn't leaning into his chest. "You're punishments aren't very threatening, you know."

"Oh is that so?" He chuckled, grabbing hold of her waist and swinging her into his arms. She let out a shriek, quickly being silenced by a hand going over her mouth. "Then I'll have to give you _more~_ of a punishment then, because _I've been holding back_~" he hissed into her ear, tilting her head up and licking her neck.

Sophie winced, trying to move her head away. He smirked and kissed her neck before giving a peck on her cheek. "Geeze…" she grumbled as she crossed her arms over her chest and huffed, "I shouldn't have said anything."

"Yes you shouldn't have," he smirked, walking out of the room and catching up with the group as they walked into the dining room.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie yelped as she was tackled to the ground by Julia, bumping into Alex and causing a cascade of the trio on the ground. They all laughed heartedly, Sophie smile the biggest of all of them. She hadn't had this much fun in months, almost forgetting how much fun good company was in her life. She rolled over to her back and let out a sigh, Julia sprawling across Alex and Sophie as they looked up at the ceiling. "Oh I miss this," Sophie smiled to herself with another sigh escaping her lips.

"Same here," Alex said with a sigh. "The academy has been keeping me busy lately… we need to have more fun more often."

"Of course!" Julia giggled as she buried her head into Alex's chest. "We need to paint the town red!"

"Oh god we're not going to go out and kill people," Sophie rolled her eyes, causing in the three of them to burst out laughing. Sophie sighed again, looking up to the sky and closing her eyes. Margaret had decided to go back to her dorm because of her classes in the morning. Grell had dragged William away and wanted to see more of the mansion, though Sophie was rather hesitant on what was going through the red-head's mind when he was giggling about being alone with William. The Undertaker and Mr. Shezmu were out and about too, leaving the three of them in a small ballroom that was smaller than the one Sophie remembered going into for their annual Halloween party. Everything was almost perfect, even if she had a lot of things she had to think about. It was nice to sit back and relax every once in a while, enjoying their company as much as they enjoyed hers.

Julia sighed, rolling off of them and sinking her body between Alex and Sophie. "I can't believe I'm a half-breed… all this time I thought I was a complete demon, but really I'm a half-Death God and half-demon."

"It's not that bad," Alex shrugged, "but not always fun."

"Yeah exactly," Sophie said with a sigh. "You can be brought up in a community that is one species like your own, but not completely accepted. That's the problem with being a half-breed. You can't really get along anywhere."

"Well I'm ready for the challenge!" Julia cheered to herself, causing the other two to look over at her. "You will help me, right?"

"Of course!" Alex and Sophie said, the three of them chuckling at the sudden thought.

Then Sophie pounced on top of her, causing Julia to wince. "Only if you go out on a date with me," she beamed, sitting on her knees.

"What is this!" Alex gasped, feeling left out.

"I need to be appreciative of my _**little wif~e**_ of course," Sophie smirked, suddenly tickling Julia. She gasped and giggled, wiggling underneath her as she cried for help. Sophie let out a yelp, being tackled off of Julia and landing on her back as Alex tickled her own sides. "No, stop! Stop! Alex!" she laughed, laughing harder then Julia was doing.

"Oh my, she's ticklish. Get her!" Julia yelled, jumping onto her as the two of them pinned her down and kept tickling her.

Sophie kicked and wiggled underneath them, crying as she kept laughing her head off. Then they heard the door open and the two of them stopped, noticing it was the Undertaker. "And what are the three of you up to?" he asked as he walked over and loomed over them.

"Oh nothing," Alex and Julia said, quickly getting off of Sophie as she kept giggling.

The Undertaker smirked and attacked Sophie's sides, causing her to laugh again and flail around. "Stop! Stop! Oh – ahhHHah!" she kept laughing as she curled up into a ball and tried to protect her sides.

Even once he stopped tickling her Sophie kept laughing, turning over on her side and trying to cover her waist. "I think you cracked her," he giggled; trying to pick her up, but was rejected by her hands pushing him away.

"If anything **you** cracked her," Julia giggled, the Undertaker giving her a smug smile and roughly picking Sophie up.

"Come here little maiden," he said, letting Sophie rest her head on his shoulder as she rubbed her head into the nudge of his neck. The Undertaker chuckled, not used to such affectionate behavior from her. "You two can keep talking. I'll be over there," he pointed to a corner that had a line of couches, sitting down on one of them and watched as Alex and Julia talked to each other from afar.

Sophie murmured to herself, annoyed with how her body was betraying her and cuddling into the Undertaker. Every time she tried to get up he would tickle her and that would make her body fling back against his. He smirked; watching as she slowly got tired and let out a yawn. "Y-you're mean…"

"Well I'm not done with you," he grinned, which made Sophie groan. "And I won't tell you when **yet**," he chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she frowned.

"Whatever," she answered him, curling up into his chest and closing her eyes.

He smiled, brushing her hair and his hand slowly lingering down the side of her body. The white dress really did show off body curves you normally wouldn't see since Sophie liked wearing baggy clothes, which was making him slightly jealous. Why not? She was his after all, but not in the way of anything sexual. He could never do **that**… he just couldn't. Though he would admit his mind had wandered to other things, but he would feel guilty whenever he thought about her in that manner. She felt like his daughter, but yet he knew she wasn't. That's what made it difficult, trying to decide what their relationship was. He would not push anything, letting Sophie take the lead in their relationship. If she needed him to be a father he would be a father, but if she needed something more… then he would probably comply. The Undertaker closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of her hair, his hand resting in the curve of her waist. He really had to admit, it was the heavenly scent her pure soul was giving off that made him feel this way. It reminded him so much of a different soul that would drive him crazy, but it was slightly different then Sophie's soul… a more **mature** soul. He let out a sigh as his lips caressed her hair, staying that way for a few moments with no desire to let her go.

"Are you done fondling over her?" the Undertaker heard from next to him, watching at Mr. Shezmu sat down on the other side of the couch and watched Alex and Julia roughhousing with each other.

The Undertaker grinned, hiding away any signs of his thoughts as he held her protectively. "Why yes, _for now_," he giggled.

Mr. Shezmu chuckled back, letting out a tired sigh. "It'll be nice to relax again… well once everything with my daughter is cleared up. I refuse to let them take her away, I just refuse! I am sorry that I don't trust them," he looked over at the Undertaker, "but I simply can't. I hope Maurus can understand that."

"I bet he can," the Undertaker shrugged. "He was always the _forgiving_ type."

Mr. Shezmu nodded, looking over at Sophie as she slept against the Undertaker's chest. "You better treat her well Undertaker. I have known you ever since Maurus introduced me to you, but I can't help but be nervous about her with you. And… you know how our kind is. We are very exclusive and only want certain things to be done. I know that Maurus wants his daughter to be married off, so keep that in mind when you play around with her. I know she calls you father, but her real father is Maurus."

The Undertaker shook his head, "Sophia has already made it clear that she wants to stay with me. Besides she has gone through much abuse already and she's only nineteen years old. That's enough in my opinion, and I hope to shield her and keep her happy. If you don't trust me then I can respect that, but Sophia does and I plan to continue treating her as I have been." Then he smirked, tilting up her head and kissing her cheek. Mr. Shezmu twitched slightly, noticing that Sophie had smiled in her sleep and cuddled in closer to the Undertaker's face.

Mr. Shezmu let out a sigh, rubbing his hair in annoyance. "**Fine**," he grumbled to him, "but if you don't protect her then I'll take the matters into my own hands, got that?"

"That's alright with me," he grinned back, letting Sophie wiggling around on his lap in her sleep. "If it hadn't been for her parents dying… I wouldn't have gotten involved," he said honestly as he hugged her tightly. "I feel responsible for the death of Mr. and Mrs. Serbus. Finding Sophia on the streets was complete luck, but I haven't gotten over their death yet." Then the Undertaker looked back at Mr. Shezmu, grinning from ear to ear. "So I plan on keeping her. Plus she already says that she's mine and she makes me happy. I think everyone needs some companionship, _right~?_"

Mr. Shezmu gave him a nod, then looking over at Julia as she pinned Alex to the ground and smirked down at him. "I can understand why… I will leave you two alone then," he said, standing up and walking away.

That's when Sophie moved again, opening her eyes and looking up at the Undertaker. "Why do you feel guilty?" she asked, stunning him for a few seconds.

He didn't know she was awake through their conversation, but he chuckled and nuzzled into her cheek. "It's not that I'm guilty, but your father was a dear friend of mine. He had helped so many families by creating forms and applications for them to follow to join the shinigami council without problems, but he never had his own family till now. I just feel sorry for him, that's all."

Sophie grabbed his cheek and looked into his eyes, seeing past his silver bangs and into his shinigami green and yellow eyes. "I think he would want you to move on, and so do I for that matter," she smiled to him, sinking her head into his neck and letting out a breath on his shoulder. "I think it's for the best that I move on anyways. It's not like they haven't affected me, but I think moving on from their deaths will be the best."

He nodded, setting his head on top of her own and letting out a sigh. "How are your injuries?"

"Okay," she shrugged.

"Do you want to go home now?" he asked, noticing how tired her eyes looked.

"Yes," she said as she moved away from his arms and stood up. "Hey Alex!" she called to him, causing Alex and Julia to look over at her. "Tell Grell that I'll see him later, okay?"

"Okay!" he waved to her, getting tackled from behind by Julia.

"See you later Sophie!" Julia waved, sitting up on Alex's back as he tried to get her off of him but was failing. "Tell me how everything goes back at the shinigami realm."

"Sure!" Sophie smiled, giving them a wave and then walked over to Mr. Shezmu. "Thank you for letting us into your house," then she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, "and thank you for all that you've done for me. I'm glad to see that you're back here. Julia has been awfully lonely without you."

"I know…" he sighed, looking back at Sophie with a smile on his face. "Tell me what happens with the council's decision. I would hate it if my two apprentices are kicked out of the academy for something so trivial."

Sophie gave him a nod, letting a giggle escape her lips when the Undertaker wrapped his arms around her and looked over at Mr. Shezmu. "Well alright! I'll try to tell you asap," she smiled to him, her attention going back to the Undertaker as he waved to Mr. Shezmu. "Okay…" she sighed, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked, "Time to keep worrying now."

"Oh don't say that," he chuckled and gave her a kiss on the top of her hair. "You need to stop worrying about things. Plus you have a punishment you still have to take."

"Oh great," she groaned. "You're not going to make me fight you, are you?"

"I won't tell you till the time comes," he smirked, giving her another kiss as they walked into the streets of London, disappearing into the snow that began to fall around them.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Well that's it for now! Tell me how I'm doing! If you like it, don't like it, comments help ^^ Oh and here's a big question, do you guys want GrellXWilliam or have them stay friends? I don't care myself, but right now I've just not been going into great detail about their relationship. So yes? No? Please comment back! =D And sorry if I haven't been talking too much about Margaret. It's a bit hard to keep so many OCs in the story, so I hope you guys can understand if you like her ^^ and I hope you enjoyed this chapter X3**

_Slore_ – Gaelic – _slut, whore_

_Histalek_ – Hebrew – _Go away_

_Μην πεθάνετε__πατέρα_ – Greek – _Do not die father_

_Stamáta_ – Greek – _Stop_

_áfisé me ísiho_ – Greek – _leave me alone_


	27. The Precautions

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Oh another chapter! =D The last one will be tomorrow, and then I'm taking a break! There is actually a 29, but that's just an overview of all the OCs that I used. I don't know what I'll call it… hmmm… ^^ anyways, I hope you like this chapter. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Sophia Serb –"

"It's Ioreta," she smirked, interrupting one of the elder shinigamis in the council.

He narrowed his eyes at her before proceeding. "Sophia Ioreta, after looking over your files we have come to observe that the demon Dorren Apbolos is the one behind the deaths of your parents. We have all decided that you may finish this semester of the academy, but once you have completed your training, you will be sent to a top secret location where no one can track you. Since this demon is currently contracted to a human we are able to transport you in secret, but if you are to stay here then he will hunt you down for sure."

"Because of your father's prestige in the shinigami realm," someone else began, Sophie quickly noticing it was Fiona, "then we have decided that you can become a shinigami, but if you continue to cause problems for our organization then you will be disposed of, is that clear?"

"Oh course," she bowed to her, refusing to look at the other shinigamis in the council. "I will show the same aggravation that my deceased father showed while he was here," she smirked at them, the smug leaving her face as she looked at them in a monotone expression.

"You will take your final exams, since you are close to taking them," Mr. Lorelei told her, "and if you complete them then you can start your days as a new shinigami. If not, then you will be kicked out and disposed of since you cannot stay here in London any longer. Is that understood?"

"It is," Sophie answered, her voice very straight forward.

"You will be sent away immediately after the final examinations, if you make it to that point," he smirked to her, the smug look on his face quickly fading as he held up the mallet. "You have four days till the examinations. Good luck." Then Mr. Lorelei slammed his mallet on the table. "Council dismissed," he said, getting up and leaving.

Sophie walked out tall and proud, a tired sigh escaping her face once she noticed the Undertaker. "Four days…" she frowned, noticing the stoic look on his face.

"I see…" he looked at her, grabbing her shoulder and walking with her towards the exit. "That gives us plenty of time!" he giggled, Sophie raising an eyebrow.

"Oh is that so – Fiona!" Sophie smiled, watching as she walked over to them with a disappointed look on her face.

"Sophia I tried but… it was the best I could do!" she admitted, scratching the back of her head. "They really only needed a scapegoat and when you ran in on the verdict… so they decided to condemn you. Mostly Henry's doing really. Such a pompous windbag –"

"It's alright!" Sophie chuckled. "It couldn't be helped. Besides I… I would rather be in trouble then Alex okay?"

Fiona gave her a smile and nodded, soon looking over at the Undertaker with a stern look on her face. "Even I don't know where she will go. It'll probably be some arid landscape where there are not a lot of people, but then again I don't know. Only a few know where she's going and I'm not one of them. Maybe only two… one… I'm unsure."

"That's alright," the Undertaker said as he gave her a smile. "You did what you could manage. Thank you –"

"Of course!" she giggled. "It was the least I could do for this little Serbus!" Fiona laughed, rubbing Sophie's hair and messing it up.

"Hey!" Sophie yelped, backing away and putting her hair back in order. "Geeze…"

"Well good luck!" Fiona said, waving to them before she left. "I hope to see you around Sophia." Sophie nodded and waved back, exiting the doors with the Undertaker.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie frowned to herself as she grabbed some soup from the counter, her mind wandering away from what she was physically doing. She was glad that Alex and Julia didn't get into trouble, but now she had to leave. Where she grew up, her home, she would have to leave all of that because of that demon. _'Dorren,'_ she snarled to herself when she remembered that demon. Just why was he trying to kill her family? Was it an old grudge or something deeper? In all honestly she didn't care anymore, she just wanted to see him dead and out of her life forever. Sophie knew she would never be able to pull it off because she really wasn't that strong, and even when she gained all her powers she wouldn't be able to stop him… at least not yet. This time apart from England may do her good in the long run, but she was determined to come back and finish him off. For whatever reason was in place that her father could not kill him, she wasn't going to let this demon control her life. She would train herself, even if she had to do it alone, to defeat Dorren and destroy him. If anything she greatly hated that demon, Dorren Apbolos. She let out a gasp as her hand touched the pot, burning the edge of her knuckles. "Shit!" she yelped, almost dropping her bowl onto the floor.

"Is something the matter?" the Undertaker called into the kitchen, causing Sophie to chuckle nervously as she filled the second bowl.

"No everything is alright!" she answered him, blowing on her brunt hands and shaking them in pain. She slowly grabbed the bowls and walked into the main room, handing the Undertaker a bowl with a spoon in it. Sophie set hers down on a table and turned to leave, trying to hide her burnt hands from him.

He raised an eyebrow as he saw her stumble around, obviously hiding something from him. The Undertaker noticed that she quickly put her hands in her pockets, about to walk out of the room. "Little maiden, come over here," he said with a playful voice, Sophie stopping and slowly walked over to him.

She grinned back to him with her hands in her pockets, refusing the let them out. "What is it dad?"

"Show me your hands," he said in a monotone voice, causing her eyes to widen in fear.

"N-no really I –"

"Sophia…" he frowned, sending a chill down her spine.

"Oh fine," she grumbled to herself, slowly taking her hands out of her pockets and reluctantly showed him the top of her hands.

He set down the jar he had in his hands and wiped his hands. Then he took her hands into his and looked at the top of her hands, noticing a little bit of skin had bubbled and was peeling off. "Sophia…" he sighed, noticing it was a burn. "Why did you do that?"

"Sorry…" she looked away in embarrassment, "I got distracted…" Then she let out a sigh, "Just… everything is stressing me out… that's all." He smiled and blew on her hands, causing Sophie to flinch back slightly, "Ow! Hey it'll heal in a few minutes… I'm fine."

He pulled on her and made her sit down on his lap, nuzzling his head into her shoulder. "I think you've been pushed enough," he chuckled, Sophie looking at him curiously as he looked at her with a content smile on his face. "How about this, I give you the day off tomorrow. What do you think?"

"The day before my finals!" Sophie gasped, shaking her head, "N-no I don't think I'll be ready if –"

"Don't worry about it," he smiled, brushing some stray auburn hair from her face as he smiled at her. "You have been working hard and deserve a break. Besides, these bones aren't how they used to be," he groaned as he stretched an arm, causing Sophie to giggle.

"Okay then," she smiled, leaning her head into his chest, "I'll take a break."

She let out a yelp when he set her down next to him, handing her the bowl of soup she was going to leave behind on the table. "You better eat your dinner."

"Alright," she grumbled back at him, munching down on the carrots in her bowl and slurping up the soup.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a yawn as she cleaned the dishes, setting the bowls and utensils they used in their proper places. She looked around the kitchen with a longing look on her place, hoping the place wouldn't fall into complete ruin with her gone. She put her hand upon one of the cabinets and couldn't help but sigh, remembering her mother washing the dishes and tucking her in at night. She always loved being in Thomas' shop, helping him out and keeping things in order. She truly loved living in the mortuary, loving every moment she spent here.

She gasped when boney hands wrapped around her waist and around the top of her chest, knowing exactly who was behind her. "I think it's time for your _punishment~_" he giggled, his laughter ceasing as he nibbled on her neck.

Sophie squirmed as she tried to get away as he tickled her neck. "Stop. Stop! I'm ti-cklish!"

"_I know~_" he chuckled back, licking up her neck and causing her to whimper in protest, "but I still need to _**punish**_ you."

She squirmed away and tried to push his arms off of her, not liking the tone in his voice. "What exactly?" she asked, turning around as she narrowed her eyes and looked up at him.

The Undertaker smirked, leaning into her with his Cheshire cat grin plastered on his face. "I want to see you in your immaculate outfit before you go," he admitted, running a hand through her hair, "and I also want to sleep in the same bed with you,_ okay~?_"

Sophie felt her face suddenly going red, her cheeks burning up by the words he whispered into her ear. "I-I-I…" she was somewhat speechless, unable to think straight.

"You are _**mine**_, right?" he said into her ear, sending a shiver down her spine. "If you are _so_ unsure, then what do you think when I say it to you?"

Sophie paused, looking over at the wall before she looked back to the Undertaker. Then she gave him a smile, taking off his hat and moving his silver bangs away from his eyes. She giggled, putting the hat on top of her head before she answered him. "Oh I don't know," she shrugged with a giggle, "you _**are**_ my father's friend, but I also believe you to be my father and mentor. In all honestly…" She smiled to him with a smirk on her face, "I think, when you say that I'm yours, that you have possession over a part of me. Not my freedom and the choices I can make, but something… that's what I think." Then she gave him a quick kiss on the lips, pulling back before he could respond. "You should know I can't forget that you kissed me before I regained my memories. Honestly…. I'm still confused of what I'm thinking about right now… but _I love you_, that I know for sure." She wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at his expression. She smiled, noticing that he was deep in his own thoughts. "What do _**you**_ think when you hear that I'm yours?"

He looked down at her and grinned, smiling from ear to ear. He took his hat back and set it down on the counter behind him, refusing to take his eyes off of her. "Many things," he said, leaning his head towards hers and tilting her head up, "but _I love you_ too. Nothing can change that, even if we are separated by bodies of water and heaps of land. I will still love you and always look out for your safety. I **do** own you." He chuckled, nuzzling his nose with hers before looking back into her eyes, "I own you and you are mine… for as long as you want me to." Sophie's eyes went wide when he kissed her lips, his hand pulling her closer to him as he deepened the kiss.

She closed her eyes and pulled up into him, refusing to let him go. Then the clothes she was wearing disappeared and she was in a white dress and black cloak, the hood flying onto her head and coming over her face slightly. He looked down and grinned, parting his mouth from hers as he chuckled. "I want to stay yours, but there is something important that I need to say," Sophie said as she tilted her head so she could see his face.

"And what would that be?" he asked, hugging her tighter and pulling her tighter into his body.

"I…" she looked down before looking back at him, "I was brought up by my mom to wait until marriage before being intimate with someone. That is what she had done actually." Then she giggled, her smile beaming on her face, "Plus that's what I want to do! Wait until I find someone I truly love and want to spend the rest of my life with… just so we're clear," she finished.

"I understand…" he sighed rather disappointedly before his grin came back on his face, "but that doesn't mean that I can't have you to myself, _now does it?_"

"I guess not…" Sophie shrugged, letting out a yelp when he grabbed her body and picked her up.

She whimpered slightly as the Undertaker forcefully buried his head into her neck, sucking on her skin as he held her tightly in his arms. "Good," he grinned to her when he lifted up his head, causing Sophie to smile at him as she noticed his joyful expression. Then he kissed her lips, her eyes widening at how forceful he pushed into her. She had never felt this way before and didn't know how to respond, but when she let out a sigh into his mouth as she felt her wings fly out behind her. The Undertaker blinked and parted, noticing the mist of the black haze circling around his hand. Sophie curled up slightly, both shy and scared at what she just did. "What's the matter little maiden?" he asked as if it was completely normal.

"Oh I…" she gulped, "I-I don't know –"

She let out another yelp when his lips slammed back into hers, a devious smile on his face when they parted yet again. "Come here," he chuckled as he walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway. "_It's time for bed_," he cooed to her, throwing her onto the bed and pinning her down before she could struggle. The Undertaker snuggled his face into her chest, his hands trailing down her body to the rope around her waist. In a split second he disposed of it onto the ground, his face against her own as he kissed her again. "I am so sorry," he whispered to her as he looked at her and then hugged her tightly, "for everything I've done. I'm just so tired of being lonely and…" Then he let out a sigh, Sophie looking at him in confusion.

Every single time she would peel off a layer and found something about him, he would continue to amaze her with something entirely new and exciting to discover. Sophie chuckled, causing him to stop and lift his head up in confusion. "I think I said that everyone needs **some** companionship, right? Do you even remember that?" she smirked to him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek. "P-please don't be gloomy anymore… okay? Even when I'm gone…" He smirked to her and kissed underneath her chin, causing her to giggle. "Geeze why are you so protective!"

"Oh I don't know…" he sighed into her neck. "Just something about you, plus you're my _daughter_," he grinned, biting down on her neck and causing it to bleed slightly. She flinched slightly and gasped, feeling the blood flow down her neck as he lapped it up. He sent a trail of kisses down her neck and onto her chest, eventually resting his head on top of the spot where her chest wound is.

Sophie sighed to herself, closing her eyes as she kicked off the golden sandals from her feet. "Is my punishment over yet?"

The Undertaker just shrugged, turning over and set his head down on a pillow. Sophie smiled and set her head on his chest, tracing a line where she knew the scar mark on his chest was. The Undertaker smiled and wrapped his hand around her body, rubbing her back as she slowly went to sleep in his arms. He chuckled, brushing past her wings until it completely evaporated in his hands. Then he let a sigh escape his lips, pulling the covers over them as they both fell asleep.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed to herself, a skip in her step as she walked through the halls. She had taken all the final exam tests for her classes and had the rest of the day to rest thanks to the Undertaker. She wasn't really worried about her average classes, since she would pass regardless of her the grades on the exam, but about completing the examinations that she would be taking tomorrow. The practical technique mostly, but also the written and ethical parts of the examination also. The grades a shinigami will get in these portions also depend on their performance during their years at the academy. The practical technique will be a demonstration of a shinigami's abilities with four side strikes, five from behind, and two in the front. One of those moves has to either knock out her opponent or cause them to forfeit, which would come towards the end. Then the second portion would be a written exam, going over all the material she was supposed to know. Then lastly the ethical portion of the exam; a tally of her own ethics towards her peers and teachers during her days at the academy. She already knew her grade, a C, but that didn't matter too much to her since it would be automatic. Lastly would be a team up with another graduate to obtain a dying soul that had already been evaluated. For normal students this would be a week process, but since the council wants her out of their hair then she was to evaluate them when she read over their cinematic record. She wondered if she would even be given a partner, since this was cutting the time close and the other graduate wouldn't have time to come up with their own evaluation in the time they would probably give her. She didn't mind doing it alone, since it would be a job of hers to do if she did or didn't become a shinigami.

Sophie barely had her mind wrapped around relaxing anymore, but worrying about her examinations and if she would succeed. She hoped she wouldn't be put with a peer that was strong or needed pass as much as her during the practical technique exam. It would break her apart if she had to crush someone else's chances if they were placed in a situation like she is in. She looked up and opened a door, deciding it was about time for her to leave the realm and go home. She began to walk and then paused, noticing a familiar figure walking towards the building she walked out of. Her eyes widened and she let out a gasp, running as fast as she could into the hooded being. "Marius!" she gasped, wrapping her arms around him and almost pushing him to the ground.

He gasped in shock, not noticing her till she ran into him. "Sophia!" he laughed, hugging her back just as tightly as she did.

"W-what are **you** doing here?" she asked, letting go of him and adjusting her messenger bag on her shoulder.

"Well you have a day off and you said I could come here once you had a free day," he shrugged, adjusting the black cloak that he had around his neck. "P-plus Death wanted me to get some stuff for him anyways, though I don't know where to begin…"

"Do you have a list?" She asked, Marius giving her a nod and taking a list out from under his cloak. Sophie opened up the scroll and looked at the list, noticing that Death had written the buildings he would have to go to accomplish each item. "Okay," she shrugged, "We can start here at the academy! Then make our way west to the other buildings and we'll be done by lunchtime! Good thing too, I'm getting hungry," she frowned, hearing her stomach grumble.

Marius laughed and put his list back under his cloak, "Then you can show me the way then."

"Sure!" she smiled, taking his arm and pulling him back towards the building, "but first we need to get you into a suit. If you go around looking like _this~_ then there will be bound to be questions, and right now I don't want to answer them." Marius nodded in understanding, letting Sophie lead him into the building and up the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

Marius groaned as Sophie continued giggling, clinging to his arm as she was poking the new black suit she was making him wear. "I can't believe my dear old brother looks so hot! You actually look good in a suit! Unlike most of the men around here," she mumbled to herself before perking back up again.

"I don't think so," he sighed, adjusting his necktie for the upmost time again. "It looks weird… feels weird… I don't like it."

Sophie laughed, punching him in the arm lightly as she brought him through the hallways to their destination. "Don't worry about it! It's a bit different then a tunic, but it's easy to get used to. I like how your hair looks. I wonder if someone will say 'Oh my gosh it's Maurus!' or something like that," she laughed, messing up his hair.

He rolled his eyes and put his hair back to the style he liked it, looking out a window as he did. "I guess so… we **are** his children."

"No kidding," she puckered her lips before chuckling again. "Sorry I'm in just a good mood right now! So you need to talk to me about _**everything**_. You seem to know the details about my own life, but I don't even know where to begin with you! So tell me, what makes Marius Serbus, Marius?"

"Well ummm…" he began as they walked linked arm in arm with each other. "As I said, I have never been here before. I actually want to go to the human realm after my errands are done and look at all the things our parents talked about."

"Of course!" she smiled, "but only the things locally. I don't know if we can do anything like go see where papa grew up as a human… I don't even know where that is anyways!"

"That's alright," he smiled to her, "you can show me around your home. I would rather hang out with you then get lost somewhere else."

Sophie nodded and stopped once they made it around the bend, coming to the General Affairs Department. "So what do you need to do?"

Marius let out a cough as he looked over his list, skimming it over till he came to the items he was looking for. "I need to give them a few forms and request more. I also need to get his personal mail and ask for a date the council wants to meet with him. After that… well that is later," he finished, putting the list back in his suit pocket and following Sophie to the counter.

"Hello," Sophie said with a smile, the lady behind the counter looking over at them as she spoke.

"Hello there," she answered them uninterested, suddenly looking over at Marius with a smirk on her face. "Oh what a lovely hunk of man," she growled, causing Marius to blush. "He's not taken is he?"

"That **hunk** over there my _**brother**_," Sophie said with a huff, narrowing her eyes at her to stare her down. "Now," she began again, perking back up, "we need to get some items for a man named Death."

"Death?" she snorted. "I never heard of this before! What do you think you're asking for?"

"If I may Sophia," Marius said, scooting Sophie over to the side so he could talk to the lady. "I need to speak to your manager Daniela Sampson," he said in a monotone tone, very close to the tone of voice she heard Death talk in when she first met him.

"But she –"

"Now miss," he said narrowing his eyes. "I do not like to be kept waiting."

"Alright mister," she huffed, yelling at someone in the back to go and fetch the manager. Then she smiled, leaning over the counter and close to his face, "You like to dominate don't you? Why don't we go out for dinner some time? I know a nice, quiet café in the middle of London square."

"No thank you," he responded, starting to feel rather uncomfortable about the lady.

Sophie rolled her eyes and pulled him away slightly, causing the lady to frown. "Now where did you – wait, Death taught you that didn't he?"

"I guess so," he sighed as he scratched the back of his head and combed his hand through his auburn hair.

"So cute!" Sophie giggled, grabbing him in a tight hug unexpectedly and almost pushing him to the ground.

"Hey now!" He grumbled to himself, "You're acting like Grandmum Briana. I was hoping to not be cuddled today."

"Oh oops!" Sophie laughed, letting go of him and letting him tend back to his grooming. "Grandmum?"

"She has us call her that," Marius shrugged, "everyone there practically. Only Death doesn't call her that, but I would rather be polite and call her Briana."

"Well it's more polite to call a person by what they **want** to be called," Sophie told him as they stood and waited. "For an example, I'd rather be called Sophie then Sophia when I'm with friends. I just let the Undertaker call me Sophia because he likes to call me little maiden more than anything else. Plus an older being can call you by your first name if they prefer. It's for them to decide really."

He nodded and then chuckled, taking hold of her glasses from her head and looking at them curiously. "Why do you have to wear these things?" he asked as he slowly put them on his own face.

"They're for shinigamis because they can't see," Sophie smirked as he carefully put them on his head. "I don't need them though. My vision is completely fine –"

"Woh!" Marius exclaimed as he backed up slightly. "Everything is so blurry!" he gasped as if he was a child coming across a new toy. Sophie chuckled, watching as he tried walking around and stumbled slightly. "Shinigamis must be blind like bats," he grumbled, taking them off and handing them back to her. "Oh my eyes… oh…" he said as he rubbed his irritated eyes. "How can you stand those?"

"Practice," she shrugged as she put them in her pocket instead of back on her face. "I feel that my eyesight is getting bad because of them, but they won't let me take them off. It's a mandatory thing, you see, for shinigamis to have glasses. Numbers one and two of the rule book actually. So I'm usually walking around with my eyes closed, if you can believe it, so my eyesight doesn't get too bad. I've learned to sense things, but I really don't need the glasses," she finished, noticing a woman coming out from a door to greet them. "Hello," Sophie said to her, the woman simply nodding to them.

"Hello," she responded back, looking at the two of them. "You called for me?"

"Yes," Marius nodded, taking out a small stack of forms from his suit out of thin air. "My caretaker, Mr. Death, wants me to give you these forms. Also he wants me to gather forms H-34, K-03, K-07, K-10, M-23, N –"

"Yes alright," she grumbled back, getting rather tired with his babble. "State the key code and **then** we can talk," she said sternly.

Marius narrowed his eyes at her before he stood up proudly and said the words Death made him memorize. "Pulveris estis et ad pulverem revertemur, dicit Omnipotente,"he said with perfect ease, a slight smile creeping up on his face when the woman stood there stunned. "Now will I have to repeat myself and talk to Death about your behavior or can we proceed?"

"Of course sir," she smiled to them, inviting them through the door. "So will you be coming here instead of Death then?"

"Yes," he answered her, Sophie tagging along behind them as she listened to their conversation.

"I am sorry," she apologized, "that I was rude to you."

"Don't worry Mrs. Sampson," he said with a smile, "I hope I wasn't intruding on anything."

"Not at all!" she laughed, a sigh escaping her lips before she continued talking. "I've been very busy, that's all, and you can call me Daniela."

He nodded, letting his sister walk next to him before he continued to talk. "Daniela my name is Marius Serbus, son of the late Maurus Serbus, and this is my little sister Sophia."

"Oh really!" she gasped as they made it to a large room where her office is. "I didn't know the famous Dark Centurion had children. Well it's lovely to meet the both of you. Now…" she began as she invited them in and had them sit down in chairs in front of her desk, "what is it you were sent here for today?"

"Death wanted me to give you forms," Marius said, taking the forms back out of his suit and handing them to her. "I also have a list of things to gather from you."

"Continue then," she said, ushering him to continue speaking.

"I need forms H-34, K-03, K-07, K-10, M-23, N-54, N-55, N-56, P-92, T-44, T-54, U-11, U-12, U-23, and finally Y-06," he finished, not having to look at his list at all to remember all those numbers and letters.

"Impressive," she smirked, having to write down everything he said on a scrap sheet of paper. "Anything else I can do?"

"Death would like his mail for the week," Marius continued, "and he also told me to ask for a date the council wants to meet with him. They were telling him sometime in December, but he needs to know so he can fit it around his schedule."

"Of course," Daniela nodded to them, pushing a button on her phone to call someone. "Mrs. Farah."

"Yes Mrs. Sampson?" they heard over the phone, which Marius was quickly fascinated with the strange object.

"I need you to go and gather some forms for me," she said into the intercom, "which I have the list in my hand. I also need you to get the secured mailroom in the back and gather the mail for a shinigami named Mr. Mortis."

"Of course miss," she answered back, Daniela hanging up the phone as she opened up her drawers and searched for something.

"What is that?" Marius asked Sophie quietly. "That strange device there. What is that?"

"A telephone," Sophie laughed slightly, causing Daniela to look up at them with curiosity. "It's a way of communicating from one room to the other."

"A strange device…" Marius responded, causing Sophie to giggle.

Daniela smile to them and gave Marius a folder, with the name 'Mr. Mortis' on the front. "This has the dates they want to meet with him and any details behind the visit. I hope this helps."

"Thank you," he said, the folder disappearing in a poof of black smoke that came from his hand.

Daniela blinked in confusion and then smiled to them, looking at the pair. "You two really do look like siblings. May I safely assume Marius is older?"

"That would be correct," he spoke up, giving her a slight smile, "but I will admit I am **very** naive. I have never been here before."

"And I have to show him around," Sophie beamed. "I am actually currently going to the academy."

"I never would have guessed!" she said as she noticed that Sophie wasn't wearing glasses. "Where are your standard glasses?"

"I'm not wearing them," she shrugged, "They hurt my eyes. I humor my teachers by wearing the glasses, but I don't need them."

"I see…" she nodded, then smiling to them. "How long have you been in school?"

"Almost a year and a half," she told her, "but the council is having me graduate early because of my high grades."

"My gosh! So soon," she chuckled, "but what do you expect from the children of Maurus? Oh he was a fine man, if I may say so."

"Of course," Marius said, "I heard he was great and very popular –"

He stopped talking when they heard a knock at the door, Daniela letting out a sigh at the sound. "You may come in," she said, a student walking in with the items her requested.

"Here you go Mrs. Sampson – Sophia!" she gasped, noticing the man sitting next to her. "Who is he?" she asked her.

"Skyler the forms," Daniela said roughly, causing Margaret to break eye contact from Sophie and hand them over.

"Sorry!" she gasped backing away. "I-I better get going then –"

"This is my older brother, Marius," Sophie interrupted her, inviting Margaret back into the room. "Marius, Margaret Skyler, who was my roommate at the academy. Margaret, Marius Serbus, my older brother."

"Hello," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake. She hesitated slightly, giving him a smile and shaking his hand. "It is nice to meet one of Sophia's friends," he smiled to her.

Margaret blushed, Sophie quickly noticing this as Margaret shook his hand. "I-it's nice to meet you also," she smiled back, letting go of his hand and quickly looking away. "I-I have to go," she said, rushing out of the room.

Marius frowned, sitting back in his chair disappointed. "Did I do something bad?"

"Oh no!" Sophie laughed and punched him in the arm. "You did fine! It's what we would call _eros_."

"Eros?" Marius responded, a blush coming to his face. "Oh…"

"Well let's get on with this!" Sophie smiled, a giggle escaping her lips when she noticed that he was flustered.

Daniela smiled to them, unsure what they were communicating to each other. "Here are the forms and the letters for Death on the top of the stack."

Marius nodded and looked through the papers, making sure he had every form accounted for. "Thank you very much Daniela," he said, standing up and shaking her hand.

She smiled and shook his hand. "The pleasure is all mine Marius. Come back any time."

He nodded and he and Sophie departed, leaving the office and walking into the halls. "Oh you've never encountered love before?" she smirked, causing him to blush again.

"N-no actually… do you really think I would?" he asked her, a sly smirk on her face.

"You may never know," she smirked to him. "You know my relationship with Haden. It's not like you could have found yourself someone nice already. See! This is what I'm talking about! This is stuff I don't know about you," she beamed.

A groan came out of Marius' mouth as they walked out of the door and back into the main hallway. "Geeze Sophia…"

"You-hoo!" they heard someone say, the lady at the front counter waving to them. "_Don't be a __**stranger**_," she winked at Marius, sending a chill down his spine.

Sophie rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm, pulling him along in the hallway. "W-was that eros too?" he asked her, Sophie shaking her head.

"Nope. Better to avoid incidences like that," she told him. "They aren't looking for love, but something only with physical 'benefits'."

"Oh," he responded, still feeling rather confused. "O-okay then…" Sophie smiled to him and dragged him along, Marius looking back and trying to rub the burning sensation off of his cheeks.

!#$%^&*()

"Grell!" Sophie waved, the red-head looking over and beckoning her over.

"Sophie!" he grabbed her in a hug and a quick peck on the cheek before looking Marius up and down with interest. "And who is _this~_?" he smirked, his sharp teeth shining through his grin.

Marius blinked in confusion and took a step back, scratching the back of his head nervously. "That timid boy over there is my brother," she shrugged as Grell let her go.

"Oh really?" He smiled slyly, walking over to him.

"Hey come on now!" Sophie growled at Grell in an attempt to back him off. "I told you about him already. He's never been here before… besides I think he's into women anyways," she rolled her eyes as she walked back over to Marius and grabbed onto his arm. "Marius, this is Grell Sutcliff, my mentor here at the academy. Grell this is Marius Serbus, my older brother."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Sutcli –"

"Call him Miss," Sophie said, causing Marius to blink at her confused.

"R-really? How is that possible?" he blinked in confusion. "I-I thought you were a man miss. I am very sorry about tha –"

Grell couldn't help but laugh at his naïve behavior. "Oh! I'm actually a man Marius, but I would rather be called by female pronouns."

"Huh?" he couldn't help but say, Sophie quickly butting into the conversation before it went too far.

"You see Marius," Sophie began before Grell could speak, "Grell feels like a woman trapped in a man's body –"

"You mean like a soul that was supposed to be in a spider but instead ended up in a pig's body?" he tried to try, Grell and Sophie looking at him confused.

"Ummm… I don't know…" Sophie blinked, very confused by his comment.

"Oh," he chuckled meekly as he scratched the back of his head. "I guess Death's analogies don't work…"

"I think I got what you're saying," Grell said, who really didn't know what he was talking about, "but please call me _Miss~ Sutcliff_, but I'd rather prefer Grell from a _young~ hand~some~~_ man like yourself."

"O-kay?" Marius shrugged nervously, Sophie giving him a smile and then pulling him along.

"So why are you here Grell?" Sophie decided to ask, changing the subject.

"My scythe needs cleaning," Grell grumbled as he held it over his shoulder and looked at the blade. "There was a demon in my last mission and now the metal is eroding. I _really_ want to craft a better scythe, but they don't like my ideas," he huffed in slight disgust.

"Why this is great!" Sophie cheered slightly. "We're here to retrieve Death's scythe and… get yours Marius?"

"Death told me he crafted a death scythe for me. Since I don't inherit our father's sword, he made something for me." Then Marius let out a sigh, deep in thought, "I wonder what he did. I like the color of blue… I hope he used that."

"Cool!" Grell giggled and linked arms with Sophie, "Let's get going then! I have some paperwork to get to."

"Oh I'm sorry –"

"This kid is very gullible, isn't he?" Grell whispered to Sophie, causing her to giggle.

"Hey give him a break. He has never been here before," Sophie smirked at Grell, then looking up at Marius with a smile on her face.

Once they made it to a big room filled with different types of scythes, Marius and Sophie went to one secretary and Grell went to another. "Hello," Marius said as a greeting, "May I talk to your manager, Lucas Amrit."

"Umm… I don't think I can get a hold of him –"

Marius narrowed his eyes at the lady in front of him, obviously not in the mood to fool around. "Lucas, now, or will I have to destroy everything here with a seismic blast?"

"M-mr. Amrit!" she yelled, running away from the counter in haste.

Marius grumbled to himself and rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming to him. "So loud…"

Sophie rolled her eyes, also tired from the long day they were having. "Yes, well you get used to it. Talk about being **harsh**. It's like when I threaten someone really," she thought to herself, causing Marius to look at her with curiosity.

"Really? Huh… must be genetic," he shrugged, causing both of them to laugh.

"Hey Grell," Sophie said as they noticed him walking over, "how's the scythe?"

"It'll be about an hour," he grumbled to himself. "Oh well!" he quickly cheered back up and smiled happily. "I can go out and have lunch then! Would you two like to come along? I get awfully _lon~ely~_ sitting by myself."

"Actually we only have this and we're done," Sophie said, looking up at Marius, "right?"

"That is correct," Marius smiled back. "It would be nice to try this… tea you call it?"

"Yeah!" Sophie jumped up excitedly. "Tea with scones and crumpets. You'll _love~_ it!"

"Okay I'll take your word on it," Marius smiled back.

Then the lady coming back with the man they assumed to be the manager. "You requested me?" he asked, looking over at Marius more than anyone else.

"Yes," Marius said as he stepped forward. "Let's cut to the chase. Pulveris estis et ad pulverem revertemur, dicit Omnipotente," he said quickly. Grell and the lady blinked in confusion while Sophie just smiled, noticing how tall and proud he was acting.

"Ah you were sent by Death?" the man said, Marius giving him a nod.

"I am," he said simply. "Lucas Amrit I am sorry for my intrusion but I was sent by Death to come and run some errands for him."

"Of course," he smirked, "and I know **just** what you're here for." Then he whispered something into the ear of the lady and she left, leaving Lucas behind with a smile planted on his face. "This truly is a grand moment! So tell me, what's your name?"

"Marius Serbus," he said simply, "the son of Maurus Serbus and this is my sister Sophia."

"Serbus huh?" Lucas said, looking at them with awe. "I didn't know he had kids."

"He did," Marius cracked a smile to him, "but don't expect a lot from us… or at least from me that is. Right Sophia?"

"Sure," she shrugged, looking uninterested by the conversation. "I'm currently going to the academy, but Marius will not."

"Oh I see…" he said, deep in thought, "that explains our order. I wasn't expecting so many weapons! Usually Death only asks for his weapons to be cleaned, but having two death scythes handcrafted to a being shorter then himself was an interesting order to fill."

"Two?" Marius said, thinking to himself slightly before answering again. "I see…"

"Oh here they are!" Lucas beamed, grabbing the three weapons from her hand and setting them on the table. "This is a sword fashioned in the ancient Roman style. The handle is blue and black and has engravings of death marks all over with your Serbus emblem," he said as he handed it to Marius.

Marius lifted it and took the sword out from the shaft, looking at it curiously. "Yes… just perfect really…"

"I'm glad you like it," he smiled, watching as the sword disappeared in his hand with black smoke before proceeding. "This is your custom made death scythe. If you would like it made in a different style then I won't mind –"

"No it's quite alright," Marius smiled, taking the long scythe into his hands and examining it. It was about a third taller than he was, a larger style like the scythe Sophie was able to summon in her hands. It was black, but also had the color of blue, the blue rimming around the handle with long and intercut designs. "I like it…"

The man smirked and watched as the scythe disappeared in Marius' hands. "Well this is the weapon Death wanted us to clean for him. Here you go," Lucas said, handing Marius the longer death scythe.

Marius nodded and it disappeared in his hands. After he had done Marius took out his list, biting his finger and crossing the items off of his lips with his blood. "Well that's it!" Marius said as the list was consumed in black flames. "Thank you for your services Mr. Amrit," he said with a bow.

"Please kid, call me Lucas," he smiled to him. "And you're welcome," he said with a bow, waving to them as they turned around to leave.

"I guess we're having lunch now?" Marius said, putting his hands into his pockets as he looked over at Grell and Sophie.

"Yeah, and you have to tell me _**everything**_," Sophie smirked.

"Great…" Marius frowned, a giggle escaping Sophie's lips as she linked arms with him and pulled him back in the direction they had come from.

!#$%^&*()

"Do you have your presents for Christmas yet?" Grell asked, sitting back in his chair as he sipped some tea.

"I have been busy, but this as good a time as ever to buy stuff!" Sophie beamed, her hands going right for the sugary snacks in front of her. "I was going to do it today, but since Marius is here –"

"Don't use **me** as an excuse," he huffed, sitting down on his drink and blinking in confusion. "This is tea? It tastes like water…"

"Oh the tea here isn't very good!" Sophie smiled, "I'll show you a better place in town… hey do you mind tagging along then? I won't be able to show you _every~thing~_, but I can get some stuff crossed off on my list."

"Of course," Marius said, deciding to drink from his cup again. "This is the only day you can do it anyways. You have your testing tomorrow correct?"

"Yeah," Sophie grumbled to herself, "but I'm not looking forward to it…"

"So Miss Sutcliff," Marius began, causing Grell to look over at him. "Sophie told me about you and that you are good with advise concerning… things…" he looked away, his face getting slightly red.

Grell perked up right away and set his tea down, leaning across the table at him. Sophie couldn't help but look at him curiously too, setting her own tea down but was still munching down on a sugary snack. "Why type of things love?" Grell asked as he showed off his teeth in a grin.

"Why ummm –"

"Is this about Margaret?" Sophie asked as she continued to munch on her snack. "You've only been here for two hours and you're love struck?"

"Why no! I mean…" he turned away as he tried hiding his face from them in his suit coat. Usually he had his hood and was able to use that, but now he was defenseless to their stares.

Grell grinned, his smile growing ever bigger on his face. "With avoir le coup de foudre I suggest… for a man _quite like yourself_~" he purred slightly as Grell looked him up and down with approval, "you wait till you get to know her. You can never be sure about amour anyways. I've been chasing after my dear chérie for _eons~_ now! Ah…" Grell finished as he sighed to himself longingly.

"French Grell?" Sophie asked as he grinned to her.

"Of course _une __co__~pine_" he purred, snatching a snack from her tray and placing it into his mouth, "something you don't know about me, a-ppren-ti."

Sophie gave him a smile and scooted her plate away from him. "I should have known," she shook her head as she sipped her tea.

"Now what is _this_?" the three of them heard, Sophie narrowing her eyes when she saw the shinigami behind the voice. "Not wearing your glasses again? I'm going to have to report you So-phi-a," he grinned as he walked away.

"Shut up Chaz," Sophie snarled at him, "You pathetic excuse for a shinigami –"

"Hey!" he growled, slamming his tray of food next to a table, "You piece of trash! I'm getting rather sick with the insults –"

Sophie snarled back and stood up, "And so am I – Marius?"

Marius had stood up between her and held his sword at Chaz's neck, an angry glare in his crystal blue eyes as he sent a chill down Chaz's spine. "Back down _**worm**_ or I'll send you on a one-way trip to the underworld, **where vermin like **_**you**_** belong**."

"Hey what the –"

"Marius let him go," Sophie grumbled to herself. "He is just… Marius?"

His sword didn't wane and he held the same with his expression. They were full of hatred and disgust as he tilted his sword slightly up and started cutting into Chaz's neck. "You're a disgusting excuse for a shinigami and even more of an evil soul. I should destroy you **right now** –"

"Marius back down **now**," Sophie growled at him as she grabbed his arm slightly, "that's an _**order**_."

Once he heard the words leave Sophie's mouth he slowly put his sword down, not before he shoved Chaz slightly and causing him to stumble backwards and fall into a chair behind him. "I don't ever want to see your face again," Marius finished, spitting on him and walking back over to Sophie.

"You're crazy!" Chaz said as he wiped the spit from his face and stood up, "You are _**all**_ crazy! I'm reporting each and every one of you –"

"Do that and I'll **kill** you," Marius said gruffly as he drank some of his tea with his back turned to Chaz. "I will not hesitate. I don't like seeing filth like you anyways, and if I see your ugly face again I'll turn your body into a pile of ash and let a monster from hell devour your soul _**ten-times-over**_."

"But –"

"Go now before you alter my mood from solemn to rage." With that Chaz ran off with his tray, almost slipping on the floor as he did so. Grell's mouth was open while Sophie just narrowed his eyes at him and bonked him across the head. "Hey what the –"

"Don't cause trouble," she said in a quiet voice, sipping her tea as if nothing had happened. "I'm already in enough trouble here. We don't need any more of it."

"Sorry paterfamilias. I was wrong to behave the way I did," Marius said meekly, setting his tea down and looking over at Sophie with a slight fear in his eyes.

"It's quite alright," she said as she kept her eyes closed and continued sipped her tea, "I am not angry with you." Sophie looked over at Grell who looked flushed while she just shrugged it off and looked over at Marius. "And don't your mean materfamilias?" she asked him, "I am a woman after all."

"Yes," Marius said as he sat up straighter, "but you are the head of the household now. That is reserved for the sons, but since I'm dead then it falls on your shoulders. Besides, Maurus isn't going to adopt anyone so you're the head now." Then he gave her a smile and continued to sip his tea, ignoring the glances he was getting from everyone else. "If someone threatens you then they are a threat to our family. I will not stand to have you killed because of a being's immaturity, unlike last time," he mumbled to himself as he continued to sip his tea.

"Thank you for the concern, but I can take care of myself," Sophie huffed slightly, noticing Alex and William walking over to them. "Hello Alex," she smiled, causing Grell to perk right up.

"Why h-hello Sophie," he smiled, setting his tray down next to her and looking over at Marius with suspicion. "We saw what happened. Who is he?"

"Marius Serbus, my other brother," she said quickly, getting tired of the introductions. "Marius this is –"

"Alexander Engjëll," Marius said with a smile, gesturing his hand towards him in an effort to shake his hand. "I know about you. Thank you for helping my dear little soror. Without you she wouldn't have made it this far," he smiled to him.

Alex chuckled nervously and shook his hand, feeling intimidated by his presence. "I-it's Agon," he said quickly.

"Sorry, Alexander Agon," Marius continued to smile to him, causing Alex to smile back as they let go of their hands.

"Now could someone tell me what that display was?" William asked, reluctantly sitting next to Grell as Grell pulled him down next to him.

"Just Chaz again," Sophie grumbled to herself as she finished the last cookie on her plate.

"I'm sorry if I have been bothersome for you," Marius answered her. "I didn't want to cause trouble with my visit. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to Death."

"Don't worry about it," Sophie smiled to him. "If he is on your case then I will take to him. If I'm the head of the household, as you say, then it's **my** responsibility to keep _**you~**_ out of trouble, right?"

"… right," Marius nodded, sitting back and eying William suspiciously.

"That is William T. Spears," Sophie pointed as she finished her tea.

"I know him," Marius huffed, "you've been reading Sophie's cinematic records ever since she got here. Why?"

The other three blinked in confusion and looked over at William, who blinked in shock. "I don't know what you're talking about young man –"

"My name is Marius Serbus," he narrowed his eyes, "and I demand an explanation. Don't tell me you **don't know** –"

"Marius what did I just say about causing trouble," Sophie crossed her arms and stared him down.

"But Sophia –"

"It's alright Sophie," William sighed as he sat back in his chair. "I'll tell you. Curiously if you must know. I seemed to be the only shinigami curious about a human suddenly showing up at our doorstep and demonstrating our powers as if it was child's play. The fact that she had trouble breathing had to be examined in her past, but luckily Sophie knew her name when she woke up. Also," he shrugged as he sipped his tea, "no one else was investigating the situation, and when I searched deeper… well I couldn't really turn back now could I?"

Marius then nodded, crossing his arms over his chest as they locked eyes. "As long as you don't use her information against her then I don't mind, just stay out of her cinematic records from now on. I don't want some evil soul finding out information about my soror and using it against her."

"Of course," William nodded.

Grell let out an exhausted sigh, "So many things! No wonder you're stressed Sophie."

"Yeah… well," she shrugged as she looked at her pocket watch, "it's about time for us to go. Thank you Grell."

"Hey no problem Sophie!" Grell smiled, giving them away wave as Marius and Sophie left the cafeteria. "Oh wow… the trouble that girl gets into."

"Don't worry about it," Alex shrugged as he ate from his tray. "She can take care of herself. She's a **big girl**," he chuckled.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hmmm…" Sophie thought as she looked through the shop windows. Marius was lugging behind, being forced to hold all her purchases. "I have something for Grell, Margaret, Julia, Alex, Fiona and William, but nothing for the Undertaker… oh what should I get him?" she yelped, trying to think really hard about what he could want.

Marius let out a sigh and rubbed his head, having to follow her for two hours as Sophie went from store to store was making him exhausted. "Perhaps you can get him a medallion or trinket." Sophie looked over at him in confusion as he gave her a smile, "You know, like the chain he has around his side. I think he would like something like that…"

"Oh yeah…" Sophie blinked, surprised that she never thought about it herself. "Dang… I never really asked him about that stuff…"

Marius smirked as he walked beside her. "Why I think he's in for a treat now," he chuckled, causing Sophie to grin at him.

Sophie's eyes wandered to a shop and she smirked. "Hah found it!" she said, grabbing hold of Marius' arm and pulling him into the shop.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Marius let out an exhausted sigh as Sophie sat down at the top of the hill, overlooking the cemetery and the fields beyond. "Wow…" he said as he looked out, "You're lucky you get to see this every day."

"Well not anymore," Sophie sighed, leaning against his arm and setting her head on top of his shoulder.

"How was it living in a mortuary?" Marius asked as Sophie looked up at him curiously. "Sure living with Death is weird, but our parents also don't understand how it is living with a lot of death. Heck, I didn't live with a lot of it myself. So how did you fair?"

"Hmmm…" she thought as she settled back down on his head and looked out at the setting sun. "As normal is it can get. True, I'm exposed to death, but I didn't see anyone actually die until papa did. I came to understand that death is a normal cycle in life and it's simply something that happens," she shrugged. "I learned a basic trade like everyone else, but I learned to value the life of a being also. There are reasons why a person died and a background behind their story. Every story is different, every experience is different, and every life is different. That's why I try to treasure every life accordingly, even if it's Chaz," she smirked causing Marius to snarl at the sound of his name.

"I do have to say," he began as a smile crept onto his face, "father was right that your soul is an old soul. Sure, we have that main soul that we all have in common, but yours seems different then mine. I was a child that barely had any experience, while yours seemed to hold wisdom behind those eyes of yours before you could even talk. That's why father was so amused with you," he chuckled. "You came to understand things while I simply can't. I listen to orders, but you can make the decisions. I'm glad you're the head of the Serbus household Sophia."

She cracked a smile and cuddled into his arm, rubbing her head into his arm as she held his hand. "Thank you… I'm glad you said that," she chuckled, "though it's hard for me to believe that I'll be any good at it."

"Don't worry," he chuckled as he held her close, "you're doing fine! You have the skills to decide if a soul should move on or be destroyed, so just go with your instincts."

She nodded, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes and held onto his arm tightly. Marius smiled; running a hand through her hair as she slowly began to sleep. Then he sensed something, looking up with curiosity until his crystal blue eyes gazed upon the owner. "Hello sir," he said to him, a wide grin growing on the man's face as he walked closer to them.

"_He~llo~~ Young Serbus~_" the Undertaker greeted him, sitting down next to Sophie as he looked out to the sunset. "How long are you staying?"

"For as long as Sophia wants me here..." Marius answered him, a sigh escaping his lips. "Though I would love to stay around for a while longer, I was ordered back by the time the sun set beyond the horizon... Undertaker," he said as the older man looked over at him.

"_Yes~~?_" he grinned to him, Marius giving him no heed at his odd tone.

"Do take care of Sophia... she may be the head of the Serbus household, but she is still young in age. I need you to promise me this that you will keep her safe for me." Then Marius chuckled, giving the top of her head a quick kiss before looking over at the Undertaker sternly. "I know she will be leaving you soon enough, but even so I need to know that I do not have to constantly be with her for her safety and protection. Undertaker, I need a strict vow from you that you will keep her safe... is that understood?"

The Undertaker chuckled, his chuckles getting quieter until his smile slightly wavered and he gave Marius a slight bow. "I promise, upon my death, that I will keep Sophia Serbus safe at all costs. You must know," he continued, pushing his hat up slightly as he straightened up, "that she would rather not have attention drawn to herself. In all honesty, it is better for a life to grow up on its own then be influenced by another's means. Don't you agree, Young Serbus?"

He looked at the Undertaker's grin and nodded, the Undertaker's Cheshire cat smile growing bigger by the second. "I do," Marius told him, "but even so I want her to be safe. So many Gods of Death have died... and she is an important piece on the chess board. The parties that will be for and against us, for I do not know of whom they may be, but even so I know her life is in danger. She may grow over time in the place she will be sent to, but she will come back. I know for sure she will... I simply want her to be okay. Is that too much to ask for?"

The Undertaker chuckled, running his hand through Sophie's long auburn hair before letting out a sigh. "No it is not... and as I've said I promise _upon my __**death**_. You do not need to fear for her safety, but your own. Is that understood, Young Serbus?"

"Yes," Marius said, "thank you." Then he rubbed her shoulder and woke Sophie up, who was a bit groggy from being woken up suddenly. "I need to return home," he said as he gave her a kiss on the forehead, "but I will come back soon enough. In the meantime, the Undertaker will take care of you, alright?"

Sophie blinked in confusion, rubbing her eyes as she straightened up. "H-how... alright Marius. Take care," she smiled to him, giving him a peck on the cheek as he stood up. How the Undertaker would take care of her while they were so far apart she did not know, but Sophie decided it was best to let sleeping dogs lie.

When Marius looked back he noticed that she had quickly gone into the comforting arms of the Undertaker, closing her eyes and resting her head on his chest. The Undertaker looked down to her and smiled with a considerate and loving smile on his face. That made Marius smile, making a mark on his list and finishing everything he had to do for the day. Then he left in a bright light of white, leaving the realm of the living and entering the realm of the dead.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: All I have to say with Grell being French is… I just love it when he's French! ^^ Meh I don't know how his background will be, but he either grew up in France or learned French. We'll see what happens =3 And how did you like overly defensive older brother? Hah! I may make that a bad thing later. We'll just see X3**

**Oh and I hoped you liked this chapter! It may be a while till I have an UndertakerXSophie moment because I want to develop her character more. Hey I may add something in quickly to the next chapter! It depends, because I had to add a lot to finish off the chapter. As always, I hope you enjoyed! Comment me if you have any questions or just want to talk ^^**

_P__ulveris __estis __et ad __pulverem __revertemur__, __dicit __Omnipotente_ – Latin – _Dust you are and to dust you will return, says the Almighty _

_eros _– Greek – _passionate love_

_avoir le coup de foudre_ – French – _to fall in love at first sight_

_amour _– French – _love_

_chérie_ – French – _dear, sweetheart_

_une __copine_– French – _girlfriend_

_apprenti_ – French – _apprentice_

_paterfamilias_ – Latin – _father of the family_; The paterfamilias had absolute rule over his household and children. If they angered him, he had the legal right to disown his children, sell them into slavery or even kill them. He looked after the family's business affairs and property and could perform religious rites on their behalf.

_materfamilias_ – Latin – _mother of the family_

_soror_ – Latin – _sister_


	28. The Departure

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well this will be the last chapter for a while! Thank you for watching as long as you have ^^ I don't know when the next one will be, a few days from now or a few weeks. It depends on how I feel. Knowing me I'll get bored and begin soon enough, but I just have some things I have to get done first. There will be one more chapter posted that has all the OCs that I found had meaning or I just recorded. Just in case I don't talk about them later. It's a nice stopping point anyways =3 I feel that this needs a Warning: mild sexual manner, language, and gore. I haven't put that up in a while and I know some chapters should have had this already, but just so you're prepared ^^ And sorry if it's long. I just want to move on! ^^ well… ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a distort sigh as she stood with a bunch of other shinigamis in a small waiting room. From what she could tell, more than half of the shinigamis probably had to take the practical technique of the exam several times. It was after ten times that a shinigami was considered unfit and was disposed of, whatever that meant, but that didn't stop most of them. She only hoped that she would be paired with a shinigami that didn't need to win and could stay for another semester. She was the only shinigami who looked to be the age of seventeen, and even more impressive was that she was also the youngest in the room with her age of only being nineteen. In reality she didn't need to complete these exams, but if she didn't then she would be kicked out, permanently. With high hopes she let out another sigh, leaving her thoughts when one of the teachers came walked in with a folder in his hand.

"We will start with the first twelve names on the list and work our way down," he explained, reading over the list.

Sophie's mouth dropped, her name being called after the third shinigami. With a heavy sigh escaping her lips she walked into the next room, her hand instinctively going to the standard death scythe that was carelessly hanging in its holster. Now that the ten shinigamis had been named the others would watch, perhaps going over their own techniques or simply watch the spectacle and worry. She walked into a large gym and stood forward, waiting to see who she would be paired up with. She noticed six officers were sitting on chairs on the floor of the room, three on one side and three on the other. "We will have two groups go at once," someone explained as the twelve shinigamis stood at attention. "The first two pairs will be Jacob Lamia vs. Ethan Nevis and Chaz Hoover vs. Sophia Ioreta."

Sophie froze, her face going pale. The thing she was dreading the most, having to fight a peer that needed to pass. With Chaz's bad grades, Sophie knew he was given only one more chance. He had to complete everything, including the final examinations, in order to stay a shinigami or suffer the consequences. As much as she hated Chaz, she didn't want him to fail! Sophie let out weary sigh and stood forward as she decided she had to win at all costs, even if it meant crushing someone else's chances of becoming a shinigami. "Great I'm paired up with the hot head," Chaz grumbled to himself as he swung his scythe over his shoulder.

"I wouldn't be such a hothead if you would stop being a complete mule," she narrowed her eyes and took out her scythe, getting herself ready.

"What I hate is that you had someone who was **not** your mentor training you," Chaz growled at her. "What did he do? Did he owe you _something_?" Sophie just narrowed her eyes, getting tired of his insults and only thinking of her primary goal. "Did he fuck you up and he had to pay you back? Hah! I bet that's what it was!"

"Begin," they heard one of the judges say, Sophie running as fast as she could and punched him in the gut with the butt of her scythe.

"Say that about the Undertaker and your bones will turn to nothing but dust," she growled at him as she sent him flying into the wall. Chaz groaned, slowly getting out of the rubble and brushing himself up. "I will **not** hold back on you. You better give me your best or I'll do more than just defeat you," Sophie finished, running at him again.

Chaz jumped back quickly and caught her attack, swinging around and kicking her in the shoulder. Sophie quickly jumped back to reorient herself, narrowing her eyes at him. "I learned a few moves myself," he smirked, "and I had **my** mentor help me instead of _bribing_ help from others."

Sophie rolled her eyes and ran at him, disappearing as she was only a few inches away from his face and spinning around to his back, hitting him in the side with her scythe and the blade cutting slightly into his back. "Same here," she smirked, ignoring his insults.

He snarled and swung his scythe around, Sophie vanishing before his scythe made it around his back. Taking advantage of his confused state, she kicked him in the side and sent him flying into the wall again. The wall broke and he fell through, Chaz growling at her as he stepped out. "You crazy bitch!"

"You big bully," she said with an annoyed tone in her voice, "you think you can just pick on someone weaker then you? Well you know what, if that's how you'll be then you don't deserve to be a shinigami, or even alive for that matter." If she had been allowed to use her black haze she would, but Sophie was still trying to conceal her powers from the council so there was no point in trying those moves. Even so, if Chaz was going to insult her anymore then she would soon aim to kill him, purely on instinct. Chaz ran at her and caught her off guard slightly, using Sophie's own trick against her and almost slashing into her back. Sophie jumped away just in time, her own suit coat getting a slight cut on it. Sophie narrowed her eyes and began to take it seriously. He seemed to improve last time she fought him, so it was time to take it up a notch.

Sophie ran at him and jumped over him, bobbing him on the head with the butt of the scythe and knocking him to the floor. Then she hit him twice with the butt of her scythe on the back and kicked him on the side. A referee ran over to her to make her stop before she could kick him again, letting Chaz get back up before she could continue. Before Chaz got up he tripped Sophie over, punching her in the side and slamming his foot onto her chest. She coughed out in pain, his foot hitting him directly where her scar was. Suddenly her eyes glowed yellow with anger and she kicked him in the side, sending him past her face and flying into the other two shinigamis fighting next to them. In a blink of an eye she showed up in front of him, her scythe hovering right over his chest. "You don't deserve to be alive," she hissed at him, her scythe penetrating his chest and cutting him open.

He coughed out in pain, his scythe dropping out of his hand and he lay on the ground. The referee had to run over and push Sophie off of him, just in time before she could do any real damage. Then she spat on his face, a growl escaping her lips as she began to walk away. "You're a freak!" Chaz coughed as he was helped into a stretcher. "You hear me! Freak!"

She turned around and he flinched back, seeing the wide eerie grin on her face. "_Go~od_~~ because I wouldn't want to be normal and **weak** like you," she stared at him, the yellow in her eyes sending a chill down his smile. Then she turned around and looked at the judges, the yellow in her eyes and the grin on her face completely gone.

"Chaz Hoover has withdrawn and Sophia Serbus has required enough points to continue on with the exams. Go to room F103 to take the written portion of your exam," one of the judges said, holding out a file with her name on it. Sophie walked over to the table and gave them a quick bow, taking the file from them and walking away casually. She couldn't help but grin to herself as she left. Her long hours of training with so many different mentors have finally paid off. "She is stronger than we thought," the same judge said as he cleaned his glasses, the look on his face of utter disgust.

"But she doesn't seem to be able to control her powers," another one said as he sipped from a glass of water, "and that can be problematic."

"The woman will learn," the last one said, "but we need to keep her on our side or it can serve to be a **big** problem for us." The other two nodded in agreement as they looked at the next two graduating shinigamis, the interested expressions on their faces quickly wiped away when the next battle began.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie was sprawled out on a couch in a lobby, her hands over her eyes. Even if her win was easier then she thought the glasses she had to wear were killing her eyes. When her eyes went yellow she couldn't see a thing, just the black grime all over Chaz's soul and the gray souls around her. She felt rather horrible defeating him, her feelings of hate towards him conflicting with was her conscience telling her, which was hurting a good soul was a bad thing. Knowing from her past with Adolf, Chaz's soul could turn evil just by her actions in that one battle. He had been alright till now, and it was too late for her to fix anything. He was in the infirmary and wouldn't be let out for a while until after she was long and gone.

Currently she was waiting for someone to come to her and tell her the conditions of her final assignment. She had finished the written exam quicker than expected and was told to wait in the lobby for most of the other shinigamis to finish. Was she even going to have a partner? Sophie still wasn't sure. Suddenly a figure blocked her light and Sophie moved her arm slightly, looking up at the figure above her. "F-fiona?" she asked, sitting up and letting Fiona sit down next to her. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here for your final assignment," she said, Sophie looking at her and then giving her a nod. "Is something the matter Serbus? You look quite pale."

"It's nothing Mrs. Obki… I just feel bad," Sophie said, looking away from her and at the floor.

"Why do you feel bad?" Fiona asked, noticing Sophie wasn't giving her a response. "Sophia," she said gruffly, causing Sophie to look over at her," it's always better to talk about anything that is bothering you then holding it all in. If you do that you'll burst from the pressure and that's never good."

Sophie looked back to the floor, refusing to look at her in the face. "I feel… ashamed," she sighed. "I may have tainted **another** good soul with my fury. Sure, Chaz has been bullying me since I started at the academy, but it doesn't give me a right to push him down and slash his hopes and dreams. He probably had a reason behind his bullying, I know that, but I couldn't help myself… I feel that I'm not fit to call myself a God of Death either."

Fiona blinked in confusion, never hearing of this Chaz fellow and that Sophie had been suffering because of him all this time. She cracked a smile, a chuckle escaping her lips as she thought to herself. "Your father was the same way," she said, causing Sophie to look back over at her, "but do understand that you **can't** be everyone's friend. Someone will hate you and you may never know the reason why, but it doesn't mean that you should blame yourself for their behavior towards you. They were being mean to **you** and that was because of their own selfish reasons. It isn't your fault."

"But…" Sophie said, a sigh escaping her lips as she looked back to the floor and closed her eyes tightly. "It was my fault that a good soul was tainted. Adolf was only trying to defend his brother and I shouldn't have killed him and now Chaz… I'm a monster," she coughed as she held back sobs. "I'm a monster and I know it. I don't deserve everything I have been given… it was just by luck that I was able to live as long as I have. I don't think I can continue with this lie –"

"Don't give me a sob story Sophia," Fiona grumbled, Sophie quickly silenced as she kept her gaze on the floor. Then Fiona sighed, noticing that her tone of voice was harsh. "Look, as I've said you'll have your enemies, but you will also have your friends. There will be beings that will hate you because of your father, your soul, and maybe even because you are a God of Death. I have seen many sympathetic beings like you and they do not last long… so don't let something like this get you down! Stand up tall and proud and go forward! One cannot keep moving forward if they are looking at the past."

Sophie looked up at her and smiled, looking away slightly as she nodded. "Y-yes… okay I will. Thank you," she answered, rubbing her eyes to get rid of the tears. Fiona smiled, noticing her comment had actually gotten through to Sophie. Perhaps she wouldn't end up a tragedy like her father had. "So," she sniffled slightly, "what is my assignment?"

Fiona smiled, standing up and handing her the file in her hand. Sophie took it from her and looked it over as she began to talk. "You will be working by yourself on this last assignment. We are at an odd number this semester and we don't have the time to find you another partner. Because of the council's decision, instead of reviewing this soul for a week it will only be till tomorrow afternoon. If you decide wisely then you will pass and be sent out the following day, but if you do not then… then you will be disposed of properly," she finished, Sophie not liking the worry Fiona had at the end of her speech. "Now," she began again, the worry in her voice quickly gone, "this is short, but we know that you've been out with Grell Sutcliff on missions. A mentor is not supposed to do that, but regardless it has trained you. I wish you the best of luck on your assignment and god speed," she finished with a smile. "Good luck Sophia. You'll need it."

"Thank you Fiona," she smiled back, looking at the picture and name of the soul she would be collecting.

Fiona couldn't help but notice the sad look in her eyes as she stared down at the information. "Is everything alright?" she asked.

Sophie gave her a nod, looking up at her and gave her a reassuring smile, "I am quite alright Fiona. Thank you," she finished as she slipped the file under her arm and began to walk away.

"You're welcome!" Fiona waved to her, a skip in her step as she made her way back to her office.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a weary sigh as she stood before a large mansion, looking over the name one last time and trying to convince herself she had nothing to worry about. "Crystal Tess O'Reilly Ioreta," Sophie continued to frown to herself, holding onto her standard death scythe tightly as she continued to read over the file. "Born June 4, 1831. Death December 12, 1872 at noon on the Ioreta estate. Soul is under contract with a demon." Then she closed up the file, looking around for the demon she despised. Her time here was very limited, but even so she had to find out about this place. Had her uncle already died? Was her aunt really as evil as she put herself? Will… will Sophie be able to complete her mission? Under the main rules she had been taught, it never said anything about making yourself known to the person she would have to evaluate.

That is exactly what she decided to do, knocking at the door wearing her clean black suit and pulled back auburn hair. When the door opened she frowned, seeing a cut up and bruised demon opening the door with a sly smile on his face. "You have come at my doorstep? How kind of you –"

"Dorren I do not want to hear it," she narrowed her eyes as she stood at the door and looked him over. He was wearing a standard butler uniform, which made her want to rip his face apart. "You should know why I'm here."

"Of course I do," he smirked, "for I've already seen several shinigamis around the mansion last month. It's only a treat that I get to see _you_ here."

"I figured I would see who my demon is before you came and tried to rip me apart," Sophie smirked back, causing Dorren to blink slightly in confusion. "I will be going now, but I will be keeping my eye on you," she said as she turned around and walked away from him. Dorren shook his head and closed the door behind him, not noticing that Sophie had vanished to the other side of the mansion and crept inside. That was the one of the things that she had regained from her powers, her power of stealth. She was able to change what she would be detected as, from shinigami to human and even as nothing at all. That's what she was currently as she slowly looked around the rooms and scouted everything out. She had to find out where Crystal was soon, since she was running out of time.

Cautiously she crept through the house, memories flashing before her as she walked past a memorable item or an unforgettable room. She carefully opened a door and walked into a music room, the white somewhat blinding her. Sophie frowned, walking into the room and walked over to the piano. She placed her hand on top of the wooden frame, a gentle smile coming upon her face as she remembered her mother. Then she heard footsteps and hid in a nearby closet, disappearing before the person walked into the room. Her eyes went wide as the man sat down at the piano and began to play. She couldn't help but smile after a while of listening, remembering how her mother would play her that song on the piano every once in a while. She noticed that the man had a depressed look hidden behind his blue eyes as he played. "Nic!" Sophie jumped back slightly at the noise, a woman calling from a different room.

The man sighed and left the piano, leaving the room completely empty. Sophie opened the closet door and followed behind him, peeking her head into the dining room as he walked into it. There was the soul she was looking for, Crystal Ioreta sitting in one of the chairs as she sipped tea. Sophie sped up and hid behind a drape, hiding her from view of the couple. "Yes Crystal?" he asked, his tone of voice weary.

"Please stop with that infernal racket," she grumbled to herself as she continued to sip her tea, "I was trying to think."

"What for?" he asked, sitting down in a nearby chair and staring at her. The two of them didn't seem very happy with each other as if their marriage had fallen into ruin over the years.

Crystal huffed as she set her tea down, looking rather irritated. "I don't know… we have your grandmother's fortune that she wanted to give to Ellen, that witch, and now we have no children to spend it on. Nic… I think I want a child."

"Oh Crystal," he grumbled as he took out a newspaper and began to read, "You say that **every** year. We just can't have children and that's that."

She snarled under her breath, picking up her tea cup and gradually sipped it. "That Ellen… what does she has that I don't have? Looks? Fame?"

"Have you ever thought it could be morality?" he told her. "Not that it was the fact she was rich, but was a kind and caring person –"

"Kind and caring my foot," she grumbled under her breath. "She was a bitch! Nothing but a worthless piece of tras –"

"That's enough of what I want to hear about the subject," Nic huffed at her, reading through the paper to try and get his mind off of her.

Crystal blinked at him before sighing and going back to her tea. "Bloody hell Nic. You do not have to be defensive about her."

"She was my sister," Nic said as he turned the page, "and even if she ran off with some… monster, I will not stand for you insulting her memory. When you insult her you insult me, understood?"

Crystal just shook her head, ignoring his comment. "Hey they have a festival for Christmas in London. Do you want to go?"

"Of course," he said, closing the paper and setting it aside.

When she stood up Crystal expected him to walk over to her, but instead he simply left the room. She grumbled under her breath, staring at him as he left. "Rude!... I wonder what has his trousers in a knot," she shrugged, quickly leaving the room. Then Sophie snuck out from her hiding place and followed her, following Crystal around for the rest of the day.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sat in a tree right outside Crystal's window and watched as she slept, Sophie deep in her own thoughts. Even if Sophie was a monster to her, Sophie couldn't be biased and let Crystal die just because she hates her. There had to be a good reason, and so far there was. The woman Sophie had called aunt seemed to be a horrible creature even without her around. Crystal would act high and proper whenever she was out, but was really cold, heartless, and would push others down if they stood in their way. Why her uncle married her Sophie doesn't know, but she does know that her uncle despised Crystal as much as everyone else they had encountered during the day. Of course there is always a reason why a being acts the way they do, but even so Sophie could tell that her soul was tainted just by staring at it. Black gunk was taking over her gray soul, her soul slowly turning black. Once the insides of a being's soul was pure black… well that's when Sophie's oath would enter the play. She was also looking at her uncle's soul and noticed that was just as gray as her aunt's, but was having moods swings that would cause his soul to move back and forth from black gunk to white light. She wondered why it could be as she sat in the tree looking at Crystal, pondering to herself. The amazing thing was that Dorren hadn't bothered her the whole time she was there, causing her to be on edge. Whatever he was planning… well Sophie didn't want to know.

What worried her most was why she had to be **here**. Out of all the souls she could be reaping it has to be her own aunt's. What game is the council playing? This mission isn't for a new shinigami, but for someone older and more experienced with a demon clearly involved. That's what Sophie was worried about, what is their incentive on having her reap this soul?

Just then she heard movement, her thoughts quickly going away as she stood up at the ready for a potential attack. When she saw who came out she narrowed her eyes, seeing the demon creeping about below her. "Aren't you going to come down little reaper?" he laughed, watching as Sophie jumped down from the tree.

"What?" she snarled, "Why aren't you trying to kill me?"

"I wasn't ordered to," he said simply, a sly smirk on his face, "and since you are the only one here, I have you _all~_ to myself." He smirked, noticing the piercing glare in her eyes. "My master does not know you are still around anyhow… but that doesn't mean I can't toy with you –"

"Who's your master?" Sophie asked roughly, keeping her scythe at the ready. "Crystal? Or is there someone else involved?"

"That is something you will have to find out yourself," he smirked slyly, walking back into the mansion. "And by the way," he began, turning back and giving her a vicious looking smile, "if you plan to take my master's soul then I will have to take yours as a payment." Then he left her, leaving her standing by herself at the base of the tree. She couldn't help but shiver slightly, wondering why no one was watching her. If this was her final assignment, why was no one keeping an eye on her? Sophie let out a sigh and jumped up into the tree, concealing herself among its branches as she stared at Crystal through the window. What Sophie didn't know was another pair of eyes was on her, coated in crystal emerald eyes.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

It was close to the time of Crystal's death. Sophie opened up her pocket watch and looked at the time, _'11:54am,'_ she thought as she snapped the watch closed, _'six more minutes.'_ Sophie watched at the spectacle before her, staring intently as her uncle and aunt walked into the garden. He said that he had something to show her and Sophie couldn't help but frown, knowing what was going to happen in the back of her mind. They had sent Dorren away, to Sophie's luck, and they were walking alone through large hedges of white flowers. After observing the two of them for the day, Sophie figured her uncle was going to strike her. Why? Sophie wasn't completely sure, but he was in a foul mood anyways. So she stood in the trees watching them, watching the shining steak knife he held behind his back. She looked at her watch again, _'11:57am,' _she sighed, _'three more minutes.'_

That's when she noticed him take Crystal's hand and lead her towards the back, picking a flower and handing it to her. "Dominic," she giggled as she sniffed in the flower, "what is with you? You've been acting odd for a couple of days now. What's the matter?"

He paused and let out a sigh, looking towards the mansion and then back at her. "You know I love you right?" He began, "and I don't want anything to happen to you, but… how you handled everything, my family… my little sister, why? I loved every one of them. Why did you agree with my parents to kick my sister out?"

"W-wha?" she gasped, letting go of his hand in a huff. "What is with these questions? I saved you Dominic! Your parents were going to give half of their inheritance to your despicable sister and I had to stop them. I do not know what your family meant by _'dark soul'_, but all I know is that your sister got pregnant. Twice! She was only looking for attention… that –"

"Crystal," he growled at her, his hand slightly shivering as he gripped the knife tightly, "Even so, my little sister was the world to me. I know what you did. After she came back you had that demon of yours kill Ellen. Little Elle! I have tried for years to see a reason to forgive you, but I can't seem to get through to you. I used to love you… but now I'm having doubts."

"So what?" she growled at him, "You are just going to throw me away like yesterday's trash! I saved you! I killed for you! And I love you! –"

"You don't act it!" He narrowed his eyes, "You threw out all of Elle's clothes and kept the best jewelry from her. Talk about yesterday's trash; you threw her out! She told me why she ran away, because you… oh how could you do that to her?"

"Do wha –"

"You pushed her down a flight of stairs and almost killed her! Her baby had two more months! Sure my parents were disgusted by her actions and planned on hiding it from the public, but we would have let the little child into our home with open arms. Then you killed it! No wonder she ran off!" Dominic gripped the knife tighter, his knuckle starting to turn white. "Then, after years of not seeing her, she comes back with a little babe. That child… oh she was so beautiful, but you treated them badly. That poor child, without a father, was being ostracized by you –"

"And **you**, if I'm not mistaken," she huffed back, her eyes angry with his accusations. "You could have said something, but you didn't –"

"Well I was wrong," he narrowed his eyes with a frown on his face. "I was wrong about little Sophia. She may have acted weird, but she was only a child and knew nothing other than dead bodies and cemeteries. I shouldn't have let things go so far –"

"But you did," Crystal smirked, "and now we have the house to ourselves. See Dominic? See it! The world is perfect now! No whiney brats or pesky relatives to choke us out of our savings. Your grandmother's inheritance is ours! Ours!" she crushed the flower and threw it up in the air, causing Sophie to feel rather sick by her accusations. "And we just have to embrace –" She gasped in shock, suddenly noticing the knife embedded in her chest. "D-domin-i-ic?"

"You're a witch," he hissed at her, taking the knife out of her and stabbing it back in her chest with more force, "and you have been envious and greedy ever since you first met Ellen when she back from Greece and decided to attend our wedding. You're sick. **You make me **_**sick**_." Then he threw the knife to the side, watching as she fell to the ground. That's when Sophie jumped down, turning invisible to the humans as she knelt down in front of Crystal. However, Dominic seemed to notice her. "Good, a grim reaper. Take that pitiful soul before that demon of hers comes back," he said, turning his back and about to leave her.

"Y-ou can see me?" Sophie asked as her eyes were on Crystal as she gasped for air. "How?"

"Our family," he chuckled, "is the descendents of a fallen angel. From what my parents told me, anyone with our blood can see the dead. It is… just how it is I guess –"

"S-sophia?" Crystal said as she coughed up blood, causing Dominic to turn around to face the suited up being leering over his wife. "A-a-a-chk!" she coughed, blood streaming out of her mouth as she stared up shocked.

"Sophia?" Dominic asked, walking over to them. His eyes also widened, catching sight of the familiar auburn hair tied up in a ponytail. Before he could grab hold of her shoulder and turn her around, Sophie used her death scythe and cut into Crystal's chest. Then everything stood still, giving Sophie some time to think as she reviewed Crystal's records as they swirled around her.

'According to her records, Crystal was born into a poor Catholic family in Ireland. She had about twelve siblings, herself being the fourth oldest. She hated her life, Sophie saw, even though two of her younger sisters adored her and would try to get her to play with them. At the age of twenty she snuck aboard a ship thinking it was going to France. Instead it went to London, where she met Dominic for the first time. It was a quick glance, barely noticing him as she walked past the noble on the streets. Since she didn't have money, she spent two years as a prostitute by selling her body for the basic necessities like food and shelter. That's when she met him as his family as they came by a shelter she was living in, which they would go to for charity reasons. Dominic gave her a smile and kissed her on the hand, quickly following his parents as they left. Even if it was a simple gesture, Crystal felt the need to have him. Filled with envy for his life full of luxuries, she came across a fortune teller as she was contemplating the thought. Getting a tarot reading, it showed that she would obtain great wealth, but at a horrible price. The price it showed was fire, followed by the devil. Even so, Crystal did not want her dream to be forgotten and decided to find him.

'Crystal was able to get a job close to the family, the Ioreta family she soon learned. She spent her time as a maid, cleaning up the mansion and helping around with the basics. For every moment she spent in the mansion, the more she grew to love Dominic and how he grew to like her. Her dreams were crushed when he was arranged to another woman, a woman of higher stature then her. She felt that all hope was lost and almost gave up, until a divine being came to her in a dream one night calling to her. It was Dorren, Sophie noticed by the white snake slivering around with its amethyst and yellow eyes, calling to Crystal and promising riches in return for her soul. She quickly agreed, the contract consisting that **nothing** would get in the way of her wealth and that she couldn't be killed by a supernatural being.

'So, after much collaboration, Crystal married Dorren with the background of being a noble instead of a servant. It was at the wedding that Crystal met her, Ellen Ioreta. Ellen's bright smile seemed to light up the room, making everyone around her cheerful to see her. The reason Crystal had never seen her was because Ellen had been in Greece studying the ancients and visiting her ancestry, and Crystal wasn't told till now was because Dorren didn't feel the need to talk about her and thought Ellen was staying in Greece for the rest of her life. Crystal was jealous, envious of Ellen. Then she learned that Ellen would be given half of the inheritance of their grandmother Crystal freaked out, her plans feeling dashed and suddenly hopeless.

'Crystal waited for the grandmother to die of old age, dying almost a year after their wedding. Then she began, starting with Ellen. Ellen almost made things too easy for her, giving her a reason for her parents to hate her because she suddenly became pregnant out of the blue. Crystal didn't see a man at the mansion, but Dorren told her **he** did. It was a supernatural being, Dorren explained, sneaking off with Ellen and caressing her stomach with a deep longing in his eyes. Crystal never said anything, letting her parents-in-law and husband find out for themselves. How they found out… she really didn't know. Supposedly her mother-in-law caught them, but this wasn't something Crystal cared about. When she heard they were going to let Ellen keep the baby, Crystal became furious. In her hate she pushed Ellen down the stairs, resulting in the baby's death. Ellen had to sit in bed for two months healing, the whole time unable to tell her parents who pushed her for fear that Crystal would do something worse. That's when Ellen ran away, removing one person from the equation.

'Next were Dominic's parents. What she did was simple, giving them food poisoning and causing them to fall ill and die. First it was her mother-in-law and then her father-in-law, the two of them quickly dying in another few months. Everything was going well for Crystal and Dominic, her life now in place with the help of her contracted demon. Then Ellen came back and Crystal became furious. What made her disgusted was when she saw Ellen's daughter and her daughter's beauty, her smile lighting up a room like her mother's did, but she had one thing to play off of, her eyes. The little girl's eyes were peculiar. They were a combination of blue and green, but it gave out an eerie glow at times when she had moodswings. Crystal didn't like this, but used it to her advantage by calling her trash and the scum of the earth because of her eyes. It made the girl feel bad, but it still didn't dispose of her problem and Crystal decided she had to kill Ellen. So she ordered her demon to kill Ellen and sent the child away to a place where no one could find her, not even Dominic.

'After years things were back to normal, but then the child came back. She came with a mysterious man, a mortician nonetheless. How the child was able to escape the orphanage Crystal didn't know, but she knew she would have to rid her of the potential threat. That's when she ordered Dorren to take her hostage, not telling Dominic of her plans. She decided it would be best to give her to the demon, though he insisted on a wedding then simply devouring her. Why? Crystal never knew, but let it be so. On the day of the wedding the child escaped and she sent the demon after her, the demon coming back saying the child had been disposed of.

'At last Crystal's troubles were over. Any competition for their vast inheritance was claimed and nothing stood in her way. She was going to grow old with all of this money, or so she assumed. That was, until Dominic began to act strangely. She noticed it about two months ago, Dominic sitting at the piano in the white music room where Ellen had been murdered and played the piano all day and night. He never left, until she told him to stop playing. She wasn't suspecting anything till Dominic stabbed her, causing her to bleed out. Then she looked up and saw the child she had been told was dead, Sophia standing over her with her eerie blue and green eyes. She tried to scream, but couldn't because of the blood, trying to call out to the demon to save her…'

Sophie blinked and caught her cinematic records in her death scythe, taking hold of the records and putting them into a book that appeared in her hand. Her decision was made; her aunt would be allowed to die.

"Crystal Tess O'Reilly Ioreta, Born June 4, 1831. Death by wound to the chest on December 12, 1872. Soul under contract with the demon, Dorren Apbolos."

Then time began again, Dominic turning her around to see her face. He backed up in fear, noticing her still looming over the body and looking at it. "W-what are you?" he gasped and turning pale as if he was seeing a ghost.

"I am Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of the darkness and God of Death," she stated to him, her eyes glowing yellow as she looked over Crystal's body with a vacant expression. "Also a grim reaper, whom is here for the soul of Crystal Tess O'Reilly Ioreta." Then she found what she was looking for, taking a gray looking substance from Crystal's body. Automatically Sophie summoned a small bottle and placed the soul inside, closing it with a cork before standing up. "And so you know," she said as she was about to leave, "I forgive you… okay?" she smiled to him, causing him to gasp slightly.

"L-little Sophia…" he frowned, feeling a stinging pain in his chest. He couldn't help but stare at her eyes, seeing the crystal blue that her mother had in her mysterious eyes.

Dominic cracked a smile and nodded, feeling as if a great strain was taken off of his shoulders. With that Sophie took off, hoping the demon wouldn't be back for the soul. As that thought came across her mind, she felt something else in the back of her mind to run faster. She turned around and her eyes widened, seeing a purple haze coming towards her. Without a second notice she was grabbed from behind and thrown backwards, flying back into the garden and smashing through a wall of the house. Things were happening too fast for Sophie because she didn't have all of her powers yet, the demon in front of her without a second notice. The demon growled at her and scratched at her clothes, trying to find the soul Sophie had taken. "Where is she? Where's my soul?"

"Gone," Sophie huffed, narrowing her eyes at him as he grabbed her by her necktie, "forever. Sorry demon, but she's gone and I'm not bringing her back –"

She coughed slightly, the demon's hand wringing tighter around her neck. "You _**filthy**_ bitc –" Then he smirked, leaning into her with a sly smirk on his face, "Well… if that's the case, then I'll have to take _your_ soul," he laughed, licking her face and causing her to quiver away in disgust.

As he lunged for her Sophie grabbed her scythe and stuck it into his chest, making him gasp out in shock. "Efutue!" she yelled at him, his hand throwing her over to the side as she coughed up blood.

She tried to scramble away but yelled out in pain, the death scythe being thrown into her hand and stopping her. "You know I tried," he growled at her, leaning over her and stabbed the scythe deeper into her hand, "but you don't seem to like me. I would have let you live, but –"

He growled, wiping the sudden spit from his face as Sophie snarled at him. "I would rather **die** than stay with you," she narrowed her eyes, letting out a cry as he slammed his foot into her chest.

"Demon get off of her," she heard from behind, Dorren laughing as he stood up and kicked Sophie's body over to the side.

"And what are you going to do about it, _**human**_? –" he gasped, a sword piercing his chest as Dominic narrowed his eyes at him.

"This," he answered, kicking his body away and quickly running over to Sophie. He let out a sigh of relief, picking up her body and waking her up. "Good you're alright," he chuckled, "I-I don't think I could live with myself if you died too."

Sophie nodded and let him carry her, ripping the cracking scythe from her hand with a snarl as she put it back in her holster. "Y-you… you need to run. If not he-e'll kill you also –"

"I do not care," Dominic said roughly as he stared forward and ran off of the estate. "I owe it to your mother." She blinked in confusion as he took off, jumping off of him with a stumble. "W-what are you doi –"

"Just hang on," Sophie said, closing her eyes and letting out a sigh.

Upon hearing Dorren's footsteps Sophie opened her eyes and Dominic gasped, watching as the yellow swirled around violently in her eyes. Then she took off into the sky, her black wings struggling slightly to lift them into the air as they began to fly. "W-wha – AAAHHHH!" he yelled, grabbing hold of Sophie tightly as he was close to falling.

"What did I say about hanging on?" Sophie grumbled, having to hold him instead of him holding her as they flew off. Then of nowhere a bright energy came from Dorren and she flinched back, shielding her eyes from the bright light. She gasped, having to change her direction of flight as a white, giant, flying serpent suddenly came at her. She narrowed her eyes as she saw that the serpent had bright amethyst and yellow eyes with some of its scales being pure black instead of white, but the white glow made the black scales look gray. Her sword appeared by her side and she took it out, letting out a yell as she slashed at it as she went past.

The serpent growled and blew a purple poisonous smoke at her, temporary blinding her as it snarled and slashed at her. Sophie evaded its claws just in time, but her wings weren't as luckily. As they made it out of the smog, Sophie began to fall down and down to the earth, one of her wings sizzling from the blow and toxic fumes. "Sophie!" Dominic gasped, coughing slightly as she began to fall unconscious. She really wasn't expecting to have to use her powers so quickly, but now she couldn't keep control of them. He growled, "Calm down and just keep flying," he said roughly, grabbing hold of her arms as they kept falling.

Then his hands began to glow a white substance and Sophie gasped, suddenly feeling the strength she needed to keep going. She grabbed hold of Dominic tightly and flew back up, slashing the serpent in the face and causing it to hiss. Then she slammed her sword into the top of its head and it screeched in pain, falling back down to earth. Sophie let out a gasp as she began to fly again, looking back and noticing that the haze from her wings was spewing out white haze instead of black. "H-how…"

Dominic smiled as Sophie kept flying, as she kept a large distance from herself and the ground. "Some Ioretas have had… well defects. My great uncle had wings, most of us can see the dead, and a few are more supernatural then human. That's why… why what I had done to you and your mother was unacceptable," he sighed, "and I need to protect you instead of harming you. I know that now."

Sophie smiled and nodded, his hands holding tightly around her waist as she swooped down and landing. "Then that explains why my brother has wings also," she smirked, setting him down as her wings disappeared.

"Y-your brother –"

"He's dead," she said roughly, causing him to be silent, "but he would have been born with his wings attached to him. Because of our father they are black, but that is quite alright." Dominic nodded and smiled, letting Sophie wander off slightly to look for the demon.

Then Dorren jumped out of a tree and hissed at her, throwing a knife at her. Sophie gasped and was unable to turn around quick enough, Dominic jumping in front of her before the knife got close enough. "Uncle Nic!" Sophie gasped, her body still weakened by the poison it was still processing. They both flinched and paused, slowly opening their eyes at the same time and looking up. Dominic gasped, seeing a being standing in front of him wearing a long black cloak, concealing his face from Dominic as he turned around. "D-death?" Sophie gasped, noticing that he had grabbed the blade with his hand and it was currently bleeding out blood.

"You did a good thing Sophia," Death said as he took the knife from his hand and it dropped to the ground, "but I will handle it from here."

"W-wha… are you okay?" she asked, walking over to him and examining his hand. Her eyes widened, noticing that there was no flesh on his hand and it was just white and gray bone.

"I am completely fine," he said simply, letting Sophie's hand flop back to her side as she went into a deep thought. She was speechless, for he appeared as the Death everyone would describe about, an old skeleton without skin wearing a black cloak to conceal itself and holding an old and worn out scythe. If it hadn't been for the green haze that seemed to be coming from his eyes, Sophie wouldn't have even known it was the Death she had been talking to her earlier. "You must be surprised by my appearance."

"N-no! I mean…" she paused, looking away and at the ground.

"I am sometimes in this form, but don't worry. This isn't my true self," he smirked, giving Dominic a nod as he looked back at the demon. It snarled at them, unable to get close because of the figure standing in front of Sophie.

Then Dominic approached Dorren, taking a few steps forward and passed them. "Hey demon!" he called to it, "I want to make a contract with you."

"_O~ohh?_" Dorren chuckled, jumping down from the tree and approaching him. Sophie gasped, about to run over to him, but Death quickly stopped her by holding out a black sleeve to her. "And what would this contract be, _**human**_?"

"That you obey my every order, and also any being cannot kill me but only a natural death can kill me," Dominic stated, deciding to not take the same mistake as his wife did. "And you will serve me until my death, understood?"

"And what do I get in return?" he slurped, eyeing Sophie with yearning.

"My soul, an _angelic_ soul," Dominic stated, "and the souls I have collected over the years. How about that?"

The demon smirked, hearing exactly what he wanted. "I accept your offer," he smiled to him, grabbing hold of his collar and staring into his eyes. "Until the day Death takes hold of you, I will obey your every order and not let anything or anyone kill you until you die of natural causes."

"W-wait Uncle –"

"Let it happen," Death said, Sophie looking up at him shocked as he looked down at her. "It needs to happen."

Then the demon bit down on his neck and Dorren screamed out, the demon causing an insignia of a serpent to appear on his neck, like the one Sophie had battled in the sky. She was too far away to see it completely, but saw it was a circular insignia. He let Dominic flop over, his body falling to the ground as Dorren slurped up the blood on his two sharp pointed teeth, "Besides, an eternal existence is never fun without some entertainment," he chuckled, looking over to Sophie as she stared in horror at Dominic's body. "Now back to you," he chuckled, slyly walking over to her as she hid behind Death.

"Demon," Dominic said in a half awoken state, surprising Dorren that he was still conscious. "I order you to **never** see and touch Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus."

He narrowed his eyes, now seeing Dominic's real reason for making a contract with him. "Yes, my lord." Then he roughly turned away, giving Sophie one last look before attending to his master on the ground.

"N-Nic! Uncle Nic?" Sophie couldn't help but say, tears beginning to fall down her face. "How could you!" she growled, being pulled away by Death's arm, "I don't need your help! –"

"I had to," he said as he slowly got off of the ground, his hand holding on tightly to his neck as he let out rough pants. "I have a debt to repay. I told your mother that I would keep her safe forever, but since she is dead I will take care of you… until I cannot be alive anymore." Sophie bit down on her lip, pulling on Death's sleeve as he held her back.

"But…"

Dominic smiled, "Live well. You deserve it. Don't hate me for this… just forgive me," he finished, having the demon take him back to the mansion and leaving Death and Sophie in the woods.

She shook her head as tears fell down her face. "I forgive you!" she yelled to him, "I really do!" she chuckled slightly, a smile back on her face as she rubbed her eyes. Then she let out a sigh, turning around and heading back to the shinigami realm.

Marius appeared out of nowhere, bowing down to Death before walking over to him. "Here you go," he said as he handed him something, looking battered up and bruised.

Sophie gasped, narrowing her eyes and pushing on Death's back roughly. "What is this!" she said as she pointed to her brother. "What are you having him do?"

"That is none of your concern," Death answered her sternly, before he was about to say something to Marius.

"Of course it is," she snarled at him. "As head of the Serbus household, I have a right to know what every member of my family is doing, dead or alive. I am guessing Marius feels obligated to be indebted to you since you raised him, but I need to know **everything** he does before you send him out on dangerous business. I won't have a member of my family dying without my knowledge."

"Are you simply saying this so I can keep in touch with you?" Death asked, causing Sophie to look over at him shocked. "Come then," he said to Sophie, sending Marius off as they walked back to the shinigami realm, "there is something I need to say to these… _**shinigamis**_."

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… I do not mind seeing beings that help make my job easier," Death continued as he talked to a bunch of frightened shinigamis, whom call themselves the council, "but I also know how your organization works. This being said, your behavior is highly unacceptable. Having **one** student take their assignment in less than two days, while other students have a week, is intolerable. Also giving a student an assignment that has a demon involved, which should have been given to a shinigami with more experience… this I cannot allow. In this line of work, it has to be an experienced shinigami who takes this assignment, **not** a graduating student with barely has any experience. And… **not** having a shinigami watch over the student as they complete their field work. With the other students you have someone watching over them, but not this one?" Death narrowed his eyes and stared them all down before continuing on. "I had to take time out of my schedule to watch this shinigami, while the rest of you have not been doing a thing. I have had to do this two other times this year, and I must say I am getting fed up with your lack of services. If you continue with your foul behavior, I will terminate this organization until nothing is left. **Got that?**"

One of the shinigamis coughed, standing up tall and proud as he collected himself. "We understand your anger and we do not want you against us," he began, "and we are sorry for the inconvenience. In the future, we will make sure every student has a mentor watching over them during their last exam."

"Thank you," Death said with a nod as he turned around. "And by the way," he said with a pause, causing the council to stop as they began to stand up and leave, "I will not be meeting with you this month. This will be your punishment for your incompetence," he finished, pushing the doors open and walking out of the room. Then he turned to Sophie, noticing that she was sitting nervously on a bench waiting for him to come out. "Young Serbus," he called to her, causing her to perk up and look up at him, "I accept your proposal. I am sorry for my lack of communication. Since your brother is in my service, I will have someone send you everything Marius Serbus will be doing for the month once you have settled down in your new location. Understood?" he asked, holding out his right hand.

Sophie hesitated for a moment, seeing that it was still all bone, but she smiled to him and shook it. "Understood," she repeated to him, watching as he let go and gave her a nod. In a blink of an eye he disappeared, Sophie looking around slightly as she glanced around the hallway from him.

Then she let out a sigh, deciding to wander around as she waited for her instructions. "Sophia!" Sophie heard from behind, seeing Fiona calling over to her. Sophie nodded to her, walking over to her. "So you're back. That was quic – what happened to you!" she gasped, looking at Sophie's attire.

Sophie blinked in confusion and looked down at herself, giving an _**'oh'**_ as she noticed her clothes. They were cut up and she had some caked blood on her suit. In all honestly, she didn't think she looked that bad. She picked up her scythe and the blade fell off of the handle; Sophie grabbing the handle and the blade in separate hands. "Yeah… I ran into some trouble," she chuckled, holding onto the scythe in one hand as she gave her a shrug. "So… do you know when they'll tell me my performance? No one was watching me though… so that can prove difficult."

"Really?" Fiona frowned, "I could have sworn… Well go hand your death scythe to room F143. They will let you know when you pass tomorrow and give you your ticket for whatever means of transportation they want you to go on." Then she let out a sigh, a frown still on her face. "I will miss you Sophia."

"Hey so will I," she smiled to her, giving her a big hug before parting ways. "I will never forget you Fiona, alright?"

"Alright," Fiona waved to her, watching as Sophie walked to the stairs and disappeared.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a sigh, setting her bag down as she trudged through the back door and walking to the living room. "_Back little maide_ – why are your clothes cut up?" the Undertaker asked, watching as she threw her bag away and automatically began to walk into the bathroom.

"Demon," she stated. Then her eyes widened when the Undertaker grasped her shoulders suddenly and stared at her with both worry and rage in his eyes, demanding an explanation. "They sent me to reap the soul of my… of my aunt," she said, letting out a sigh as she looked away from him. "I watched as she killed off my family, but never suspecting that Uncle Dominic would kill her in the end. Then the demon she was contracted to attacked me… it was Dorren," she said sadly as she felt her tears coming back to her eyes. "And now I know why he took me away from you," she hiccupped, holding onto her chest as she felt a sharp pain in her heart, "and Uncle Dominic… he saved me. He made a contract with the demon and Dorren is now ordered to stay away from me until Nic's death… oh no I couldn't stop him! Death showed up and wouldn't let me go and stop Uncle Nic! I-I… I… oh god."

"Sophia…" he said in a calm voice, wrapping his sleeves around her as she began to weep. Sophie was beginning to crumble, leaning against his chest as her cried into her hands. "It's alright… It's alright."

"N-no it's not," she answered with a slight snarl. "My only living relative is contracted to a demon and the only reason he did it was because he felt bad for my mom's death. If Death hadn't showed up I would have died! A-and… and I'm leaving." She whimpered and bit down on her lip, "and I'm leaving you. I don't want to… Undertaker!" she called for him, wrapping her arms around him as she buried her head into his chest. "I don't want to go! Undertaker, I love you! Please don't have me go! Pleas –"

"Sophia…" he said calmly, rubbing her back as she continued to cry. "I love you too," he let her go slightly so she could look up at him, a compassionate smile on his face as he looked down at her, "but even if I do, I can't have you living here for the rest of your existence. This is a great time for some change, to see the world outside of this stuffy old morgue and cemetery. There will be new difficulties, but there will be new experiences too. You need to grow more, Sophia, so you can come back here and prove to the world who you really are, Sophia Serbus, daughter of the late Maurus Serbus."

Sophie's eyes widened, trying to search in his eyes for any blemishes, but she saw nothing and smiled. "Y-you really think this is the best idea? For me to leave?" She rubbed her eyes, walking away from him and into the bathroom. "I-I'm going to take a bath. It may be the last one I can get for a while."

"Of course," he smiled, letting her tend to her own business as he finished up his own.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie jumped the Undertaker from behind as he sat on a coffin; just as he had made a pot of tea and had brought in two beakers full of tea into the main room. He had been sitting there patiently, but didn't have to wait long since he didn't notice her sneak up behind him. "What is with this _love~ly~_ surprise?" he asked, a chuckle of amusement in his voice.

"I understand now," she giggled into his back, the Undertaker raising an eyebrow as he shifted slightly to look at her, "that I need to leave to grow. A baby bird needs to spread its wings and leave the nest, right?" Then she chuckled, letting out a sad sigh as she laid her head on his back and hugged his shoulders tightly. "Just… I don't want you to be lonely." He blinked in confusion, a smile caressing his lips as Sophie continued. "I think I said already that no one should be lonely… well isn't that why I'm here? To keep you company? Besides… we're a sporadic pair, aren't we?" she chuckled, brushing her nose on the back of his coat.

Then she giggled as the Undertaker chuckled and pulled her onto his lap, nuzzling his nose into her neck. "Oh little maiden…" he chuckled, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she continued to giggle in his grasp. "Thank you… I have learned so much from you, if you can believe that. I will tell you the truth. I do not want you to go, but let us enjoy our time together, _shall we_?"

Sophie smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck, noticing his arms wrapping around her waist and pulling her closer to him. "Of course," she giggled, looking over at curiosity as he handed her some tea. She smiled to him and took the beaker, slowly drinking the tea as she looked into his eyes. She couldn't help but smile, noticing he had moved his bangs away from his eyes himself instead of her having to do it for him. Then she set the beaker down and snuggled her head into his neck, refusing to let him go. "Can we sleep in a coffin then?"

"Of course," he chuckled, shifting his head and kissing the top of her head, "but _fi~rst_…"

He smirked and set their cups of tea down, grabbing hold of her body and picking her up. "W-what I didn't mean now!" Sophie growled, letting out a yelp when he threw her over his shoulder and skipped around the room. Then the Undertaker sat her down on a coffin and went over to the door and locked it, flipping the open sign to closed and turning back with a devious grin on his face. "Undertaker… w-what's with that grin?" she frowned, scooting away slightly as he advanced back to her.

"I'm simply enjoying your company," he grinned, his hands slivering around her body and pulling her back up, "and I think you _deser~ve_ another punishment..." Then he pulled at her necktie and took it off, discarding it on the floor. "I can't have that sneaky demon's germs _all_ _over_ _**you**_. Besides I need to examine your wounds anyways."She blinked in confusion and backed away, causing him to frown and let her go.

"Wait," she insisted, stepping away from him as she fiddled around with her collared shirt with uneasiness. "Just… I-I want to do something," she smiled to him, then closing her eyes as she held her hands to her heart. Then a bright light surrounded her, instantly changing her clothes from her shinigami suit to her white dress and golden robe. When she opened her eyes Sophie looked down in embarrassment, her hands still pulled tightly against her chest. "W-weird… must have been Uncle Nic's soul," she thought to herself before giving the Undertaker a smile. "I… I-I don't know why I remind you of someone, but I know who **you** remind me of." Then Sophie casually walked up to him, grabbing his coat and began unbuttoning it, "I-I am yours correct? I want to give you everything. Everything that makes me Sophia Serbus I want to give you. Just as long as when I come back here you show me a genuine smile on your face and embrace me like you always do… I-I want to stay yours Undertaker. I…" She grumbled to herself and pushed her head into his chest, his outer coat unbuttoned as she grabbed hold of his shirt.

He blinked at her and then smiled, a thrilled chuckle escaping his lips as he wrapped his arms around her. "I can't believe my little maiden loves me so," he whispered to no one in particular, letting go of Sophie slightly as she lifted her head and looked up at him in awe with her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. The Undertaker grinned, seeing no blemishes and only innocence in her mystical eyes. He let his coat slip down and fall to his feet, grabbing his chain of lockets before they fell. He unclipped it and set it gently down on a nearby coffin, stripping himself of his hat and pants before grabbing hold of Sophie again in a passionate kiss. His hands rubbed all around her body, pushing her slightly until she was leaning against a large coffin.

He grabbed the lid and set it aside, grabbing Sophie again in a deep kiss and made her moan out in pleasure. "You made a big enough coffin?" she asked once they parted.

The Undertaker chuckled and leaned his head to her ear, his lips breathing into her ear and making her shudder. "Of course I did. I improved, _didn't I?_" Sophie giggled and slipped her head past his, biting down on his neck as she grabbed his face gently. He smirked and moaned slightly, his hands wandering down her waist and slipping off her rope, followed by the dress. He grabbed hold of her waist and set her inside of the coffin, climbing into the coffin and hovering over her bare naked body.

He grinned cunningly and kissed her on the lips, his tongue trailing down her body and towards her chest. She tilted back her head and moaned, the Undertaker biting down on one of her nibbles and making her shudder. Then he left her breast and kissed the scar on her chest, kissing it tenderly as she continued to moan. His hand lingered down to her legs and he rubbed her thigh, Sophie shuddering and tilting her body slightly towards his hand. "U-undertaker…" she said as she looked down at him, feeling his hands upon her leg and sensitive area. "A-aahhmmm… w-wait…" she shuddered, causing him to stop and look up at her.

He smirked and shifted her, letting him settle down into the coffin with his hands wrapped around her. "I knew you wouldn't want me to – l-little maiden?" he froze as Sophie crawled onto his stomach and began licking his chest. He moaned quietly, feeling her soft body pressed up against him. Then she bit down hard on his scar, causing him to groan and arc his body by the sudden pain. Sophie sank her teeth into his chest and moaned into his chest, lapping up his blood and sucking hard on his chest. He rubbed his hands on her back, a giggle escaping his lips as her head pressed into his chest. "You don't have to go overboard Sophia…" he sighed with pleasure, Sophie lifting her head up slightly and giving him a smile.

"Sorry if I like to **bite**," she smirked, shuffling up his body slightly so she could see his eyes better, "but you can blame Grell for that."

"I will have to thank him in person," he chuckled, one of his hands pushing down on her rump and pressing her body into his. Then his smile changed slightly, giving her a pleased look on his face. "You will stay a _vir~~gin~_ for _me~_, won't you?" he asked, pressing her head into the bottom of his neck gently.

"Yes," she answered him quickly, nuzzling her head into his chest, "I will…" He smiled and tilted her head up slightly; taking his nail and cutting into the bottom of his neck were Sophie's head was. "U-undertaker –"

"Take it," he instructed her, "until you fall asleep…" Then he moaned slightly as she sucked on his skin, slurping up all his blood. Sophie smiled to herself and continued to suck on him, long after the cut he had made on his neck disappeared.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie smiled as Grell, Margaret, Julia, Alex, and the Undertaker had come to say their goodbyes before she boarded a ship. Grell and Julia were clinging to her, refusing to let go. "G-guys you're c-choking me!" Sophie gasped, still smiling as she was hugging them back and refusing to let them go.

"Come on you guys, give her some room," Alex said in a huff, pulling Julia off of her as Grell let go on his own. "I need to give you something anyways," he shrugged, walking over to Sophie as she looked at him with curiosity. He handed her a pocket knife and she looked with curiosity, noticing the intercut engravings on the handle. "This is one of my family's knifes. See," he said as he pointed to an image of a fox, "that's my family's symbol. It's a demon knife, so it has the effect as a demon claw would have on an angel and other being, and I hope... it keeps you safe."

"Thank you Alex," she smiled, grabbing him in a tight hug as they quickly parted. Then she put the knife in her bag, setting it down in a place where she would easily find it again.

"Sophie open this!" Grell exploded, unable to contain his excitement. "It's your Christmas present! I almost forgot to give it to you, but I found it before I came here! I _really_ hope you like it."

Sophie stared at the box, noticing it was red. Then she opened it and smirked, noticing that it was a pair of pajamas. They were red pajamas, made out of very fine silk. "T-this must have been expensive Grell," she said, feeling the fabric as she laid it on her body and made sure it fit.

"I made it myself!" he smiled happily, his grin growing wider as he noticed Sophie's joyful smile. "I know how you like pants, so it's a shirt and pant type. You can wear it around as everyday wear for all I care! I was sick of you using my own pajamas while you were staying with me, and I figured you were wearing the Undertaker's clothes every night," he said in a huff, "so this is the most practical gift for a young lady!"

"T-thank you Grell," she laughed, grabbing him in a hug once again before slowly parting. "I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome Sophia," he smiled back, holding back his enviable tears as they noticed that the ship was beginning to send their passengers onto the floating craft.

"If that is it then I need to go," Sophie said, giving each of them a big hug before making her way to the Undertaker. Then she smiled to him, taking a small wrapped box out of her pocket as she handed it to him. He looked at her with curiosity, noticing the wide smile on her face as she was excited about the present. "I figured I should give you your Christmas present now. I would rather see your face when you opened it then not see it at all." Then she heard the ship blow its steam and she quickly gave him a kiss on the cheek, pausing slightly as she let go, "I will see you later, alright?"

The Undertaker chuckled back, giving her a kiss on the cheek as he gently brushed her cheek. "Alright. Good bye Sophia," he said, watching as she ran off and disappeared into the crowd. "Good luck little maiden," he whispered to himself, looking down at his box and began to open it.

"Oh there she is!" Julia yelled, waving to her as they noticed Sophie standing on the deck of the ship and waved to them.

The Undertaker opened the box and smiled, noticing it contained a silver mourning locket. He paused, observing that it had an engraving of the Serbus crest on the front. He opened the inside and looked in it, noticing that it had a picture of Sophie when she was around the age of eight on the right side and on the left side had a pressed bluebell that fit perfectly into the locket. He bit down his bottom lip and looked up, watching as Sophie waved to him as she noticed that he saw the present. Sophie blew them a kiss and continued to wave, the Undertaker still looking at the ship as it disappeared into the horizon.

"L-little maiden..." he said to himself with a clear tone of sadness in his voice, the sightseers having already left and leaving him alone at the port. Then it dawned on him: she was really gone... gone for good.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

William coughed to himself as he made it to his office, looking confused when he noticed a present on his desk. He set down his tea on his desk and decided to look at the present, figuring it had something to do with Christmas. He found a card attached to it and looked at it:

_William T. Spears_

_From: Sophia Ioreta_

_Merry Christmas! I hope this brings back memories._

He shrugged and sat down at his desk, deciding to open the gift now then wait till later. Once he opened the top he paused, his face turning pale as he uncovered its contents. He took out his present and looked it over, noticing the intercut insignia on the leather part of the belt in his hand. Then he looked down, noticing a small tin box. He opened it and bit down on his bottom lip, close to tearing up. "Addie..." he said with a deep longing in his voice, letting out a cough as the door flew open and Grell ran into the room.

"_Look Will~iam_!" Grell giggled as he twirled around with a red and black dress in his hands. "Sophie gave me such an exotic dress! I think its Spanish – hey are you okay?"

William let out a quick cough to hide his expression and set the present behind his desk, away from Grell's overseeing eyes. "I am quite alright. I'm just annoyed that you came in here _**unannounced**_," he narrowed his eyes, flinching back slightly when Grell let out a high pitched squeal and began to yell at him. William didn't pay much heed to Grell, wondering how on earth Sophie was able to get him a belt made from Saint Bertwald and made by his own siblings, or perhaps their children now. He sadly sighed, sitting back in his desk and sipped his tea as he pondered about everything, especially his family.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: All I have to say is that I wanted to end it on a sad note, especially with William at the end. Poor Grell, not knowing what's going on with William XD For clarification, Sophie was stripped down to nothing, but the Undertaker had his underwear on. Yeah, before you ask ^^ I would have added all the presents Sophie handed out and the things her friends gave her, but only a few needed to be said. Plus I was running out of room and didn't want this chapter to be too long… though it already is anyways =3 Oh well! I hope you guys enjoyed this arc! Chapter 30 will start with a time lapses, so be prepared ^^ Thank you to all my reviewers and everyone else who reads this fanfic. I'm glad that so many people seem to like this story! It gives me a reason to keep writing =D**

_mule_ – Greek – _bastard_

Tess – Greek – harvester

O'Reilly – Irish – grandson of Reilly

Dominic – English – of the Lord

_Efutue_ – Latin – _fuck off; literally 'fuck away'_


	29. OC OVERVIEW I

**A/N: To end this long part in the story, I decided to post this! It's all of the OCs, at least the ones I found important or remembered to write down, in the story so far. Just in case they are never in this story again, here is some special mention for them =D If there is an OC that you absolutely love and would like me to continue writing about, comment! I would love to see who I should keep and who I should leave out. Like Miss Robin. Should she be mentioned again? Should I bring up The Juvéniles of Dance again and should they meet Sophie? Should I go in deeper with Otis and William's past? Should I bring back any of the other demons, like the demon wolf pack or the ravens? **

**And if you have any ideas yourself, now is the time to say something! Perhaps I should talk about Grell's past like I did with William? You know, things like that ^^ Just stuff to fill in the main plot to make it interesting X3 I need to add some excitement, you know =D If I don't talk to any of you guys after this, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! **

!#$%^&*()

Sophia "Sophie" Maurus Ioreta Serbus "White Swan" – 17 – half breed, God of Death/human – long-wavy auburn hair and crystal blue eyes (green on inside) November 25, 1852 – April 23, 1870

Centurion Maurus "The Dark Centurion" Serbus– Sophie's father – legendary reaper (deceased) – short maroon hair, green pupils and yellow-green irises

Baroness Ellen "Elle" Ioreta –mother (deceased) – brunette hair, blue eyes

Marius Serbus – Sophie's older brother – 4 years older, 21 – unborn baby (deceased) – short auburn hair and pure crystal blue eyes

Haden – Sophie's friend/love at in orphanage (deceased)

Fluffster – Haden's childhood pet bunny (deceased)

Miss Robin – older woman influence in orphanage – caretaker at the orphanage

Thomas – mortician (deceased) – family from Persia; part of elite-warrior class – own a shamshir – taught Sophie Latin and how to sword fight – gray-brown hair, fuzzy facial mustache

Maria – young woman from Spain – dancer – fiancé of Ricardo

Ricardo "Rick" – young man from Spain – dancer – fiancé of Maria

Andrés "The Warrior of Dance" – sword fighter from Spain – famous dancer, The Juvéniles of Dance

Karol Cyrielle – from France – little sister of Charlotte – loves Frédéric

Charlotte Cyrielle – from France – older sister of Karol (deceased) – famous dancer, The Juvéniles of Dance

Frédéric "Fred" – from Germany – famous dancer, The Juvéniles of Dance – loves Karol

Aurora – from Italy – loves Andrés – helps Andrés with background, The Juvéniles of Dance

Marc – famous dancer (deceased), The Juvéniles of Dance

Dorren "The Apep" "The Serpent" Apbolos – demon snake, envy – after Sophia – amethyst/yellow eyes, short black hair, ends wavy and messy, bangs come over eyes – white serpent/dragon

Margaret Skyler – Sophie's roommate at academy – slightly short blonde hair

Jasmine Farah – receptionist – helping Margaret with studies

Chaz Hoover – Sophie's bully at academy – slicked brunette hair, cut short

Jenna – Sophie's doctor at the academy

Alexander "Alex Agon" Engjëll – Sophie's best friend at the academy – half breed, demon/reaper – shaggy/straight dark brown hair, cut short, no double iris (eyes green, but can turn red in demon form) – brown fox

Julia Shezmu – half breed, God of Death/demon, wrath – Alex's friend, grew up with – long forest green hair (hair gains strip of black in demon form), hazel eyes (eyes turn red in demon form) – human skulls around waist like belt – during competition, Yellow team

Shezmu – Julia's father – God of Death – black rose hair, gray eyes (red eyes when angry)

Albert – the Shezmu butler – red eyes

Otis – bodyguard at club – demon – red eyes – killed William T. Spears

Fiona "The Silver Dove" Obki –long dark-brunette hair – three- pronged fork made of iron

Inaya "Aya" – (deceased-killed at age 17) – long -wavy burgundy hair, sea green eyes

Aunt Crystal Tess O'Reilly Ioreta – Sophie's aunt, Ellen's sister-in-law (deceased)

Uncle Dominic "Nic" Ioreta – Sophie's uncle, older brother of Ellen – blue eyes – contracts with Dorren

Grandmum Briana – Death's wife (deceased) – long silver hair and crystal blue eyes

Death – Briana's wife (deceased) – dressed in a white robe with a black hooded cape over his face – solid dark black hair and crystal emerald eyes – owns black horse (bright blue eyes) – raised Marius

Wulfric – demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – alpha wolf – Fillin's father

Fillin – demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – friends with Adolf – messy light blonde/gray hair, bright yellow eyes – during competition, Violet team

Adalwolf "Adolf" "Alf" – demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – friends with Fillin – during competition, Violet team – yellow eyes – (deceased)

Hrodwulf "Rudolf" – demon wolf – Adolf's younger brother – killed by Sophie & condemned to be eaten (deceased)

Bardulf – demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – Ralph's older brother – taking care of Fillin since Adolf disappeared – during competition, Green team

Ralph – demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – Bardulf's younger brother – taking care of Fillin since Adolf disappeared – during competition, Green team – scratched Sophie's arm

Byrne – demon raven – friends with Merletta – during competition, Blue team

Merle "Merletta" – demon raven – friends with Byrne – during competition, Blue team

Teutas – Celtic family – demon – light blue eyes – knows Shezmu

Patrick Teutas – demon – eldest – met at Halloween party, warns Sophie about demons coming after her

Seth Orbheim – legendary reaper– son of Bracha – grew up in the Land of Canaan – green pupils and yellow-green irises (had black/silver hair)

Bracha Eliheim – Seth's mother (deceased) – small tan body with long silver hair and crystal blue eyes


	30. The Arrival

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! In all honestly, I was just very excited to start this next part so… yeah that's why it's up so soon =3 Yeah, sorry but I'm going to be bombarding you with a batch of new OCs for a while. So if you don't like it… well sorry about it ^^ Oh if you have your own OC I can add it to my story ^^ And I was thinking of turning this is a sort of chess game. You'll see what I mean when I go along with the story =3 so… 32 players? And who will the players be? =O Dang which side will Sophie be on, White or Black?... hmmm… yeah and I may add some Alice in Wonderland and Looking Glass fun in here! I'll just see what happens, hmm ^^ It won't be based on the Kuroshitsuji version though. It'll will probably just be my OCs if I ever get around to it… but whatever! As I said I don't know if I'll do it ^^ Well as always, ENJOY THIS CHAPTER! Comment if you have any ideas for me ^^ and THIS IS A TIMELAPSE! There is a date in this chapter that tells you what time she is in, but just so you know =3 Sorry I'm overly excited right now. So many ideas and I'm not at the point to use them yet! 3**

!#$%^&*()

An exhausted supervisor groaned in his chair as he signed forms, his head looking up when a younger shinigami threw the door open and casually walked into the room. "Hey'ah!" he waved to him as he walked into the room, brushing a black glove through his blonde hair. "I filled out those forms you wanted Mr. Spears… hey what's wrong?" he pouted slightly, noticing that his supervisor was rubbing his head in frustration.

"Nothing," William grumbled, running a hand through his hair as he looked at his notes. "We are just understaffed and my superiors have been on my back that Mr. Sutcliff is showing up every other day –"

"Oh Grell wanted me to tell you that he was taking another sick day and tell his boss," the young blonde smirked, dumping the stack of papers in his hand on William's desk.

"Thank you… for telling me that **now** Mr. Knox," William seemed to growl at him, looking at the first piece of paper on the thirty page stack of paper in front of him.

"Hey I said to call me _Ronald~_" he smirked, turning around to leave. Then he flinched, hearing his supervisor jumping out of his chair and rummaging through his files and folders. "Hey Mr. Spears, is something the matter?"

William narrowed his eyes at the shinigami as growl escaped his lips when he asked him the question. "Why didn't you tell me that the replacement from the American Division is coming **today**?"

"I didn't even know that was a problem!" he huffed, opening the door but was pushed aside by William as he ran out of his office. In a matter of seconds William was gone, leaving Ronald at the door. "Huh," he thought as he closed the door behind him, "I wonder why he's in a rush?"

"Mr. Knox what **did** you do this time?" another shinigami laughed as he tilted back in his chair at his cubical, "or was it Mr. _Sut~~cliff~_ again?"

"I don't know Mr. Slingby," Ronald shrugged, running a hand through his blonde hair, "but he has been jumpy a **lot** lately. Apparently we're expecting another shinigami from the American Division. Hopefully he'll be better at working than Grell is. "

"We **are** understaffed," he shrugged, swing back over to his desk and back to his forms, "but we will just let Mr. Spears handle everything. I'm getting back to work." Ronald nodded and left, walking over to his own cubical close by to Mr. Slingby's and began to work diligently on his own paperwork.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

A dark figure dripping wet and panting walked into a white building, causing the secretary at the front desk to flinch back in fright. Instead of wearing the traditional suit and tie, this shinigami was wearing a long black trench coat, baggy and somewhat torn brown pants, black cowboy boots, a dark red bandana around their neck, which may have been a different colored but had turned red over time, and a torn and slightly burnt big black cowboy hat that completely covered their face. The shinigami's hair was pulled back in a short ponytail, the secretary noticing that the hair was a dark auburn, but that could have been because their hair looked dusty and wet. "H-hello…" the woman said as the shinigami approached her counter with a footlocker and messenger bag. "How may I help you today?"

"Yes hello," the shinigami began, the woman's mouth slightly dropping when she noticed that it was a soft feminine voice. "I have transferred from the American Division and was told to go to this building. So… what should I do right now?"

"Ummm… oh yes," she chuckled nervously, grabbing a form from the back. "I will need to see some ID first."

"Certainly," the American woman said, handing her ID to the woman behind the desk. The woman grabbed it and looked it over, reading the contents on the ID and looked at the form in her hand. "Ah yes, number 3498-52430785. We've been expecting you… though you're thirty minutes late."

"Sorry about that," she shrugged as she grabbed the forms and her ID from the woman's hand, "but the ship arrived later than expected. Plus I almost missed the ship due to a tornado and… well that's all you need to know." Then she gave her a slight smile and tipping her hat. "I best be going then –"

"W-wait!" the secretary said, "You need to wait here for your temporary supervisor to come down an –"

"I don't have time for those who can't show up on time and wait for me," she shrugged, walking away from her. "Besides, I have other things I have to go and do first. If my temporary supervisor wishes to speak with me then he will have to wait like everyone else," she finished, leaving the secretary stunned.

)(*&^%$#!

The woman with the black cowboy hat stopped at a door, knocking on it gently. "Is a Doctor Jenna Peterson there?" she asked, the door opening to reveal a woman sipping on some tea.

"Yes this is her," Jenna said with a yawn as she shifted the white trench coat on her shoulders, "and why are you here today?"

"Well I…" the woman paused before cracking a smile. "I am one of those regulars you see practically once a day in the infirmary. So I decided I will cut across the middle man and ask for a primary doctor. You see Doctor Peterson, I get injured easily and I need to be checked at least once a week because of a heart condition I have. Plus I heard you are one of the best doctors in the division and I wish for your services because I just transferred here from the American Division."

"I can't see why you can't see a different doctor," she sighed before inviting the woman in, "but I guess word has gone through the division that I must be the best."

"Actually all the way to the Americas madam," the woman said, taking off her hat as she walked into the room.

Jenna blinked in confusion and looked at her wardrobe, mostly staring up at her auburn hair. "Strange…" she thought to herself, sitting down at her desk and sipping at her tea again. "So do you have the necessary forms?"

"Of course," the woman said, grabbing her forms from her messenger bag and handing it to her. "I filled out everything as I made my way here. I can't be seeing my doctor if I will be working here, so I took the time to fill out the necessary transfer forms. Plus I had you as a doctor while I was living here earlier so…" she shrugged.

Jenna nodded and set her forms down on her desk, looking through a stack of papers. "Why I don't seem to mind this, but first can I see your ID?" The woman nodded and handed her ID, Jenna not really looking at it before they heard a knock at her door. "Yes?" she asked as a male shinigami with uncombed brown hair peeked into the room. "Oh Alan Humphries," Jenna smiled, "is something wrong?"

"N-no," he said as he peeked into the room. "I just wanted to say thank you for not telling anyone about my… problem."

"Of course," Jenna nodded as she continued to sip her tea.

Then Alan's eyes wandered over to the shinigami sitting with one leg crossed over the other."Ummm… can I ask who are you?" Alan asked, the woman shinigami turning around and looking over at him.

"Why I'm Sophia Serbus," she smiled, holding out her hand. He smiled, shaking her hand and letting go. "I'm new here. I just moved in from the American Division because we were told you were understaffed." Jenna blinked in confusion and studied her ID closer, her eyes going wide.

ID Number: 3498-52430785

Sophia M. I. Serbus

Paranormal Operations, Director; North America, The West

Sector Administrator: Daniel R. Grosvenor

Ranking: Expert

Exam Grade Average, A; Mentor, Grell Sutcliff

Final Exam Grades: Practical Technique, A; Written, A; Ethics, C

Souls Collected: 17,283

Missions Failed: 7

Death Scythe: Modified, Legal

Glasses: Modified

Administrator Notes: The Dark Rider. Professional. Neat, orderly. Youngest supervisor in the Americas. "First impressions are the key to success."

"S-sophie… you're back?" Jenna practically jumped out of her seat, causing Alan to flinch back as she rushed over and grabbed the red head in a tight grip. "We thought you wouldn't be coming back! How are you?"

"Oh Jenna don't pull a Grell," she smirked, grabbing her ID from her hand and handing it to Alan for him to look at. "I'm fine. Haven't fainted in… about a month now," she shrugged as Alan looked at her ID.

"So your know Grell Sutcliff?" Alan asked as he raised an eyebrow. Sophie gave him a nod and gently pushed Jenna off of her. "Paranormal Operations… wow I heard of you guys, but your department is said to be very tough. Especially in the Americas."

"Yeah well… you just go with it," she shrugged, grabbing her ID back and putting it in her pocket. "So can I expect that you will be my primary doctor here?"

"Yes!" Jenna smiled as she sat back down. "I'll get right to it. Hah! Wait till everyone hears that you're back."

Sophie smiled and gave her a nod, walking out of the room with Alan right behind her. "Say Mr. Humphries," she said as she looked at the forms in her hand, "I was able to find my room, but the place has changed a little since I was last here. Do you know where the Dispatch Management Division is?"

"Sure," Alan smiled, "and I can show you to your supervisor if you like."

"Oh I can't ask for that," Sophie chuckled nervously. "That's asking too much –"

"Surely ma'am, it's no problem at all," he smiled causing Sophie to beam.

"Great! Here's the room," she said as he handed her the form.

Alan looked it over and smirked, handing her the folder back. "I know where that is. Just follow me." Sophie nodded and followed after him, putting her black cowboy hat back on top of her head as they made it back to the main hallway.

)(*&^%$#!

"I can't believe we have a female here!" Ronald laughed, causing Alan to smack him across the head. "Ow! Geeze…" Sophie smirked and sipped her tea, looking at the three shinigamis in front of her as they taunted and laughed with each other. A slight frown came across her features as she remembered her coworkers back in America. How she was missing them… perhaps this wasn't the best idea to transfer yet? It was the only time she had to do it, especially since the snow had stopped falling and the weather was getting better. "So Mrs. Serbus," Ronald asked and snapping her out of her thoughts, "have you heard of the Dark Rider?"

Sophie glanced over at Alan, who was giving her a smirk, and she looked back at the younger shinigami and shrugged. "Maybe. Why?"

"Oh," he said sadly, "I figured, since you were a director at the American Division, that you would! So… I guess not…"

"She **is** the Dark Rider Ronald," Alan had to say, getting a headache from the noise.

"Really?" Ronald jumped up. "S-so what's it like? I heard the Dark Rider is tough."

"Meh I guess," Sophie shrugged as she crossed her hands over her chest and had one of her legs crossed over the other. "I **was** in the Wild Wild West. With many bandits and robbers there was bound to be demons lurking around and trying to kill us. Plus there is a vast area of just desert, as far as the eye can see. Then I was promoted and eventually took over the Western half of North America, but that gave me the chance to travel north during the summer and south when it got cold. So I wasn't stuck in one place all the time," she smiled. "I don't know where this **tough** thing was introduced. Could you care to explain, _**Mr. Knox~**_?"

"O-oh ummm…" he chuckled sheepishly as he looked away.

"Is the lady's man is suddenly **shy**?" Mr. Slingby laughed, causing Ronald to narrow his eyes at him.

"Let the boy have some fun Eric," Alan nudged Eric, giving a nod at Ronald as Eric grumbled to himself. Even though Alan figured Mr. Spears would be back at any moment, it was a good chance to get to know their new coworker. Besides something was bothering him: why would a director of a special department want to take a low job in the middle of London? It didn't make sense.

"Well…" Ronald began again as he scratched his nose, "It's just something that has been going around recently. Now I can tell everyone that I met **the** Dark Rider. That's awesome!" Then he shrugged, "Plus I find it cool that I have the same mentor as you."

"You mean Grell?" she asked, getting out a sigh as she tilted her hat up. "How is he? Is he doing well? I haven't been able to talk to anyone here so…"

"Ummm… I'm not sure," Ronald frowned, the other two shinigamis looking over at him with interest. "He's been going downhill recently, and today he wanted me to tell William that he needed a day off. I don't know… About a month ago they got into an argument and now they aren't talking to each other."

"Why is Grell working here?" Sophie asked, looking over at the older shinigamis, "because I remember that he had gotten a promotion as a supervisor and manager before I left. What happened?"

"Well we needed more field officers," Eric shrugged, "and Mr. Sutcliff was the first to ask for a demotion. Honestly the man has caused us more problems than solutions, but at least Mr. Spears has kept him in line… till now."

"As Ronald said, it happened about a month ago. There was yelling from Mr. Spears' office as the two argued about… something. I don't know what they were quarreling about, but it made Mr. Sutcliff leave the building for the rest of the day," Alan continued. "I wonder where he is. Do you know where Mr. Sutcliff is today?"

"No," Ronald sighed. "I knocked on his door because I was running late and Grell said he wasn't going to go to work today. He pulls this all the time but… this time his tone of voice seemed different."

Sophie nodded, letting a tired sigh escape her lips. "Well… I better go talk to him as soon as I can. I think he'll be glad to see me anyways," she smirked, lifting up her head suddenly and looking down the hall.

The other shinigamis followed her gaze, a smirk coming from Eric and Ronald face while Alan let out a weary sigh. "I give up –" William paused in the middle of his mumbling, noticing the man, or woman after closer examination, sitting on Eric's desk and his officers looking over at him with interest. "What is everyone doing?" he frowned.

"Wow a prick as always," Sophie said, jumping off of the desk and walking up to him with a narrow gaze. "Hello. I'm your new officer, Sophia Serbus or the Dark Rider as I guess my reputation has decided to call me," she shrugged.

William coughed slightly, suddenly realizing who she was. "S-sophie… I didn't know it would be you –"

"Well of course you didn't," she shook her head, "but what do you expect? I practically fell off of the face of the earth, but now I'm back. Actually **recently** back, but I want to get this paperwork done so I can change and call it a day."

William nodded and ushered her to his office, sending her inside as he looked over at his officers. "Now get back to work," he narrowed his eyes, slamming the door as he walked in. "So Mrs. Serbus," he said as he walked around his desk and sat down, letting Sophie sit down in a chair before he continued. "If I had know in would be you then… So you became a director quickly. Could you tell me how?"

"Hmmm…" Sophie thought before giving him a smirk. "It's rather simple _**Mr. Spears**_, but I don't think I have to give you an explanation on where I've been and what I've done with my life. I'll leave that for someone else who cares," she grinned, causing William to frown. "Hey stop being a hothead! Can't you take a joke? Geeze…"

"Sophia Serbus, what exactly do you want to accomplish with your stay here?" he asked, causing Sophie to roll her eyes and lounge in the chair. "Why would a person of a higher position then me want to come and work here?"

"Why did Grell want to become a field officer and demote himself?" she asked him, causing William to frown. "For one, we need the workers. The American Division has enough shinigamis and graduates coming in that we don't need help. We have been getting forms after another for transfers over to the European Divisions. When I saw that they needed a few to come to England I accepted, handing my position over to the next young shinigami. Plus the new shinigami in my position earns the promotion more than I ever did. I simply don't have the time and clearly they gave me the job because of my reputation." Casually she took a water skin out of her messenger bag and began to drink from it, waiting till it was practically empty before she continued. "Second, as I said, I don't have the time right now. All the paperwork I have to fill out every day didn't give me time to do my other jobs. Don't even ask what they are; I didn't even tell my supervisor what the jobs are and you don't even **want** to know." Then she put her water skin away and let out a sigh, looking over at a belt buckle sitting neatly on a nearby shelf with a bunch of books and she smirked. "Lastly is the reason Grell probably wanted to leave his position. I love the field work. Taking souls and reaping bodies. If I had gotten another promotion, which they were planning on giving me in a few more months, then I wouldn't have anymore field work. Do you know what the Paranormal Operations does William? It is a branch off of the Dispatch Management Division. We work on taking down demons and any other potential threats to the souls we reap. Because of my position I have learned a **lot** about many different species and subspecies of supernatural beings, and even deeper than that. That is my job and it complements the other jobs I've had to do anyways, but now I am unable to do everything I need to do. Besides I don't plan on staying in your management. I think this is only temporary anyways or that's what they've told me… do you understand Mr. Spears?"

"Clearly," he said, grabbing a mug and sipping his tea. He paused slightly and frowned, noticing the tea had gotten cold. "But you didn't answer my question. Why are you back?"

"… why did I leave?" she asked him back, causing him to pause slightly as she smirked. "You know why William, I didn't want to. **I was **_**forced**_. Even if it is in my best interest to stay away from England I **need** to come back. I just have a feeling that I need to be here right now. Besides," she shrugged as she looked out his window, "my other jobs need me to be in Europe. It works out… alright?"

"I guess," he sighed, setting his tea down. "I am hoping you won't be trouble for –"

"I will only be trouble if you make it so," she smirked, standing up from her seat to leave. "Now if you excuse me, it's time for me to go."

"Wait," he said, causing her to stop, "I have to go over standard procedure with you." Sophie narrowed her eyes and set down her bag on the chair, refusing to sit back down again. "First off are your forms." She sighed and grabbed them out of her bag and handed them to William, narrowing her eyes as he took his time looking them over. "Today is February 19, 1888 and you will start your first shift tomorrow. You shall arrive every day by 8:30am and leave by 5pm –"

"I cannot do that," she insisted, causing him to frown. "I need to be able to get off of work at 3pm so I can slee –"

"I do not care for the details," William mumbled to her. "Be here at 8:30 and leave at 5pm **sharp**. Is that clear?" She growled but gave him a slight nod, causing him to smirk slightly. "The latest to show up is 9am. We are mostly dayshift Mrs. Serbus. If you need to work at nights then transfer somewhere else. Because of the lack of workers we sometimes take the nightshifts and have overtime, so be prepared." Then he handed her a form, Sophie looking it over as he continued. "Since it's almost 2pm, I won't bother with giving you work right now. You will be taking the desk next to Ronald and you will get your new ID in a few weeks. Because of your experience I will give you the more difficult jobs if we are given any. You can take your lunch break whenever you want, but it's only an hour **once** a day." Then Sophie smirked, noticing that he mumbled to himself about Grell not following proper procedures before continuing. "You are given holidays off and several more days, if you desire. According to your forms, I have to give you three months off, or 90 days off… why?"

"Injuries," Sophie shrugged causing William to nod knowingly. "But I may need more depending on what field work I have to do. Some months I spend more time in the infirmary than anywhere else."

"I understand," he sighed as he sat back in his chair in thought. "We have another shinigami here who needs to go to the infirmary daily, so I will allow it… How about this? I give you 90 days off, but if you are injured I will give you the time off for free. Okay?"

Sophie blinked in confusion and nodded, cracking a slight smile. "S-sure… sound great! Thanks."

He nodded to her and looked at the forms, setting them down on his desk and turning his attention to Sophie. "By the way, it's great to see you again."

"Same here," she smiled, tipping her hat to him and standing up, "but what about my wardrobe? Must I wear a suit and tie every day?"

"… Keep it casual," he shrugged. "If you want to wear the suit and tie that's fine by me. If you prefer to wear the wardrobe you're wearing now that's also fine. In other words Mrs. Serbus, you are in a higher position then I and I cannot push the dress code on you."

"Good," she smirked, about to leave the office. "Oh," she remembered, turning her head before she opened the door, "and tell Grell that I want to talk to him. I don't know where he is, but I need to catch up with him."

"You can tell him tomorrow," William sighed, going back to his paperwork as Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Same old Mr. Tyrant," she mumbled to herself, walking out of his office and closing it with a slam that made William flinch.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a grunt as she jumped down from a tree, landing next to a sturdy young man who was standing next to a tall tree. "About time you get here," he grumbled, running a hand through his pure black hair.

"Sorry but I wanted to nap for a few minutes," she grumbled back as she fixed the black cowboy hat on her hair and made sure her hair was up in a neat ponytail. "So Harry," she began as she looked at his gold eyes with a smirk, "what's up?"

"Nothing much," he shrugged as they looked over a small encampment in the middle of the woods. "Jamal has been looking for you… say did you transfer yet?"

"Arrived in London this morning," she sighed as she scratched the back of her neck, "but I don't know if I can do this."

"Huh?" Harry asked as he followed Sophie into the encampment. "I thought the whole point in moving to Europe is to make our jobs easier."

"Well I doubt it will happen," she grumbled to herself as she put her hands in her pockets. "My superior is **Mr. **_**Ty~rant**_ and I have to be at work from 8:30am to 5pm, meaning I won't be able to sleep! Maybe less than an hour… but I need to be ready for overtime also. This may prove to be difficult."

"Mr. Tyrant?" Harry snickered. "You told me about him. You're giving that poor shinigami a bad reputation around here."

"Oh he deserves it," Sophie smirked, "especially **now**. Go gather the other angels and we'll head out."

"Yes Serbus," Harry bowed slightly, taking off into the camp and waking a few of them from their naps.

Sophie looked at her pocket watch and looked at the time, _'6:01pm…'_ "Great," she sighed to herself when Harry arrived back. "And tell Jamal that I won't be able to go to the meeting tomorrow."

"Sophie…" he frowned, "he's going to start yelling again. That is a meeting with Gabriel! I don't know…"

"Hey I just don't have the time right now," she shrugged, "and it's in the middle of the afternoon anyways. Besides I'm usually on time for the other meetings… just fill me in on the details."

"Sure," Harry shrugged as they waited, "but I don't want to be yelled at –"

"Then I'll talk to him when we get back," Sophie shrugged, slipping her watch back into her pocket and grumbling with her arms crossed over her chest.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Woot! The next chapter is up! So what do you think? I rather like that Sophie was sent to America, since I know about it anyways ^^ Oh do you know any significant events that may have happened in America from 1872 to 1888? Because I got nothing over here . Well that's it for now. I hope you guys comment me back ^^ And I hope you enjoyed it! I'll try to make the chapters smaller, but I won't make any promises X3**

Harry – German – home ruler

Jamal – Arabic – handsome

Gabriel – Anglicized form of Greek Gabriēl (Hebrew Gabriyel), meaning "man of God" or "warrior of God." This is the name of one of the seven archangels of religious lore. In the bible, he is known as the messenger angel, he is one of the two highest-ranking angels, and apart from Michael is the only other angel given a name in the Old Testament where he is first mentioned in the Book of Daniel. He is the angel who announced the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. He is said to watch over Iran (Persia), and in Ezekiel's vision of the cherubim (the four sacred animals), the face of the eagle corresponds to him. In ancient astrology, he corresponds to the sign of Taurus and rules over the moon


	31. The Complex

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well here's the next chapter ^^ It seems I'm having a problem with my inbox. It seems I'm not getting a few of your responses? But yet it shows up in my email… I don't know what's going on, but I'm trying to figure out what's going on! So sorry if I don't respond. I just don't know what's going on. I think I'll send you guys a separate message. Maybe then it will work ^^ So here we go: I plan on going into EricXAlan (if you hadn't guessed) and also WilliamXGrell (over time, but it will come =3). Just so everyone is aware! As always, ENJOY! And if you have any comments go ahead and ask them ^^**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat down in her desk at 8:30am sharp, setting her coat down on her chair and putting her hat on the edge of the cubical. She grumbled as she began to look over the forms in front of her, her brain suffering from fatigue. She had noticed that William had already arrived, but no one else had come yet. As time went on the other shinigamis trickled into their chairs, Ronald getting there at about 9:03am. "Hey Mrs. Serbus!" he smiled to her, holding two cups of tea in his hand. "Do you want a cup of tea?"

"Ummm… sure," she shrugged, grabbing the tea cup from him and setting it down on her desk.

The other two shinigamis looked over at them and rolled their eyes, Eric leaning back in his chair as he stretched his arms. "So… is Mr. Sutcliff coming in today?"

"Probably not," Ronald shrugged as he sat down. "I knocked on his door and heard nothing… I wonder why." He glanced over at Sophie as she continued to fill out forms, noticing that she rubbed her sleep deprived eyes as she stared at the white sheets of paper. "You seem tired Mrs. Serbus. Are you alright?"

"Perfectly fine Ronald," she sighed to herself, looking over with a cracked smile, "and call me Sophia."

"Sophia… alright," he smiled back as he began to do his paperwork. "Are you sure you're oka –"

"I'm as great as a small fish swimming in a gigantic pond," she smirked at him, letting a sigh escape her lips again as she sipped the tea on her desk. "Plus you're one to talk. I hear you're a real party animal and lady's man, **Mr. Knox**."

He frowned and shrugged at her, continuing on with his paperwork. "W-whatever," he huffed, Sophie smirking with triumph as she continued on with her work.

!#$%^&*()

"Here," Sophie said as she barged into William's office and set her papers down.

"You have everything done?" William asked as Sophie gave him a slight nod.

"I'm going to sleep," she grumbled to him as she walked out the door, "and I will be back tomorrow." With that she left him at his desk, slightly stunned for a moment.

He looked back at her forms and grumbled to himself, writing something down until his door slammed open. "Sorry for being late _Will~iam_," a red headed shinigami huffed, looking worn out and tired.

"About time you get here," he grumbled, "it's 11… 11:25am already… Grell look at me when I talk to you," he growled at him.

Grell didn't give him a second notice and left, not bothering to ask for any work as he struts out of his office and to his cubical. "Hey Alan," Grell sighed even though he kept a smirk on his face as he sat down at his red chair.

"Mr. Sutcliff is something the matter?" he asked, Grell giving him a definite no.

"I'm alright, say who's the newbie?" Grell asked, noticing the occupied cubical next to Ronald's desk. "Did they go on break or something?"

"Actually they just left," Alan said, stunning Grell, "and she said she was going to sleep."

"Oh _compet-it~ion_ huh?" he smirked deviously, Alan narrowing his eyes and shaking his head.

"No Grell it's not like that –"

"Oup I have something I have to do!" Grell said suddenly as he looked at one of his papers and jumped out of his seat. "Better get going. See you around _lov~e_," he said as he blew Alan a kiss, causing him to shake his head in frustration.

"Oye," Alan heard from behind him as Eric sat back in his chair slightly, looking over at Alan. "Don't worry about it. I bet Mr. Sutcliff will be thrilled when he figures out who's working here."

"Probably," Alan shrugged as he scooted back to his desk, "but I'd rather not try to explain things right now. I'm tired."

"Hey are you okay?" Eric asked with a frown, noticing Alan giving him a slight shrug as he worked.

"Yeah I guess… I'll take my break in another thirty minutes. I have to finish these forms Eric." Eric gave him a slight smile and nodded, a frown coming across his features when he turned back to his desk and continued to work.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a cough as she sat in the cafeteria, feeling extremely sick and weak. She took out a steel flask and poured some of its contents into her tea and began to munch slowly on a few sweets she picked up, savoring every taste as if it could be her last. It had been too long since she had a decent meal, and sadly she would have to call the cafeteria food **decent**. Feeling luckily that she wasn't forced to stick around and do field work, which would mean overtime, she took this time to chill till her next meeting. "Excuse me," she heard from behind her and turned around, her eyes lighting up slightly as she stared at the woman behind her, "you must be one of our new American shinigamis."

"Yes I am," Sophie nodded to her, putting her flask away and slowly drinking her tea. "I'm the Director of the Western side of North America, or I guess **was** now."

"Ah yes," she said with a little smile as she sat her tray down next to her. "I heard about you. You call yourself the Dark Rider, correct?"

"I guess so," Sophie sighed as she drank her tea and closed her eyes for a few moments. "It seems that my reputation has made its way here. What do you know about me?"

"Why you're the youngest in your division," she shrugged, "and also one of the toughest. You always wear black and ride an intimidating black horse, and will exchange goods for your services. You have also gained the name Dark Rider among the human realm, which is amazing in my opinion. That usually doesn't happen with a supernatural being. Apparently you go around helping humans also?"

"Only if they need it," she shrugged as she munched down on her food, "but I feel disappointed that the DMD of the London district hasn't figured out who I am yet."

She narrowed her eyes, standing back up and ready to take her tray with her. "Why if that's how it is then I'll simply eat somewhere else. I was only trying to be nice –"

"Fiona is always angry isn't she," Sophie chuckled slightly, tilting up her black hat so she could see Fiona's confused face. "You were never one to be patient, were you?"

"S-sophia?" she gasped, her tray dropping on the table with a _**'clank'**_ as she ran over to her and grabbed her in a hug. "Oh my gods! It's a miracle! How could I not know this?" Fiona growled as she sat back down in sudden thought. "All transfers have to go through me… but I guess –"

"You're been too busy that it slipped your mind?" Sophie finished her, Fiona giving her a slight nod as Sophie tried to smile slyly.

"Then… why have you come back?" Fiona asked as she watched Sophie drink from her cup, "You know it's not safe for you to be here."

"Actually I've been here several times last year for work related reasons," Sophie sighed, looking outside as she thought to herself. "No, the reason why I've transferred here is… well can't you figure that out?" She asked with sudden curiosity, wondering what Fiona will say.

"N-not really," Fiona frowned, "but you're a director? How!"

"We had a problem with demons during the Red River War with the whites and natives fighting against each other and bodies to reap. There were other wars against the natives of the Americas and I was eventually put in charge of the units that would take their souls, since I was able to get along with the locals. Then in about 1877 the director died and there was a bit of a fight for his position," Sophie explained as she sipped her tea. "Then there was the Great Railroad Strike of 1877 that made it difficult to make it around the plains. Around that time I saved my supervisor from falling into the Grand Canyon and becoming demon food… but then he died that week for some strange reason and I took his place. At that time my name was getting popular around the Wild West and the shinigamis were going to give me another promotion a few months from now, and I've held that position for years now. It's a real honor to be offered a promotion… but I'd rather not have the job right now," Sophie shrugged as she sipped her tea. "Does that answer your question?"

"… I guess…" Fiona shrugged as she took a drink from her cup. Then she noticed Sophie standing up and she frowned. "You have to go?"

"I have a prior engagement right now," Sophie cracked a smile to her with a shrug as she threw her messenger bag over her shoulder. "I'm busy for a while … but if you want to make an appointment with me I'll try to clear some time to talk with you," Sophie tried to explain as she turned around and began to walk away.

"Hey wait a second!" Fiona huffed, causing Sophie to pause. "What's so important that you can't stay and chat?"

When Sophie glanced over at Fiona and she flinched, seeing irritation in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes as she stared back at her. "Many things that I can't talk to you about… or at least till I clear it up," Sophie told her. Then she turned back around and made her way out the door. Fiona let out a slight huff as she sat back in her chair, watching as two shinigamis came into the cafeteria and sat down at a table next to hers.

"I just can't see it Eric," one of them huffed as he sipped his tea.

"See what?" he asked back as the other frowned.

"Why someone in a high position would demote themselves on purpose," he sighed.

"Hey, maybe it has something to do with how they were treated," Eric shrugged as he ate his lunch, "but I would rather let it be. The times right now… well things are starting to get very crazy around here. She doesn't want to talk about it anyways, so don't bring it up… alright Alan?"

"Alright," he grumbled back, eating his food slowly as he drank down his tea.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Gabriel, how much longer will this take?" Sophie asked as the other angels turned to her and narrowed her eyes, her own face staying stoic as she stared over at him. "Before you said this would be done by March 13st and before on January 17th. I have taken a lot of time out of my schedule to come here and help, but if this continues I'm going to have to abandon my duties here," she finished with a huff.

"I am sorry Serbus, but you are one of the only Gods of Death who agreed to help us," Gabriel began to answer. "In all honesty… we **need** a God of Death. The fact that you volunteered to take over for the Mortimer family, may the Almighty rest their souls," he paused for a minute as Sophie rolled her eyes, "helps us greatly, and with your close connection to Death it makes things easier for us."

"Oh is that so?" Sophie huffed as she stared at him with a glare. "Well, because of this _soiled soul hunt_, I've been unable to do my **actual** job. Plus Death doesn't like how long this is taking you. If you don't get this finished by March 27th then I am leaving."

"W-wait! Hold it!" Gabriel called to her as she began to stand up. "We are almost done, _**almost**_. There are a few details that we have to finish before everything is done. As for the date, I will make sure that you are out of our services on March 27th."

"Thank you," Sophie smiled to him as she tipped her hat to him and sat back down.

Gabriel gave her a nod and let out a relieved sigh as he continued. "Now I have split the units up into several different categories. For each massive landmass, there will be four different units split from north, south, east, and west. We will report back here on March 21st at 1pm and we will turn in the collected souls to the God of Death. Any questions?... Good," he smiled as he drank from a nearby cup before continuing on.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"You three come with me. The rest of you round the city and we'll move in on my signal," Sophie said in a monotone voice as they scattered. She walked slowly till they made it to the other side of a city, which was near the sea coast. "I can't believe Jamal is making me do this," she huffed as she scratched the back of her head, securing her hat tighter on her head.

"It could be worse," one of the angels following her smirked, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. "We could be in Sweden right now."

"I don't see what's bad about the place Harry," Sophie gave him a shrug as she stood still, her arms crossed over her chest as she waited, "but I guess France isn't a dreadful place… I _**gues~s**_."

"How's work?" Harry asked with a smirk, causing Sophie to shake her head.

"They're trying to keep me on a tight leash, like normal, but I'm keeping the shinigamis on their toes," she smirked at him. "Just my duties as a shinigami and as a God of Death are becoming a problem, you know? My schedule is really tight… and I can't afford time to rest right now."

"Who's on the list?" he asked as Sophie took out a scroll from her coat.

"Martin Chevalier."

"And what's he on the list for?" Harry asked as Sophie continued reading the scroll in her hand.

"He's a demon that promises to give his victims a younger figure and ultimately a longer life, but instead sucks the life out of his victims," then she closed up her scroll and put it in her pocket, letting out a tired huff as she continued to speak. "If his soul is completely tainted then we'll destroy him, but if not then, Harold, I want you to swipe his soul… somewhat clean. You know how it works so **just do it**."

Harry smirked and gave her a slight bow as the other angels did the same, "Yes Serbus." Then he stood back up and they glanced at the city, seeing the other half of the team moving through the city and searching for the demon. "Now we'd better go in there and flood out that demon into the Mediterranean, don't you agree?"

Sophie smirked as she pulled out two black guns from her sides, crossing them over her body as she looked at him slyly, "Of course." Then they took off into the city, careful to not leave a trace of their involvement in the city.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Ronald blinked in confusion as Sophie showed up a few minutes later then he did, instantly noticing a thin cut across her face. "Mrs. Serbus are you alright?" he frowned as she set down her cup of tea and began looking over her papers.

"Yes I'm quite alright," she said as she began writing, "thanks for asking." Then she let out an agitated sigh as she brushed off the dust from her hat and set it down on her desk, unable to clean her clothes after another night of tainted soul hunting. "What day is it Ronald?"

"March 21st," Ronald answered her. Eric looked over at them curiously as Ronald wanted to keep making small talk with her. "Why?"

"Just making sure," she shrugged again as she let out a tired sigh and looked at her paperwork with an uninterested look on her face. "I probably need to take a day off tomorrow and leave early today… hey will Grell come in **this** time? I seem to keep missing him or something."

"Oh he had some reaping to do this morning so he'll be back by 1pm," Ronald smiled, suddenly noticing that Sophie was frowning. "Hey what's wrong?"

"I have to be gone before then," Sophie grumbled to herself as she wrote something down on a piece of paper and put it aside. "Dang it! He's always gone when I'm here and I'm gone by the time he shows up… this isn't turning out very well. How is he anyways?"

"He's coming back to his cheery old self," Ronald said with a sight sigh, "but Grell still isn't speaking to Mr. Spears… I wonder what's going on."

"Well whatever it is he's probably blowing off his steam somewhere else," she grumbled.

"Yep," Ronald shrugged, deciding to start working on his paperwork before William came out of his office. He looked over at Sophie and noticed the bags under her eyes as she let out a yawn, a thought of concern coming over his face as she began to hum to herself as she worked.

)(*&^%$#!

"What do you _**mean**_ you can't find him?" Sophie grumbled as a small unit of angels walked behind her through London, disguising themselves as average pedestrians.

"We tried ma'am, but –"

"Don't give me a **but**," she huffed as she stopped, turning to them as they backed away slowly. One of them gulped, noticing the yellow haze starting to swirl around in her irritated eyes. "To think you're making me work harder then I have to," she grumbled to herself as she rubbed the forehead in frustration. "Okay…" she sighed slowly to calm herself down, "who is he?"

"Jacob Ramón," began one of the angels as they opened up a scroll and read its contents. "He's a demon that has been recruiting humans to do his bidding. They call him a vampire, but he doesn't take blood except to use it as a contract. He prefers to eat flesh and the organs of his victims instead to sustain himself and his entranced human servants. He has created a few beings like himself, but if we destroy him then those under his control will leave his trance or die from old age."

"Fine," she said in a huff as she continued down the road, not bothering to look behind her to see if the angels were following her. "I can't believe I have to do this," she grumbled to herself as she pushed her hat closer to her head. "_**In-competent pixies**_" she hissed, a chill going down their spines at the venom that came with her tone of voice.

"Well it sucks, but someone has to do it," Harry shrugged as they continued down the streets, soon leaving the main streets and making their way to more desolate places. "Do you know where we're going –"

"I grew up here Harold, of **course** I know where I'm going," she smirked to him, soon stopping a few stores down from the one she had been walking to. "Besides this is the only time I can say _hi_~~ to someone," she chuckled lightly, waiting for the other angels to join them before she began to talk again. "Because of your atrocious behavior, I will have to take this matter into my own hands. I will give you preferable punishments later, but right now I have to do my job and find this demon." Then she looked at every one of them in the eyes, causing them to flinch in terror and take a step back. "Now you three go and wait for Harold and me outside of the C quadrant of the city, while the rest of you report back to home base and tell them where we are. Understood?"

"Yes Serbus," they said with a salute and dispersed, leaving Harry and Sophie standing in the middle of the empty street.

Harry followed closely behind Sophie as they made it to the house Sophie had been looking for, causing him to raise an eyebrow as he read the sign. "Undertaker?"

"_Under~taker~~_" Sophie answered him with a devious smirk in her eyes. "Just follow my lead," she told him with a shrug, holding the door for him as Harry walked in first.

Harry walked in cautiously, looking around suspiciously at the dark and dusty looking mortuary. "_Hi Hi_," he heard from behind him as he came into the room, freezing up instantly. "I never _see~_ _**your**_ kind _here~~_" the eerie voice giggled, Harry turning around quickly to only see Sophie raising an eyebrow to him with a hidden smirk on her face. "_Wel~come~~ an-gels~_" he giggled as the man behind the creepy voice gently poked Harry in the cheek with a long black nail, causing Harry to jump towards the door and scream in terror. Sophie shook her head and pushed Harry off of her, walking casually into the room and closing the door behind her, though not without a grin on her own face as she stared at the Undertaker from under her black hat. "Do you want to _s~ee~~_ how it feels to sleep in _**my**_ _cu~stom-made coff~~ins?_" he giggled, chuckling louder as Harry panted in fear on the ground.

"No thank you," Sophie said as she stepped over Harry and kicked him in the chest, a smirk on her face as he continued to quiver, "but maybe next time."

"_Oh rea~lly~?_" he grinned as he poked her own cheek, not bothering Sophie one bit. "What are you _here~_ for, _Miss~ Shini~gami~_?"

"You can tell? Oh poo," she smirked as she let her human features subside, her black hair instantly turned back into her normal auburn haired self. "Undertaker I'm here because I heard you're a reliable person for information, correct?"

"Yes, my dear," he giggled as bent down slightly and tilted her head up in a casual manner, "but not without a _price~~_" Then he let her go and began to skip, prancing around the room a bit before he made it to a draped curtain hiding the hallway. "Now please take a seat. I'll make us some _tea~~_" he giggled as he left them, Sophie chuckling when he left the room. Then she sat down on a coffin and crossed one leg over the other, staring over at Harry as he quivered on the ground.

"Oh god," Harry gasped as he stumbled back to his feet, sitting down on a coffin right next to where Sophie was sitting as he rubbed his sore head. "How do you know him?"

"Just by word of mouth," she shrugged, and then she leaned in closer to him to finish her sentence, "but not only that. How do you think I got my intimidation from, _**hmmm~**_?"

She smirked; noticing that he was shook his head at her. "I don't even want to know," he sighed, looking up quickly as the Undertaker came back into the room holding a tray with three beakers filled with tea.

Harry looked at the beaker he was given and frowned, suddenly wondering if it was clean or not. "Now then," the Undertaker began as he sat down and grabbing an urn full of biscuits, sitting across from Sophie and staring at her with a grin, "You came here for information… perhaps a sudden increase in ripped up dead bodies with missing organs. _Hmmm~?_"

"Yes actually," Sophie said with a nod, sipping from the beaker before setting it down next to her, "but I also wanted to pay you a quick visit. I haven't been to your shop in a while… have you been cleaning this place Undertaker?"

"... Why no," he grinned as he shifted a bit closer to her. "You have been _**here**_ _before?_ I would have remembered a ghostly figure like yourself, right _dearest~?_"

"Yeah, well here's my ID," she smiled to him, setting her messenger bag down next to her as she grabbed the ID from her coat.

The Undertaker grabbed it right from her hands, looked it over, and paused, looking up at her and then back at the ID. Then his Cheshire cat grin widened as a chuckle escaped his lips and he reached for her hat. "Is that _**you**_… little maiden?" he asked, tilting up her hat so he could see her face.

Sophie couldn't hold it in and giggled, letting him push her hat up so he could see her face as she grinned up to him. "It's been a long time Undertaker. Fifteen years now?"

"Fifteen years _**too**_ long in my book," he smirked, leaving his urn and beaker on the coffin and sitting next to Sophie. Then he swiftly buried his face into her neck in a tight hug, causing Harry to flinch back with panic at their sudden closeness while Sophie giggled and blushed slightly. "_Can you stay~~?_" he asked into her ear as Sophie pushed him away a bit so she could go to her messenger bag.

"Well we're only here for information and…" Sophie paused as she grabbed out a small pocket book that worked as her planner, "right now I'm swamped with appointments… at least till the 27th. Maybe 28th or 29th… I actually don't know when I have time anymore."

The Undertaker frowned and let her go, a grin quickly surfacing back on his face as he stood up. "What do you need?"

Sophie smirked to him and grabbed her ID from him, making sure he wasn't going to keep it with him since she still needed to use it. "We're looking for a demon. He eats the flesh and organs of his victims, well the ones he doesn't turn into his minions I guess," she shrugged, "and this wasn't my job to do but in order to accomplish my other assignments on time I need to find him, capture his soul, and evaluate him. So… do you have anything for us?"

"Of course I do," he grinned, "but you'll have to give me _pay~ment~~_"

"Well I have a jok –"

"_Shu~sh_," he hissed softly as he held a nail up against her lips. "I want you to pay me later little maiden. _Later~_" Sophie blinked for a few moments before giving him a nod, Harry looking over at Sophie with concern on his face. "For your information…" he grinned to them and ushered them over, opening a coffin and showing them one of his latest residents. Harry gagged at the sudden smell and sight of the decaying body, but Sophie only chuckled at Harry' reaction as she looked at the body. "Scotland Yard found this mangled up in a trash can. It took me an hour to sew her back up, but the poor creature doesn't have all her parts. _Very~ sad_," he said as he let them have a good look before putting the lid back down on the coffin. Then he grabbed Sophie in a tight hug and kissed her cheek, causing Harry to jump back at his sudden movement. "Come back soon!" he giggled into her ear as he let Sophie go.

Sophie kissed him back on the cheek and gave him a wave, walking towards the door as Harry practically rushed out into the street. "I will when I can. Sorry that I can't stay any longer but –"

"Don't think about it. I'll talk to you later," the Undertaker smiled to her and waved back, Sophie hearing a sigh of relief escaping the Undertaker's lips as they walked out the front door.

"What was that!" Harry gasped as Sophie just shrugged.

"What?" she responded, looking at him at the same monotone demeanor she normally has planted on her face.

"W-why was he fondling around with you and why did you let him!" Then he gasped, "You weren't fucked by him… were you?"

"No," she huffed at him, walking faster than he did as they made it to the main streets. "He's my… meh, father," she shrugged

"F-father?" Harry paused, trying to collect his thoughts before he continued to follow her. "That man in a Serbus –"

"No," she huffed again as she paused and waited for him. "All you need to know is that he is my father and I belong to **him**," she smiled to him. "Now," she said as the grin on her face faded away as they walked through the streets, "Let's catch this demon so I can actually sleep for once." Harry nodded and followed after her, still holding an uneasy look on his face.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: So Sophie doesn't seem to be good with looking for her old friends huh ^^ Oh well. Perhaps she had a deep reason, other than Dorren, that she came back to London? To find that out you'll just have to wait for more =3 And I will answer this for you; Ronald is trying to flirt with her. Obviously it's not working, but that's not stopping him XD Well I think that's it! Honestly I don't know what to do with Ronald so… yeah. He's flirting o3o Do you think I'm writing Eric, Alan, and Ronald correctly? Just wondering, since I've never written them before ^^ I hope you liked this chapter and will enjoy the next one! Maybe we'll find more about Sophie next time… we'll just see =3**

Harold – Scandinavian – army ruler; one who proclaims


	32. The Fifteen Years

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well for this next chapter, there will be a flood of new OCs. Just so you're aware ^^ Most will only be talked about by name, but trust me they'll show up sooner or later. And also get ready for an information overload! I hope you guys have enjoyed your New Years because I am! =D**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out an agitated sigh as she rested her head on a table, only being given her lunch break to sleep for the day. She grumbled to herself as she buried her head into her arm, not bothering to eat any of the food that she had gathered from the cafeteria as she sat in a corner of the room. _'It's all Jamal's fault!'_ she felt like yelling, but was too tired to say anything and curse at the air. _'Having me stay up all night... When did I last sleep, a month ago that's what! That jerk… is he trying to kill me or something. Ugh…'_ Then she pulled out a gun from her side and pointed it behind her, right in the face of a shinigami that was planning on sneaking up on her. "Touch me and _**die**_…" she growled as she kept her finger on the trigger.

"Oh is that how you greet everyone these days?" said the person from behind, causing Sophie to set her gun back in her holster and lift her head up.

"Hi Alex," she sighed, watching as he set his tray down next to her own. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the Territory of Utah right now?"

"No," he chuckled as he sat down, "actually it's a good thing I found you. I just arrived this morning with Lewis and Ben."

"Lewis and Benjamin Herman?" Sophie asked with sudden interest. "Oh no… what's happened now?"

"Well you see –"

"Hey it's the Boss!" a shinigami with styled brunette hair called to them as he parted his hair off to the right side of his face. "Great thing you found her already! We were going to send Ben off to find you."

"Is that _**so**_…" Sophie smirked, watching as Lewis sat across from her and another shinigami sat next to her. He had light, short, and wavy brunette hair with a few natural blonde highlights going through his hair. "So Benjamin," she began as she slowly sipped her tea and looked over at the shinigami next to her, "how are things? Where's Theodora?"

"Oh she's with Veronica, Alistair, and Sasha right now Boss, but they'll be coming over soon enough," Ben shrugged as he also sipped his tea, not giving the other shinigamis any interest.

Sophie nodded and looked at the other two shinigamis, tilting her hat up slightly so she could see them better. "Can someone fill me in why **you're** here?" she grumbled, narrowing her eyes at them.

Lewis let in a gulp and Alex just sighed, too used to Sophie's tough demeanor to be affected by it. "First off," Alex began, "Rosa and me want to move over to Germany with our children, since you left us and I didn't feel a need to stay in a top position anymore because I'd rather spend time with my family above all else. As we were on our way to purchase tickets in New York, we got a message about a massive migration of demons into Europe. So I had to wait for Lewis, Dora, and Ben to show up and we decided to come here first. Now, since we heard that you moved to England, they wanted us to give you the details and head one of the divisions. What do you think?"

Sophie frowned and let out a tired sigh, drinking down her tea as she thought. "Maybe… but I'm currently busy. I am reviewing a lot of tainted souls from Gabriel and Jamal is on my case right now. Plus my boss is **also** on my case about showing up to work on time and leaving _**on~ time~**_… and I think they're going to make me start working on field work again. I don't know Alex. I haven't slept in a **long** time and –"

"Excuses, excuses!" Alex laughed as she narrowed her eyes at him. "I can understand how your God of Death job can get in the way, but with your supervisor you will be given a pass for that. This is extremely serious Sophie and if you can have our backs we will finish everything in no time… I _**promise**_."

She blinked at him for a few moments, evaluating everything he said, and took a little black book out of her bag. "See," Sophie said as she flipped through her planner to March 24th, "I am swamped for the rest of the week and most of this month! I have to finish evaluating the souls and… Jamal is planning something and I know it – HEY! Give it back!" she growled at him as Alex swiped her planner.

He flipped through the pages with a bored sigh, throwing it over to Lewis as he caught it with ease. "What _you_ need to do is stop worrying about everything. Relax a little. Isn't that why you came back?"

"You **know** why I came back," she huffed at him, "and right now I don't have time to rest."

Alex shook his head as he slowly stood up, followed by Lewis as he held the book tightly in his hand. "Well… if that's how it is… Lewis run for it!" he laughed as he took off, Alex trying to pin Sophie down to the chair as he ran out of the cafeteria. "Go burn it!"

"You burn my planner and I'll kill you all!" Sophie hissed as she punched Alex in the gut, pulling out one of her guns and firing it at Lewis. "You bastard! Get back here!"

"Hey calm down," Alex grumbled as he tried to grab for her gun, "or else we'll **really** burn it – OOOuh!"

He gasped as Sophie bashed her head into his and made Alex fall to the floor. Then she ran after Lewis, leaving a groaning Alex and a bored Ben in the cafeteria. "I told you that would be a bad idea," Ben laughed a little, letting out a sigh as he stood up and grabbed Sophie's messenger bag. "Well let's catch up with them. I bet you the Boss has Lewis in a headlock and is about to blow his brains out."

"Y-yeah let me just –" Alex staggered back to the floor and groaned, holding his bleeding head. "God… that hurts!" Ben just shook his head and left the cafeteria, following the gun shots that fired through the hallways and leaving Alex on the floor.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Oh god," Sophie grumbled to herself as she appeared in a black haze, getting a smirk from Harry as he noticed her. "Can't anyone understand that I just want to be left alone, geeze…" she kept grumbling as she put her hat back on her head and set her planner back in her bag.

"What happened? Didn't you say you wouldn't be here this early –"

"Well I ran into some trouble," she grumbled again as she pulled her black gloves tighter on her hands. "Apparently there are a lot of demons gathering in Europe. I don't get it, but someone wants me to head up one of the divisions for the search. Jericho is probably behind this… he always is," she snarled a little before looking over at Harry with a smile. "Sorry. I haven't been able to sleep for a while."

Harry nodded and walked into the camp, followed by Sophie right behind him. "So you're here for refuge?" Sophie gave him a nod and walked into a tent, falling right onto a soft mat that was laid out with a few pillows on each side. "We may be in trouble," he said with a sigh as he sat next to her on the mat, "because we also know about the increase in demons… that's why we're doing this in the first place, or so I've been told."

"I just want to sleep," she mumbled as she rubbed her face into one of the pillows. "I decided to just not come back to work for a while since I broke a few windows… though I know my employees were trying to help me. It's not nice to steal someone's stuff."

Harry laughed, "You broke windows! Don't tell me it was Alex again –"

"And Lewis," she grumbled to herself. "Yep… they're back, but I don't know for how long. I think Alex is keeping his family in the Americas until this situation is under control. I just need a – AAAuHmmm… a nap," she yawned and cuddled into the pillow, getting a chuckle from Harry. "Tell me when we have to move out… you don't mind that I'm sleeping in your tent, do you?"

"Nope," he shrugged as he stood up to leave, "good night Sophia."

"Good night Harold," she yawned again, closing her eyes and falling right to sleep. Harold continued to chuckle to himself as he closed the flap of the tent and walked around the camp. Then he looked up to the bright sun, deciding to give Sophie some privacy as she slept for the first time in weeks.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"You shouldn't have chased her –"

"We know Ben. Geeze!" Lewis grumbled to himself as he walked next to Alex, swinging an arm around Ben's neck as he gave him a noogie on the head. "Maybe we should _really_ get rid of that planner of hers, right Alex?"

"… I don't think so," he told him as they made it to the N floor, walking to a large meeting room and sitting down. Then Alex let out a huff as he looked at a chart, which contained different colored dots all over the British Isles and on a few other land masses that happened to be on the map. "Hopefully she'll come back… I'm sorry about that Ben."

"Hey it's okay," Ben said as he pushed his brother aside, sitting down a few seats away from him as he took out a water skin and drank the liquid down. "I'll ask her later, but you should be kinder to the Boss. She seems to be agitated recently… though I don't know why."

"I do," Alex groaned as he grabbed a random sheet of paper and began doodling on it. "Sophie is having trouble sleeping again."

"Oh?" Lewis and Ben asked.

"Is it because she's busy again?" Lewis asked as he sat next to his brother in a comforting manner.

"Nope," Alex shrugged, "she's used to all the pressure on her. No… she says it's because of night terrors. Even when she gives herself time to rest she can't sleep. That's why she's loading up her days with a lot of pointless work she doesn't have to do. Honestly I think it's more than that, but she doesn't want to talk about it. Though it's funny… she can sleep when she's resting on Jericho's arm, but no other time. Still after fifteen years and Sophie can't sleep properly… she's killing herself. I just know it."

"Didn't they have a fight?" Lewis asked as he looked at the map, the colorful dots making his eyes hurt.

"Yes, but don't talk to Sophie about it. She's not in the mood," Alex pointed at them in a stern manner and then let out a huff, putting his head on the table as he sprawled out his arms. "God. I thought suggesting that she move back to England would help her, not keep her angry. It must be those angels. They're always keeping her busy."

"Not only that," Ben said, "but so does the organization. I don't know why they're fighting over her, but it can't be good in the long run. She's going to either try to kill everything or end up passing out and dying for exhaustion."

"So negative," Lewis shook his head and laughed, taking Ben's water skin from him and drinking most of it down in one gulp. "What now, _**second-in-command**_?"

"I don't know," Alex sighed as he kept his head on the table. "We are currently waiting for a report from America before we start any investigations, but knowing those angels they're already doing something now… that's probably where Sophie is."

"Then how about we go and get the Boss lady back?" Lewis stood up, throwing the water skin back at Ben as he made his way back to the door. "Didn't you see her planner? She scribbled out _three times_ that those angels would let her go so she could have a break off. Plus we need to secure the demons in one area. If they keep wandering around then a bunch of people will die. Come on!"

"Yeah, yeah," Alex rolled his eyes and stood up, waiting for Ben to stand up before they followed Lewis out of the room and back down the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie shivered to herself as she slept, holding onto one of the pillows tightly as she shook her head back and forth. "N-no… no…" she groaned, "nno… No stamáta!" Then she threw her head up and groaned, setting her head back down on a pillow and rubbing her eyes. "Not again," she continued to groan, rubbing her tired eyes as she kept them shut. She plopped her arm over her eyes and sighed, trying to shake off the terror that her dream held. No wonder she couldn't sleep, but she had to do what she could. Sophie knew she could never sleep peacefully again, but she would continue to try to sleep soundly even if she can only sleep a few minutes every hour.

Then she heard the tent flap fly open as someone panted, walking into the tent and rubbing her arm slightly. "Hey Sophie, are you up?"

"Sadly yes," she groaned, opening her eyes and letting them adjust to the darkness before looking over to Harry with a small smile on her face. "What's up?"

He couldn't help but crack a smile noticing how she was trying to keep a pleasant look on her face. Then his smile faded, replaced by concern. "There are a few demon groups rising up and attacking humans and other beings alike. We need to get moving and –"

"Alright I'm getting up," she groaned as she grabbed hold of his hand, using it to prop herself on her feet. Sophie let out a sigh when she put her coat and hat back on her head, glad that Harry was the only one in the tent. "Where do they want us?"

"In Spai –"

"No we're going to the British Isles," Sophie said before Harry could finish as she slung her bag over her shoulder. "I know two of the demon groups from Spain are heading up to England right now. Plus I work up there so I may be able to get some help." Harry gave her a nod and followed her out of the tent, securing everything down before he continued to follow her.

)(*&^%$#!

"Ready?"

"Ready," Harry responded, turning to the troops behind them and giving them the signal to disperse. "Are you sure about this?"

"As sure as I want to bake myself a mountain of pastries once this is all over," Sophie chuckled, letting out a sigh before looking out to the city and narrowing her eyes. She breathed in deeply and then out, putting a hand on top of the other as she held it out in front of her. "You will cover me… right?"

"And command the group for you," Harry said with a slight smile, "I promise."

"I hope so," she nodded to him, closing her eyes and letting out a huff, "because I've been disappointed too much now a days." Harry frowned at Sophie's comment as she began to concentrate, the black haze collecting into her hand and spreading around her. The haze slowly built up and spread, taking its time as it surrounded the city. Sophie breathed in deeply and out, trying as hard as she could to keep her concentration on finding certain demons. Then her eyes opened wide, revealing the yellow color had almost taken over the crystal blue and shinigami green in her eyes. "There," she pointed to the far end of the city, Harry whistling and sending a group of angels in that direction. "There," she pointed again to the left of her, Harry letting out another whistle and sending the angels off. "There," she said one last time, letting out a tired sigh as Harry sent the last group off into the city.

She rubbed her temples in frustration, the black haze still coming from her hands and moving into the city. "Are you okay Serbus?" he asked with concern, flinching back as Sophie let out a cough into her bandana.

"Y-yeah…" she gave him a nod, the concerned expression still not wavering from his face.

"Boss!" they heard from the ridge above them, the two of them looking up to see Lewis jumping down from the steep hill and standing next to them. "We have been looking all over for you!"

"Look we have everything under control," Sophie told him, looking up to see Alex and Ben making their way down to them. "… just…"

Then she looked over to the city with concern, her eyes narrowing to one of the places she sent one of the groups. "What is it Boss?" Lewis frowned, Harry looking over at her as she let out an angry huff.

"That demon… he actually needs to be destroyed," she stared.

Alex shook his head and nudged her in the arm, causing Sophie to snap out of her trance. "Put on your glasses on before you go out this time. We don't' want you killing random pedestrians, now do we?"

Sophie gave him a nod and took out a pair of glasses from her pocket, her yellow eyes narrowing in on the location she was being pulled to. "Be back in a second," she told them sternly, leaving in a cloud of black haze as she disappeared.

"Could someone tell me why Sophie slept in our encampment?" Harry turned to them, causing all three of the shinigamis to raise an eyebrow at him.

"She hasn't been getting sleep," Alex sighed, "but Sophie is keeping herself busy, as always –"

"But she had told me that she wants time off," Harry told them, "but yet she knows that Jamal is up to something. I need to know… why take the time off?"

"Perhaps you don't want her responsibility, huh?" Alex smirked as Harry' eyes narrowed at him with his comment. "Look, Sophie is one to like the layback life. She didn't like all the fame and glory in the Americas so she left. There are a few reasons why she came back to London, but right now we need to help her. Then she'll be back to her giggly, taunting old self, alright?"

"Sure…" Harry grumbled to himself as he looked back to the city, suddenly taking off as they heard a screech coming from the center of town.

)(*&^%$#!

"Hah!" Sophie yelled at the demon, holding a long black scythe in her hand as she jumped backwards. The demon let out a screech and faded away, cursing at her as it fell onto the ground. Ignoring its pleas, Sophie walked over to it and grabbed its chest, pulling out the black soul that showed no signs of light. "Oh poo. I forgot you're not here anymore," Sophie frowned to herself as she looked around and let out a sigh. Then the black haze surrounded her hand and grabbed hold of the soul. Then it slowly disappeared into the haze, Sophie's eyes going wide as she let out gasps of pain.

All at once the demon's cinematic record showed to her in her eyes the reason it had been created to the point of her battle with him. She cringed with hate, clutching her chest tightly as she began to scream. Harry showed up beside her followed by Alex, Lewis, and Ben right behind him. "Sophie… shit. Why did you do that?" Harry grabbed hold of her before she hit the ground and held her steady, noticing the colors in her eyes were swirled around in a chaotic way.

"Y-you-you-ou-ou are gone! Go a-a-away you dark soul!" Sophie screamed, gripping her head as the demon's thoughts swirled around in her head. "You're dead! D-d-dead! Dead, dead, dead! Dead! Die… y-you… uhhmm…" she paused, looking up slowly and rubbing her head as she stood back up as if nothing had happened. "Okay," she let out a calm huff as the black haze began to disappear around them, "the other units cleared the demons out… but I still don't like doing this job."

"… Sophie don't do that again," Harry narrowed his eyes at her as he tried to look angry with her, though he was more worried than angry. "What do you want us to do with the souls we collected?"

"Release them," she said at once, Harry giving her a slight bow as she continued, "the rest of them aren't evil. I reviewed them beforehand and the only soul we had to destroy was the one I just devoured… though for the humans around here –"

"Woman don't even think about it," Alex shook his head, a smirk coming to their face as Alex and Sophie chuckled at his comment.

"So… how much trouble am I going to be in **this** time?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked over at Alex.

Ben walked over to Sophie and handing her his water skin to drink from. "Nothing," Alex shrugged, "just basic forms. I told you already, we were going to bring a group together for this, but since the angels took care of it –"

"Yeah," Sophie shrugged as she drank the water, "but you know them, they don't **like** nosy fairies."

Alex chuckled and grabbed the water skin from her, closing it up and handing it to Ben. "What's the schedule now?"

Sophie just shrugged to him and took out her planner, reviewing her writing as she took off her glasses. "I'm done… for the most part. The shinigamis haven't told me what position I'm going to be holding. Then there are a few pure souls I have to collect a few days from now… after that my time should be back to normal, well except for the occasional, _**'Agh save us!' **_calls I get at least once a week," she shrugged again as she closed up her planner and put it away in her bag.

"Cool!" Lewis cheered as he wrapped an arm around Ben and twirled him around. "Well get everything in place then. I'm bothered that you haven't been sleeping lately."

"I can rest when I'm dead," Sophie shrugged again as she looked over at Harry and he shook his head. "Now be careful of Jamal. If you get into problems with him then come find me, and don't let him intimidate you! He likes to do that… a **lot**," she snarled slightly before a smile came back to her face.

"Sure Serbus," he smiled back, giving them a quick wave before jumping onto a roof and collecting the unit of angels.

"… I have a feeling I _**still~**_ won't be able to sleep for a while," Sophie sighed as she looked back over at the three shinigamis, "but whatever. Let's get back."

"Yes Boss," the three of them saluted to her, taking off towards the shinigami realm.

"And it's Sophie, **not** _Boss_. I'm not your boss anymore," she snarled at them with a ting of disgust.

"Whatever Boss," Lewis laughed at her, getting a rough slap across the head by the handle of Sophie's black scythe.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat back in her chair and let out a sigh, looking over her new ID in her hand. She was glad that her new job won't be very hard, but the council still gave her a large title that she figured they took from someone else and gave to her. Why did they care anyways? She certainly didn't care about holding a high title. Either way she was able to stay working for William, even if he was starting to get on her case about leaving early or showing up late. For today she arrived at 8am and planned on staying till 5pm, just to keep William Tyrant Spears from asking questions so she could continue to do her jobs in secret. A few officers in the Americas knew what she was doing, but luckily for her most of them kept their mouths shut. Besides they knew the penalties of going behind her back and talking about her personal secrets with others; a few shinigamis **still** haven't shown up after the last incident. Sophie chuckled to herself at the thought as Ronald sat down and handed her a cup of tea, noticing time on her watch being about 9:04am. "So why is Mr. Knox late _thi~s_ time?" she asked as she drank from the cup in her hand.

"Party last night," he groaned a little as he sat down in his desk. "I think I had a little too much…"

"Looks like it," she smirked, drinking from her cup and then tilting forward in her chair. "Hey look at this," she asked him as she holds out her new ID to him. Ronald raised an eyebrow and took his head off of his desk, grabbing the ID from her and reading it over.

ID Number: 3498-52430785

Sophia M. I. Serbus

Paranormal Operations, Director; British Isles

Sector Administrator: William T. Spears

Ranking: Expert

Exam Grade Average, A; Mentor, Grell Sutcliff

Final Exam Grades: Practical Technique, A; Written, A; Ethics, C

Souls Collected: 18,348

Missions Failed: 7

Death Scythe: Modified, Legal

Glasses: Modified

Administrator Notes: The Dark Rider. Professional. Neat, orderly. Do not bother when working. "First impressions are the key to success."

"They wanted to give me a high position here," Sophie shrugged as she sipped her tea while Ronald looked over her ID, "but I insisted on field work, so they're keeping me here with your group. Just in time too; I'm ready to relax for a while."

She let out a yawn and scratched the scar on her face, which had now a faded line on her normally unblemished face. "I thought that your scar would be gone by now," Ronald noticed.

Sophie just shrugged and sipped her tea, taking her ID from Ronald as he suddenly held interest on his grinning face. "It takes me longer to heal. I'm not completely a shinigami," she shrugged as she set her tea down. "That's all… why?"

"O-oh no reason," he chuckled as he turned back to his desk and looked as if he was working. "So why are they keeping you here? I can understand the field work, but this unit?"

"The Paranormal Operations Department is a branch organization off of the Dispatch Management Division. My father actually founded it," she shrugged as she leaned back in her chair. "The European Dispatch Management Divisions need more field officers and that's why I came here in the first place. The shinigamis in the Paranormal Operations here have been dispersed to different units anyways. They figured it would be easier in the long run." Then she let out a sigh and looked over at him, a smirk coming to her face when she noticed that Ronald was actually paying attention to her. "Anyways… I told them it would be easier to stay here since they put me here temporary, so I'm staying," she chuckled. "I'm now one of your field officers, but once a month I have to hold a meeting and every three months I either give my employees a nod with a smile or a boot out the door if they don't do the work I told them to do. Whatever comes first in my opinion," she shrugged as she sipped her tea and then leaned forward in her chair. "There you go. Any other questions?"

"Nope," Ronald smiled a cocky smile to her. "I'll just get to work then." Sophie gave him a nod and looked over at Eric, who looked down in embarrassment when she noticed he was looking at her and quickly went back to his work.

Sophie raised an eyebrow and shrugged, then looking over at Alan as he smiled to her. "Welcome Mrs. Serbus," he said with a nod.

She gave him a nod back and an award winning smile, "Thank you, but do call me Sophie." Then she gave him a wink and turned back around, deciding to get some work done before lunch started.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey look! Grell's back!" Ronald laughed, causing Sophie to glance over at him and blink in confusion. Boy he had changed from the last time she saw him. Grell's red hair was longer then she remembered; why it had grown twice as long as she remembered it! Plus his outfit was a bit different, for he wore a red and white ribbon around his neck instead of a black necktie. Were those red pumps Sophie saw on his feet? She cracked a smile to him, feeling rather pleased that Grell had changed his outfit the last time she saw him, though he still had the standard black suit and pants. "Why did you take so long **this time** Mr. Sutcliff?"

"I ummm…" Grell hummed to himself before letting out a gasp. "I told you to call me Miss. Miss! Why doesn't anyone do that around here?" he huffed.

"Because we all know you're a guy Mr. Sutcliff," Eric laughed.

Grell growled at him and narrowed his eyes. "You're a _mea~n_ _man_ Mr. Slingby." He looked over at Ronald and soon noticed Sophia, who had turned her head back to her desk and was tediously filling out forms. "And who is this?" he asked, leaning against her desk.

"Here," she said avoiding eye contact, handing him her new ID and let out a huff. "Now Miss Sutcliff can you kindly take your hands off of my desk? You're making it dirty with that blood on your gloves."

Grell growled and took his hands away, looking at his black gloves with a frown on his face. "Hey I cleaned them –"

"Then not well enough," she shrugged.

Grell narrowed his eyes and spun her around in her chair, leaning into her face as they looked at each other eye to eye. "I have you know that I keep my clothing cleaner then you do! Look at that coat of yours! It's atrocious –" Then he paused, looking at Sophie's crystal blue and shinigami green eyes as she raised an eyebrow. Grell looked at her hair, back at her eyes, at the ID she handed to him, and back at her eyes again. "S-sophie – OH MY GOD!" He laughed and jumping into her, the chair rolling backwards and throwing the both of them into the middle of the hall. "My god! Y-y-youuu need to tell me everything! Everything!"

"G-grell you're killing me here!" Sophie tried yelling back, her voice being drowned out by Grell's yelling.

"What are you doing back!" he laughed, hugging her tightly and refusing to let go.

The three shinigamis looked over at them confused, noticing that Grell had Sophie pinned to the chair and was refusing to let her go. She groaned slightly as she gave Grell a face that hadn't come upon her face in the longest time, a look of utter dismay. "Hey keep it down!" William slammed his door open and yelled, raising an eyebrow at the sight. Then he grumbled to himself, noticing it was Grell and Sophie that were making the noise. "Grell get off the poor girl."

"But she's back and –" Then he narrowed his eyes at William and casually stood back up, leaving Sophie in the chair as she coughed to herself. "Why didn't you tell me Sophie was back?" he growled, Sophie standing up and brushing herself off.

"I didn't feel the need to –"

"You arrogant man!" Grell growled at William with venom in his voice. "Y-y-yyou're not even going to tell me that one of my apprentices is back? I hat –"

"Now, now," Sophie said casually, silencing Grell's mouth as she pressed a black glove to his lips. "Don't say things you'll regret later," she smiled to him, turning back over to William and narrowing her eyes at him, "which reminds me… I need to talk to you Mr. Spears."

"Of course," he nodded, looking over at Grell before he walked into his office.

Sophie pushed her chair back to her cubical and looked at Grell, a concerned look on her face as she looked up at him. "You know I was trying to get a hold of you, but I've been busy… plus it seems you are too," she sighed to herself as she grabbed her hat and scratched the back of her head. "Grell… what is going on with you and Will? Why are you avoiding him?"

"W-why umm –"

She cracked a smile as she held her glove up to his lips, letting go slowly before he could say anything else. "You know what, we'll talk about it later," she grinned, "When are you free?"

"I have a few souls for the rest of the day and I… well I don't have time till –"

"5pm, here, don't be late," she said in a stern voice as she put her hat back on her head, turning around and walking into William's office.

Then she slammed the door behind her, getting a whistle from Eric. "Wow, what a woman."

"Eric!" Alan shook his head, looking over at the shocked Grell with concern. "Hey Mr. Sutcliff, are you okay?"

"Me, okay? Of course I'm okay, _Alan~_!" Grell giggled to himself, his grin not as believable as it usually is. "Now I have to get going. I just needed to grab something," Grell said, grabbing a form from his desk and quickly taking off down the stairs. The three shinigamis looked at each other and turned back to their desks, their ears pinned on William's office since the noise had finally died down.

)(*&^%$#!

"… no wonder Grell got mad," Sophie narrowed her eyes at William.

"A shinigami should not put personal matters into their work," William huffed as he wrote something down on a piece of paper and set it aside.

"How would you like it if you were told to reap a young man that was left in the streets and raped?" she snarled at him, William looking up from his work and adjusting his glasses.

"Then I would do it without hesitation," he told her, narrowing his eyes at her.

"Look Mr. Spears," she leaned across his desk and narrowed her own eyes at him, a chill going down his spine by her cold gaze. "There are situations when I don't want to reap like Grell does. For me, it's anyone who is drowning or has been trapped in a dungeon and tortured. For Grell, it's newborn babies and infants. You know why William, so just leave it alone and don't force him to reap them –"

"If I put personal matters into everything I assign then the work wouldn't get done," he huffed as he looked back to his paperwork.

"Then maybe I should do your work **for** you because I can handle everything while I'm director," she snarled back, crossing her arms and standing up straight. "Mr. Spears I'm not telling you how to do your job, but keep other people's matters in mind when assigning your employees jobs. Do you even know why Alan has to leave once a day? Do you know why Ronald is a few minutes late to work every day? No, I doubt it. I hate to be rude, but you better change your attitude and act like a boss. A boss needs to both be efficient with his job _**and**_ considerate of his employees. If he is, then trust me Mr. Spears, the work **will** get done, and sooner rather than later. Besides, I know how you feel about Grell; from the few days I came back here I knew. Now straighten up and fly straight or so help me you would have wished you took my advice!" Then she walked out of his office and slammed the door open, walking to her desk and grabbing her things. She flipped open her pocket watch and it read 11:45am, just in time for lunch.

"Wait Mrs. Serbus!" William called to her, Sophie looking back and glaring at him. "I will keep your comments in mind," he told her, Sophie only giving him a slight nod.

"Good," was all Sophie said as she began to leave, "and by the way… you need to start giving me field work. When will you do that?"

"Tomorrow," he told her, watching as Sophie left and walked down the stairs.

" So…" Eric said as he whistled to himself, since the other shinigamis had already left for lunch or were out on a mission.

"What Mr. Slingby?" William sighed as he rubbed his forehead in frustration.

"You should probably listen to her. The young lass seem to know what she's talking about," he shrugged. Then Eric stood up and grabbed his coat, pulling out a cigarette from one of the pockets. "I'm heading out for lunch. See you later," he waved to him, walking down the stairs and leaving William there. William adjusted his glasses and huffed, walking back into his office and closing the door behind him.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Grell… tell me everything," Sophie said in a comforting way, sipping her cup of tea as they overlooked a plaza in the middle of town.

"Not if _you~_ tell me what you've been doing," Grell smirked back, sipping his tea as he grinned at her. "No one here knows what happened to you, so what happened?"

"Oh okay," Sophie chuckled as she set her tea down and grabbed a scone from her plate. "I'm sorry for not corresponding, but I was too far away. After the council made me leave I…. well I just had to keep going," she shrugged. "Where would you like me to start?"

"How about…" Grell thought to himself as his leg swung a little bit as it sat crossed upon the other leg. "Just start at the beginning. You seemed to have changed Sophie… what happened?"

"Okay I can start with that," she smiled to him and sipped a little more tea from her cup, before letting out a sigh and beginning. "Well they sent me on a ship for the Americas. When I got there I had several other stops before I got to my destination, the New Mexico Territory. It took me a while to get there, about a month, but luckily for me I didn't bring a lot. I only had the clothes on my back, a footlocker that they told me to leave in Stanford, New York, and my messenger bag. Then after that… wow what an adventure," she laughed to herself. "For five years I only handled my shinigami job, letting Marius handle my affairs as a God of Death until I figured everything out. Someone would send me a notice at least one a month on what was going on with Marius and everything he was taking care of. After a while I took my job back as a God of Death, finding the confidence in myself to actually be the head of the Serbus household."

Then she let out a chilled sigh, sipping from her drink again before she continued. "As for my reputation, yeah I guess I'm a hard ass sometimes," she shrugged, "but I get the job done. When I started I was an average field officer, but after a few years I moved up the ranks because of my ideas on how to improve things. It was hard to keep everyone together and working, since there was a lot of distractions and a **lot** of dust. Every day would be a miserable day. They had me sleeping in tents because we had to stay hidden in the desert! We were served gruel and beans every day! We would have to ride out into the desert and move around, going after demons and reaping souls in between. It was a primitive way of reaping, but at least I knew enough to not have a hard time. After a while… well I just got used to everything." Sophie chuckled to herself as she picked up her cup, not drinking from it but only eyeing it as she scratched into the porcelain with her finger. "It was certainly different then England, but it had its benefits. For one, the night time was a lot better than it is here. The night air is… is so clean. The sky is so wonderful and… oh you can see every star in the sky! I only had to look up and watch them all night long to feel smaller then I really was… as if my life was only a small speck in the world. I loved it, not having to think of myself as a big thing and only little… little me among a sea of people. I loved sitting by the campfire and cooking. I learned how to cook **anything** with what we were given… though my cooking was par. Sure my associates said I cooked well, but I figured they were only trying to be polite or never had a well cooked meal. Most of the time we would have to work human jobs to get money for food, but my unit seemed to survive every day to make it to the next. Everyone had an amazing story too… now that I think about it." Sophie sighed to herself as she took a quick sip from her tea and thought to herself.

"Let me see… the officer I was assigned with said he had fought in the American Civil War and died in battle. Before that his family owned a plantation in the South. Another came elsewhere, kicked out of their country like I was. He came from a place they called New Zealand and was a local native. He would work for the British and eventually died of old age, becoming a shinigami upon his death. Because of his unethical ways of reaping, he was sent to the Americas and ended up in the same unit I was in. Then there was this female shinigami, who I got along with well. She was from Siberia, but was transferred to Canada when she became a shinigami. According to her, she was sold to a vampire by her parents when she was a human. She was still being chased by that vampire, even though she escaped and had died from the harsh cold. She came down south and eventually worked in the unit I was assigned to, the shinigami telling me she changed her name just to escape the vampire and had no traces of herself back to Russia. She was actually one of beings that thought I should come back… seeing as I constantly talked about home." Then Sophie let out a sigh and set her cup down, turning to Grell with a slight smile on her face. "Over time I did what I felt like. The rules didn't seem to apply to me and no one cared for anyone except for themselves. Understandable, since it was a harsh place to live in. A few times I tired tobacco, other times I've smoked, I did drugs a few times, but I mostly drank alcohol. I needed something to relieve me of the stress… and alcohol was one thing. I didn't change my act till Alex came there and found me. It was purely by coincidence too! Alex had moved to the Americas and ended up finding me while I was on a mission. Then he transferred to my unit and he told me everything about England…"

"Well," she shrugged, "with Alex's help I stopped drinking all the time and cut back. I began to get my personality back, though I have to admit I was stricter then I used to be. For me, my ultimate job came first and everything else came second. I began to plan my time accordingly and I started to go to the many meetings Marius went to because of my absence. It was hard a first, having to teleport myself using the black haze from country to country, but over time I figured out how to use my powers and not waste my energy from moving around so much. Next was my job as a shinigami. Well… I would work in the human realm for our meals. What I usually did was find a wanted poster and go after the bandit, making sure I didn't kill them so I got the reward. You see in the Americas each shinigami was given a standard handgun to use. Over time I fashioned my guns myself, well… after learning how to do so, and used them instead of the standard guns. One I fashioned as a standard death scythe and the other as a human gun. You can tell by my inscriptions I put on each one," she smiled, showing the guns to Grell before putting them back in her holsters. "Not only did I earn money for us, but I also gave some of it away. My unit was never greedy, even if we were on the move and never had a place to go to, so I would give some of the money to a town we passed by if I saw someone begging for money or a rundown ghost town. It worked in the long run. That's how I got the name, Dark Rider, for my skills of catching bandits and my generosity… I think."

Sophie chuckled and sipped her tea again, looking into the square before continuing. "You can thank Death's horse for that name. I used his horse to ride around in the desert and get from town to town. My outfit eventually turned into cowboy attire so I could fit in and my suits used for scraps, but I decided to wear a big, thick trench coat for the cold winters we would get. Mostly everything I'm wearing I bought from one town or another, but the hat was given to me… well," she shrugged, "that was that. Not only did I get the name Dark Rider from the humans and the shinigamis, but I got the name Hehewuti and Wihakayda; _Hehewuti_ meaning warrior mother spirit in Hopi and _Wihakaya_ meaning little one in Sioux. Hehewuti came first, since I worked close to a Hopi reservation, but once my job required me to go up north I ran into a Sioux reservation and they called me Wihakaya… probably because the first time they met me I was very silly at the time. Those names obviously didn't get around, but I'm called Hehewuti while I'm working and Wihakaya when I'm hanging out with the natives or anyone else for that matter. They are actually very nice. They made me a totem, see!" she smiled as she took off a wooden figure from her neck and handed it to Grell to see. It was a wolf that had been painted with blue, red, black, and white colors, but the colors had almost faded away except for a few hints it had once been there. "They actually have problems fighting among themselves, but it's mostly the white man's doing for their misery. They were fine till the Europeans came over, or that's what they told me. They have given me other things, but that totem is what I like to keep with me. I had to go on a spiritual journey for this… but enough about that," she chuckled as she ripped it from his hands and put it back around her neck. She gave a kiss to her totem before tucking it back into her shirt, obviously not wanting to talk about it further.

"In the end I decided I needed to get back home. It was eight years ago that I wanted to go home and it took me till now before the council would let me. I spent a lot of my time trying to transfer, but after a while I stopped worrying about everything and stayed in the Americas. If I had a real reason to go back then I would be given the chance, I decided, so I just sat and wait." Sophie shrugged and sipped her tea, thinking to herself before she began talking about herself again. "Basically what happened was this: you guys needed more workers and I filed for a transfer. It was a miracle really. I figured I would have to move somewhere else first and maybe change my name, but when a transfer came in for the London Division I jumped at the first opportunity! But by then, my reputation was through the roof and everyone wondered why I wanted to leave. I had made many friends and been through a lot of experiences… but it was time for me to go back home. I was just drawn home… with unfinished business I guess. Though it's not like I left right away. I trained someone below me to take over my job, but apparently he's incompetent like the others," she shrugged.

"Plus things were getting busy. My jobs as a God of Death were becoming overwhelming when combined with my jobs as a shinigami. I sent Marius to do half of the jobs and I do the other half, but then Gabriel wanted me around longer then I had hoped… it just got confusing! I practically nipped all of those jobs in the bud, though I have to meet with a few head Gods of Death every once in a while… it's not that bad." Then Sophie let out a sigh, looking over at Grell with a smile before continuing again. "And there's my job as a shinigami. You see, in North America we have four different shinigamis sharing the role as Paranormal Operations Director since we are so vast, the North, the South, the East, and the West Directors. I was in charge of the West, but I would have to talk to the other four because our territories would overlap. Mostly with the North and South Directors, but with the East Director… well I liked talking to him," she smiled, "but then some things happened and I wanted to leave. Pretty much I left because I wanted to go home, I wanted to get out of my demanding jobs, I had a pull to come back and… well I just wanted to leave my position. That's really it." Then Sophie grabbed for another sweet and ate it greedily, savoring the taste before she ushered to Grell. "So how are you? Do you like William or do you hate him now?"

"I don't hate William," Grell sighed as he slouched back in his chair, "but he's so infuriating! I ummm… he did something –"

"He told me that he assigned you to reap a baby's soul," Sophie told him, causing Grell to look at her stunned. "William explained his side of the story, but I want **your** side of the story. Perhaps I can help?"

Grell glared at her and then chuckled, sipping his tea before setting it down again. "You're a good person Sophia. I don't think I would put as much effort into things as you do… well maybe with some things. But that's for _plea~sure~_" he giggled to himself. "Well I… I don't know! It happened after Alex graduated and left for a different division. For some reason or another, Alex was able to get information about you, though he couldn't tell me where you were. I think it was from Julia, he told me… but he was my link to you. After Alex left I stopped having a reason to go to William's office. He got mad, that jerk, and ran me out! I was just trying to be friendly!... like we used to," he sighed as he played with a small droplet on the table with his index finger. "Then…" he chuckled, "I was given a way to be with him again. They were asking for a few of us to be demoted and I was the first to volunteer. I never liked my job anyways. I didn't get to do field work! So I ended up with William as my superior, ironically, but I got to hold the same position as I had. It was nice doing field work again, but then… he made me reap a baby soul." Grell sighed to himself and slouched back in the chair again, causing Sophie to frown. "When I told him I wouldn't do it he gave me another job the next day with an infant soul. Then another! It kept happening, at least twice a week, as if he was trying to test my patience. Then… well I yelled at him about it. Oh how he got mad," Grell chuckled lightly before sighing again. "I never told you about my relationship with him, did I?"

"Nope," Sophie shook her head as she drank some more of her tea and set it down, "but if you don't want to tell me then –"

"No I do! That's what I'm trying to say!" Grell huffed slightly, causing Sophie to raise an eyebrow and smirk. Once he noticed Sophie's smug look on her face Grell rolled his eyes, thinking to himself before continuing. "He was my partner for the final exams at the academy and before that he was my roommate! William used to **not** be as strict as he is now. I would pull him from his studies to go have fun and he wouldn't mind, though sometimes he was off in his own little world… anyways he was my… my first, a-at least as a shinigami he was my first." Grell paused waiting for Sophie's reaction, but nothing came and she kept an interest look on her face. "It was before we graduated and we finished our final assignment, reaping a soul. I don't know why, but that night we went at it like cats and dogs. It was magical!" he squealed and giggled, a smile coming to Sophie's face as she saw him. "But after the academy we went our separate ways," Grell sighed, "and he went his way and I went my own. He stopped talking to me, avoiding me, and one time he called me a whore!" Then he slammed his fist into the table and Sophie jumped slightly, a sympathetic look on her face as she nervously chuckled. "William was my first, first! I told him the rumors at the academy weren't true… but he didn't seem to believe me. Then… then… that's when it went downhill," he sighed.

"The only thing that kept our relationship going was when I had to get an apprentice. To think that you helped me so much! Knowing Alex gave me a reason to see him, to talk to him… but now William is being cold to me… distant. I don't know what's wrong with him, but he's being an ass about it," Grell grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and looked away from Sophie. "And yet… it's not like I hate him. He only infuriates me! Pushes my buttons! If it hadn't been for the academy then I would **never** have met him!... but I don't regret it. He really was the first person to take me seriously… in a long time." Grell let out a tired sigh and drank some more, looking over at Sophie and giving her a slight smile. "I never told him about my human past, nor have I told anyone else for that matter. With him… well I gave him a reason why I don't want to reap infants. If you **must** know, I told him it's because I want a little child of my own… but he doesn't seem to understand."

Sophie blinked for a few moments until a smile come to her face as she chuckled. "I knew it had something to do with that," she said, a sigh escaping her lips as she set her tea down. Then Sophie reached over the table and placed a comforting hand on top of Grell's, his eyes going wide as she looked at him in a comforting manner. "Grell… you need to talk to William about this. Your feelings for him… you know it's there and he knows it's there. I talked to him, he wants to make up just as much as you," then she chuckled, "but you know he's **never** been good with showing his emotions! Plus, I think if you tell him, without any confusion and just tell him, then he will understand. I talked to him… just take the time to talk to him back."

Grell cracked a smile and chuckled, rubbing his makeup and getting rid of the stray tear that was about to mess up his day's work. "Sophie… there's also something that I have been doing that I haven't told anyone about."

Sophie took her hand off of his and sat up, a curious look on her face, "_Oo~h?_ And what is it?"

"I umm…" he shook his head, "No I'm not telling! At least… I can't tell you _**yet**_. It's a bit complicated… a bit personal."

"Okay Grell, you don't have to tell me," she smiled, "but do tell me sooner rather than later. I don't like being kept in the dark about things."

"Of course!" he chuckled, drinking from his cup and setting it back down. "So have you seen the Undertaker yet?"

"A little, but not a lot," she shrugged as she sipped some more of her tea. "I'm busy… still busy… but he knows I'm back. I've only had time off for a few days and I've taken that time to sleep! Plus I will be getting field work and there's a list of things to do… and there's something that I need to keep an eye on," she finished. "Just… busy."

Grell chuckled to himself as he grabbed a pastry and began to eat it. "Well you better talk to him soon. He'll start going after you if you don't."

Sophie laughed a bit, "And that's what I'm waiting for! Also I'm tired… I just want to sleep. I don't want to talk to him about _**every~thing~~**_… not yet." Grell nodded and sipped his tea, calling to the waiter to come back and bring them some more pastries.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: There you go! So what do you think? XD Sorry. I really like introducing my new characters a little. Sorry if I didn't say a lot in this one, but there's not much more I can say. Only that I'm having a bit of writer's block. Just having problems getting from one point to the other… 3 Well I won't be keeping you any longer. HAPPY NEW YEAR! It'll practically be midnight when I post this, so I hope you enjoyed! =D**

Lewis – Germanic – fame and war

Ben – Hebrew – son

Benjamin – Hebrew – son of the right hand; son of the south; son of my old age

Herman – German – warrior, soldier

Theodora – Greek – gift of God

Veronica – Latin – bringer of victory

Alistair – Greek man's defender

Sasha –Russian/Greek – man's defender

Dora – Greek – from Doris; gift

Jericho – Latin – city of the moon, place of fragrance

Hehewuti – Hopi – warrior mother spirit

Wihakayda – Sioux – little one

Wolves are the epitome of stamina, known to run 35 miles a day in pursuit of prey. They are highly misunderstood animals, who have gained the reputation of being cold blooded. In reality wolves are friendly and social creatures. Aggression is something they avoid, preferring rather to growl or create a posture to show dominance. Even though living in close knit packs provide wolves with a strong sense of family, they are still able to maintain their individuality. Wolves represent the **spirit of freedom**, but they realize that having _individual freedom requires having responsibilities_.  
>Because wolf is a teacher and pathfinder, he comes when we need guidance in our lives. Those who have a Wolf Totem will move on to teach others about sacredness and spirituality. Wolf can also teach how to balance the responsibility of family needs and not to lose one's personal identity.<br>Wolf teaches us to develop strength and confidence in our decisions. He shows we will learn to trust our insights once we learn how to value our inner voice. This wisdom keeps us from inappropriate action. If wolf appears in your life examine where you need to develop more confidence and if you need more balance between friends, family, and yourself.

Black – Native American – night, underworld, male, cold, disease, death

Blue – Native American – sky, water, female, clouds, lightning, moon, thunder, sadness

Green – Native American – plant life, earth, summer, rain

Red – Native American – wounds, sunset, thunder, blood, earth, war, day

White – Native American – winter, death, snow

Yellow – Native American – sunshine, day, dawn


	33. The Break

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well now we'll see a side to Sophie that's different then being tired and bossy XD I hope you enjoy this next chapter! I think I'll change this story from T to M… I think it's just needed. (at least for later) So I have a question, if I change it to M will some of you guys be unable to see it? I don't think that's a problem… but I don't know how this site works with ratings. So tell me! Just so I know if someone will have problems or not ^^ as always… ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed to herself as she redid her hair, fixing her clothes to how she liked it. Today was going to be a free day, and right now she just wanted to chill and not do anything. She took out her flask and filled it up to the brim with whisky before closing up the bottle and setting it back in her footlocker. She let out a sigh, looking at herself in the mirror before thinking of walking out of her temporary lodging.

What she wore wasn't normal for anyone in England, but it was the only pair of clothes she had left since she sent the rest of her clothes to be washed. They needed a good soaking too, since it has been a few years since she actually cleaned all her clothes. Her outfit for the day was simple, a worn out tan collared shirt tucked into a skirt she bought in America. It had intercut Native American designs, one of the fashions in the West and also the only thing she could afford. She wore long black boots, which she had taken with her in the footlocker from England but never got to wear. The boots seemed stiffer from what she remembered, but since this was the first time she wore it in years then she figured it was because it had been sitting in the locker for fifteen years. She added her black spurs to her boots deciding to let her other boots get cleaned for the day, and just in case she wanted to ride her horse. Sophie took the belt with her guns and attached it around her waist, if she needed to shoot someone or simply felt like shooting something. There was loose rope around her sides from the skirt, but she liked it that way and didn't want to tuck it in.

Then she added a bracelet to her arm, a thick silver bracelet with turquoise stones pressed into the silver and fit like a glove around her wrist. She also braided her hair a little, a few strands of auburn hair braided together to keep her hair away from her face. Then she added a braided soft yarn around her head and off to the side braided it into one of her loose braids, which had two different strands of feathers attached to the yarn: one was a combination of an owl feather and a hawk feather and the other had an owl feather and a little black bird feather. After all of that Sophie added a quick little dab of makeup, taking Grell's advice to always feel confident in yourself before you walk out the door, and put her black cowboy hat on her head, tilting it to the side. She had added two strands of feathers on her hat, the same types of feathers that she had handing off to the left side of her face. Stretching her arms and letting out a sigh, she grabbed her messenger bag and swung it over her arm. Then she took a swig of her flask, closed it, and then threw it inside of her bag with a chuckle. Before she left Sophie checked herself in the mirror one more time, and feeling positive to leave the room, locking the dimmed room and walking down the hallway.

!#$%^&*()

"Hey what's up with that getup?" Lewis laughed, getting a swift slap across the head with Sophie's gun.

"You have some time off?" Alex asked her as Sophie walked over to him, the smile on her face beaming.

"Actually yes!" Sophie grinned happily, moving her skirt a little so it fit more comfortably around her waist. "The rest of my clothes are in the wash. This was the only stuff that **looked** decent. Oh hi Ben," she smiled and turned around, seeing him walking in and setting his stuff down on a nearby desk.

"Good thing I found you," he sighed, walking over to Alex and Sophie as they both looked at him curiously. "So I wanted to ask you about something…"

"… oh alright," she smiled, Alex raising an eyebrow at the glances they gave each other. "Hey I was wondering first," Sophie began before Ben could say anything else, noticing out of the corner of her eye that Lewis was trying to sneak up on her, "does anyone have some free time? I don't want to run off by myself and have nothing to do… HAH!" She smirked, swinging around just as Lewis pounced and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt. Then she easily threw him across the hall as she let out a huff. "Anyways, yes… no?"

"I can if you need the company," Ben said sheepishly, "but after lunch? I have to do a few things first…"

"Sure," she smiled. "I'll just find something in the meantime," she shrugged, walking towards the stairs.

Then she was stopped by Lewis grabbing her hand, Sophie eyeing him suspiciously as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "H-hey can I ask you for a favor?" he chuckled nervously as he quickly let go of her hand.

"What exactly?" she huffed, swaying her hip to her side in a dramatic fashion as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Lewis paused, continuing to scratch the back of his brunette hair. "So I need some help with my training. I can fight alright, but when it comes to dodging things I could improve. I was wondering… since you're not busy… if you can help me?"

Sophie shrugged, "What do I get if I help you, _hmmm~~?_?"

"I have some tea –"

"Dude!" Ben laughed, "We're surrounded by tea! I don't think you can use that as a bargaining chip again."

"Do you have coffee?" Sophie suggested, Lewis looking at her wide eyed before rummaging through his bag of monotonous trinkets.

Lewis chuckled, taking out a grounded up bag of coffee beans and throwing them at her. "Here, take the whole bag! Will that do?"

"Of course," she smirked, putting it into her bag before turning back around. "I'll be back for lunch. I'll help you as I have my lunch like I normally do. Just meet outside of the cafeteria. There are a few benches out there that will work," Sophie told him, giving them all a wave and walking down the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sat at the top of a waterfall as she fixed the hat on her head, the trees around her blocking the bright sun rays from her face. She let out a sigh and sat among the grass, looking up to the sky as the wind blew through her hair. She really missed this, passing the day by without a care in the world. It had been years since she had done so… too long in her mind. That's what she loved, watching the nature around consume her and take her off in her own world. It's what she loved to do best, but what she never got enough of since she became busy. Her eyes widened to a familiar sound and looked below, noticing two girls jumping into the water and getting each other wet.

"Hey what's that noise?" one of them asked, the other one looking around suspiciously.

"I-I don't know, but I'm going to find out," she huffed, walking up the rocks till she got to the top of the waterfall. Sophie paused and took off, hiding behind a tree as she looked at the two of them. "I don't see anything!" she called down to the other girl, the other one shrugged and drinking from the pool of water. "W-wha, who are you!" she asked, pointing to Sophie as she looked at her stunned.

"I-I'm sorry," Sophie said, taking off her hat and twisting it nervously. "I was up here taking a nap and I heard you guys yelling –"

"Hey hold it!" the girl at the bottom of the waterfall said. "I can't see you very well. Could you bring her down Maya?"

The girl shrugged and ushered Sophie to follow her, Sophie jumping down from the rocks and landing on her feet as if she was part feline. "Sorry for intruding. I can go along on my way –"

"S-sophie!" she gasped, grabbing her in a tight hug and letting go. "Hey I thought it was you! You're voice barely changed since I last remember it."

"Ju-lia?" Sophie gasped, laughing as they both jumped up and down. "I didn't know it was you!" she chuckled, letting go so she could get a better look at her. "You've aged! Which is a good thing, but I remember you being more…"

"Girly?" Julia shrugged, "Well that's what happens after fifteen years, but how are you? And what's with that getup!"

"The rest of my clothes are in the wash," she shrugged as she looked at her skirt, "and this is what I would wear where I was living. I was in North America for the last fifteen years."

"Oh wow!" Julia gasped, "We really need to catch up! Hey this is Maya. Maya, Sophie. Sophie, Maya. She's the Serbus my brother was writing to me about," she beamed.

"S-serbus?" Maya gasped as she quickly kneeled, causing Sophie to frown. "I-I'm sorry for being disrespectful to you –"

"Hey now," Sophie grumbled as she set her messenger bag down on the ground next to a nearby tree. "Don't act that way. I don't like someone groveling to me anyways… go get up and introduce yourself to me like we're equals!" she smiled, Maya quickly standing up and rubbing her head sheepishly.

"S-sorry… I'm Maya, Maya Boris," she chuckled.

"Oh a Boris?" Sophie smiled, "Well I understand now… but don't worry about impressing me or anything. I'm _eas~ily_ impressed."

"Yes she is!" Julia laughed, causing Sophie to roll her eyes. Then Julia splashed them, getting a shriek from Sophie. "Come on in! The water's great!"

"But my clothes will get – wwwaAAAHHHH!" Sophie yelled as Julia pulled her in, Maya jumping in after her and splashing the both of them. "W-wet…" she frowned slightly. "I'm going to get you for that!" she growled, laughing as she splashed the both of them and she got soaking wet.

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey guys," Sophie sighed, whipping her hair around and setting her tray of food down on a bench. Their mouths dropped, seeing Sophie dripping wet and her face red from laughing too much. She grabbed her flask and drank some whiskey, pouring a bit into her cup before eating the food she had grabbed.

"W-wha?" Alex gasped as the other two shinigamis speechless.

"Oh this?" she shrugged as she pointed to her dripping hair. "I ran into Julia."

"I see…" Alex nodding, the other two not understanding what they're talking about. "How is she?"

"Great!" Sophie smiled. "She's doing fine, though she misses us. I think we should hang out sometime… as things die down a little and I can finally take a breather. Luckily she knows that you got married and she doesn't seem angry about it. She was actually enthusiastic! Julia wants to see the little munchkins when they show up."

"Oh sure," Alex chuckled as he grabbed something off of his plate and began to eat. "I think the kids would love to meet their Auntie Julia."

"Lewis, so what do you want me to do?" Sophie asked, his mouth closing as Ben put his finger on his chin and pushed up.

"Right!" Lewis chuckled to himself, grabbing some supplies from his bag and handing it to her. "Just shoot a few rounds at me. Consecutively would be nice… OH! And don't stop even if I beg," he finished.

Sophie just shrugged and took out the bag of bullets, loading 6 bullets into the revolver and snapping the Enfield Revolver shut by the flick of her wrist. "Okay go," she said with a bored sigh, eating her food with one hand and holding the gun in the other hand. Ben sat over next to Alex, not wanting to get shot with a stray bullet. Then Lewis took off, Sophie munching down on a full piece of bread in her mouth when she started firing. After all 6 rounds in the revolver was gone she quickly reloaded, her hand disappearing with a blur next to her as she loaded and soon kept firing. She took a swag from her cup and sighed, rather bored with having to do this. "I don't see the big deal," she shrugged as she reloaded and continued to fire, "because I can do this in my sleep… hey maybe I should try that! My next project will be shooting at a moving target while I'm dead asleep. That could work."

"Don't do that," Alex sighed as he ate more of his food and not being bothered by the sound. "You'll hurt something… or someone for that matter."

Sophie only gave him a smug look on her face and reloaded, a few bullets hitting Lewis in the shoulder. "Pay more attention to your limbs!" she yelled, a bullet hitting Lewis in the leg and he cried out in pain. She let out a sigh and reloaded, noticing that the bag was full of bullets, around 50 she assumed. "If you can't dodge then don't play this game _**Le~wis~**_. Though I wouldn't mind shooting at you, I don't want one of my officers stuck in the infirmary because he couldn't keep up," she smirked, watching as Lewis got off of the ground and ripped the bullet out of his leg.

"I can do this!" he yelled at her, not getting any sympathy from Sophie as she continued to fire.

"Fine," she shrugged, not even trying to shoot Lewis and simply shooting in random directions aimed his way. Sophie knew in the back of her mind that if she actually took this seriously she would most likely blow his brains out during the first round, but since this was as a favor she didn't want to do that… at least not yet. She looked over to Ben as she reloaded, noticing that Alex was getting up to grab more food. "So Ben, what exactly do you need from me?" she asked, reloading yet again and resume firing.

"Well umm…" he paused, unsure of how to ask his question. "You see… I ran out of the pills. In all honestly, my family came over because I asked. No one really knows why I wanted to come over here, but the reason is to stay close to you… because you're the only person that's keeping me from dying right now."

"I see…" Sophie frowned, reloading and firing at Lewis again. "I would have to make the pills. Would you be up for a little campfire?"

"S-sure!" Ben beamed, a chuckle escaping Sophie's lips at his enthusiasm.

"I know you haven't told anyone… but I think you should," Sophie said as she put the last set of bullets into the chamber. "I won't be around forever," she began as she fired at Lewis, "and contracting something like the Thorns of Death is no laughing matter. I just hope the pills are helping you." Then she sighed, the last bullet leaving the chamber and hitting Lewis in the side of his gut. He fell to the ground, having to take a few minutes to wake up from the shock before stumbling back to his feet.

"W-well they do… thank you," Ben smiled.

"Look, you're honestly my guinea pig here," Sophie told him. "Since you are the only person I've tested these things on... If you feel anything funny then tell me… because I don't want to end up deforming you because of the pills."

"Don't worry about it Sophie!" Ben told her. "I'm fine… trust me. They actually help." Sophie nodded and set the gun down on the table, leaving it there for Lewis to pick up later. Then she began chewing on her food again, running a hand through her wet hair since the sun hadn't dried her off as quickly as she had hoped.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hmmm…" Sophie hummed to herself, sitting upon the black horse as it trudged calmly through the forest. Ben sat on the rear end and sat quietly waiting for Sophie to pull on the reins. "Oh there's a clearing!" She smirked to herself, cracking the reins and causing the horse to jump onto the rocks and walk up the rocky hill. Once they got to the top Sophie pulled on the reins, jumping off of the horse once it halted. "Yeah… we can set up our tents there and make the fire here… but we really don't need tents tonight! The place may be a bit foggy, but it's always foggy in London," she grinned over to Ben, ushering him over as she grabbed a saddle bag off of the horse and set it down on the ground. "Thank you yet again," Sophie smiled, petting the horse's nose as it snorted at her and ran off.

Ben immediately went through her bag and grabbed the things he needed to begin setting up, setting poles down into the ground for the fire and clearing a pit with stones to contain the embers. Sophie grabbed two large blankets and set then down on the ground close to the fire, but not near enough that the blankets would catch fire if one of them moved closer in the middle of the night. Once it was done Sophie grabbed flint and steel from her bag and started to make the fire, having Ben sit down on one of the blankets and watch her. "I-I can't thank you enough for this," he said, watching as Sophie sat down on a stump of wood as the wood began to burn. "This is probably an inconvenience for you and –"

"Not at all," she smiled, letting out a sigh as she put her stuff away and watched as the fire began to grow. "You could have told me though… I don't want to be the reason that you have to stay in England. If you want to live somewhere else I can always send the pills by a carrier bird or whatever else."

"It's not only that," he sighed, "but other things. Just… everything happened so fast for the four of us. You know how I talked about coming from the future, right?" Ben began to explain, taking out a pendent from under his shirt and looking at it in longing. "Well its true… the date was October 1942 when it happened. That day… it was a horrible day," Ben confessed. "I told you where I was when they separated my family from one another. I went with my father and Dora while they took my mother, Lewis, and Willis. They separated us, my father explaining that he was able to save us because of how we looked. My mother had dark brunette hair while my father had blonde hair, but father was a human and mother was a shinigami. She told us that she left her life to be with us and be with my father, but she insisted that we go to the shinigami academies that were offered close to our home, Berlin, Germany."

"I was the only one who was unable to go before the war. Even so, I read a lot about legendary shinigamis from a few books… about you actually," Ben chuckled to himself lightly, "and I always believed that if I can make a big impact on the world like one of them then there is a meaning for me to exist... Anyways it was a few months before I saw Lewis and Willis again, but never mother. Mother never came back… but my father wasn't the best father in the world. He didn't like that Lewis and Willis came back and called the troops on them... We didn't think twice with our decision. Willis shot father, Dora grabbed everything that we could use later, and we took off… a place where we could be safe. After we finally made it to a calm place in the woods, Willis gave each of us a necklace saying that our mother wanted us to have them. That's when they told me what we were… Time Travelers. We made plans to travel through time if absolutely necessary, but made careful calculations on how far we would go. The pendants worked like this: there was an hour glass in the middle of the pendent. We would have to turn it, one turn for every second, minute, hour, day, month, or year. It only went backward in time… though Dora told me that sometimes, if you're powerful, then the pendant can go forwards instead of backwards. There were insignias that I couldn't read, but Willis could and he said that each meant second, minute, hour, day, month, year in ancient Greek."

"We thought our troubles would be over, but they were **far** from it. Eventually we got captured by Germans and separated. We had already decided on how far in time we would go, 65 years into the past. I went with Willis and Lewis and Dora went another way, to the woman's camp. They kept us imprisoned, but after a week of working Willis gave us the plan. We were going to escape with a group of other prisoners, head for France, and then make our way across to the Allies side for America. We had passports and everything, but it was just a matter of escaping on time. When the three of us escaped we made our way across the boarders and our way home. Dora met us in France, a few days behind us. Then… well we got into trouble," Ben shrugged, "and I contracted the Thorns of Death. It was a German soldier preparing to kill us, but instead we killed him… and I saw his life swirling around me and attacking me. Willis cut the link before I got all of his records, but I was in need of medical care. Lewis and Dora took me away and we left Willis to fend off the soldiers that were shooting at us. That's the last time I saw my older brother… but we made it to the Allies and got some shinigamis to help us. Then they transferred us to America where Dora came up with the idea that we should time travel. If indeed Willis had survived then he would find us here… but if not then we can only hope that his pendent didn't fall into the wrong hands."

Ben sighed, removing the sweat from his hands as Sophie sat up and began to tend to the fire again. "I know you don't believe me… geeze I wouldn't see a reason for you to, but I'm glad that you saved me from dying."

"It's really no problem," Sophie smiled to him, grabbing a pot and boiling it with water. "I'm glad the three of you are safe… even if your brother could be dead. I'm sorry if I can't help you any further, but I will try with what I can."

Ben nodded and watched Sophie quietly, knowing she needed absolute concentration. "But umm… I know I shouldn't say this, but can I be honest with you?"

"Go right ahead," Sophie told him, her eyes on the liquid as she added a few ingredients to the pot.

"Well… I read about you in the history books… before they changed them," Ben began to say, Sophie giving him a nod as she stared at the fire, "and… ummm… they called you Black Rose. Your name was a little different –"

"That was either a mistake or they didn't get the information correct," Sophie shrugged, "because I'm not legendary nor has my name ever been Black Rose. White Swan, The Dark Rider, Hehewuti, Wihakayda… and perhaps more I don't know of, but **never** Black Rose. That is a different legendary shinigami; I can assure you of that."

Ben frowned at the rough tone Sophie had in her voice, but had to continue with what he was saying. "It's not only that… but the description. It said that this shinigami had saved many lives and defeated a great evil in the shinigami council. Plus… I met her," Ben shrugged, "when I made it to the Allies side. She saved me, like you did when you found us in the desert… and she also looked **just like you**."

"It's still probably a coincidence. Can we get off the topic now Benjamin Herman? I need to concentrate," tried to finish in a soft tone, anger lingering on her lips a little at his comment. Ben frowned, but nodded. He quickly noticed that she used his last name, meaning she didn't want to be disturbed anymore. That was fine by him, but it was still eating at the back of his mind… because the woman told him to tell Sophie something important. He just couldn't remember what.

Sophie grabbed items from her bag, either crushing them up or mashing them up, and threw them into the pot. She first grabbed hickory bark and crushed it up, throwing it into the pot and stirring it with a wooden spoon. Then some moss and juniper berries were added, the color of the water turning into a dark green look. Then she crushed up some cranberries and added them to the mix, the color turning into a brighter green and red combination. Lastly she added marigold petals on top, the water turning into a light crimson red color. She mixed it up, humming a simple tone in her head before giving it a slight taste and licking her lips. "What do you think Ben?" she asked, handing him the spoon filled with the colored liquid.

"It's alright… as far as herbs go," Ben shrugged, smiling when Sophie gave him a simple smile and continued with her work.

Ben watched with awe as Sophie mumbled something quietly to herself, even low enough that Ben couldn't hear her words completely. Whatever she was saying, it was in a low voice in a language he didn't understand, something obviously ancient. She sprinkled something around the fire and into the pot in a symbolic way, her eyes closed as she did so. Then Sophie let in a deep sigh, holding out her hand to the pot and getting comfortable. "Watch out for anyone or anything. I don't want to be attacked Ben."

Ben simply nodded and Sophie cracked a smile, exhaling one last time before she concentrated on her hands. Slowly the black haze swirled around her hands and disappeared before it touched the ground. She hummed softly to herself, the black haze slowly in her hands turning to a white glow. Then her eyes opened as she looked to the pot, the yellow, crystal blue, and shinigami green colors in her eyes swirling around intensely as she touched the top of the water with the glow. The water absorbed the glow until Sophie let go, a sigh escaping her lips as the glow on her hands evaporated into the air. She took a spoonful and handed it to Ben, Ben quickly taking the spoon into his hands and looking at it with curiosity. How she was able to do this was beyond his own understanding, but as he sipped the warm substance he sighed with satisfaction. It felt warm, a comforting feeling to the drugs and other things they had experimented on him before they found Sophie in Britain. "I-it's great," he smiled, Sophie giving him a nod and taking the spoon back.

"It's a good thing I was able to recreate that pill you had leftover from your trip," Sophie chuckled softly to herself, "but I wonder if I can make it better… more healing I should say. How is that record?"

"It's receding again," Ben told her, watching as she took out a beaker and filled it with the liquid, slowly filling each pill capsule in her hand one by one. "Last time it was gone for five days before I had to take another pill."

"_Good~_" Sophie chuckled, "then I am improving… I wish there was a way to get rid of the records for good. The only way I know is if someone rips it out of you, but that could kill a shinigami… maybe there's a method I never heard of, but right now let's just keep it at a dormant level, alright?"

Ben nodded and helped Sophie put the pills away in little containers, filling about four small bags with eight capsules each. Sophie couldn't make these pills every day, since she was using her own energy to create them, but having a small bag usually helped for at least a month; though by the time a month was over she would have to make more after using them for one thing or another. Sophie set the other three bags in her messenger bag and handed Ben the last remaining bag, Ben walking over to his own bag and putting his supply away. Then Sophie took the rest of the liquid and disposed of it, drinking all that she could and pouring the rest of it on a nearby seedling. Ben gasped as he watched the small sprout of a tree grew, growing into a massive oak tree as if it had lived for at least a few hundred years.

Sophie chuckled to herself, first for Ben's expression and second for seeing the tree growing unexpectedly. She didn't know how that happens, but she loved to watch nature grow because of her powers. Perhaps they weren't as dark as she previously thought. She took out some small cakes she grabbed from the cafeteria and handed half of them to Ben, a smile on his face as he grabbed the cake and ate his supper. Sophie yawned, tending to the fire as it slowly died down. "It's okay Sophie," he told her as he grabbed the long stick from her and took her place beside the fire, "I can wait for it to die down. How about you sleep? You're probably tired by now."

"Thank you," Sophie smiled and let out a yawn, "but wake me up when you're done or if you run into some trouble. I don't want you burning down the whole forest."

"Alright," he chuckled, watching as Sophie wrapped the blanket around her body and letting out a yawn. Then he frowned, watching the fire burn as he became entranced in his thoughts. His family, his brother… Ben let out a sigh as he watched the flames. He felt horrible; a feeling in the back of his mind telling him that it was all his fault Willis is gone even though Lewis and Dora say it wasn't. He poked the wood and watched it crumble to ash, feeling his heart crumbling underneath him as he drank some water from his canteen.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Ben let out a yawn, turning over in the blanket with his face towards Sophie. In a half awake state he could hear Sophie mumbling to herself as she shivered in the blanket. He frowned, knowing that Sophie was having another nightmare. Though by now he was used to it, and everyone who had to sleep next to her at a campfire knew that she had night terrors. Just the problem was how to stop them. Either you woke her up or let her sleep through it. Since Ben knew she was tired he just let her sleep, but there was another method that only one other person was able to do… at least of those he knew of. Sometimes, in the most awkward moments, Sophie can fall asleep without whimpering. That happened was when there was something there holding her, but not just someone. Someone she trusted… trusted to not hurt her as she lay asleep. That was Sophie's explanation for it, but Ben had a different one. It was because she loved them, and even if she trusts them the love is what was there first. He sighed to himself, wrapping the blanket tighter around his body as the cool wind blew through the trees.

Then he saw moment in the forest around them. Narrowing his eyes as he saw something come out of the trees and walk over to them, to Sophie. It knelt down beside her, running long black nails through her auburn hair. "You _still_ haven't come by for a visit _li~ttle maiden~_… I'm _aw~fully lone~ly~_. Come by my shop, will you… To see me…" Ben watched as he sat down on the blanket and lifted Sophie's head, setting her body on his lap. She mumbled something in her sleep, still whimpering from the nightmare she was having.

Sophie shifted her head and grabbed for the necklace around her neck, holding onto her totem tightly. She clutched her chest with the other hand, feeling as if her heart was being pulled from her chest. "N-no…" she whimpered, the man frowning as he moved his fingers through her hair.

He took a strand of her hair and breathed in her scent, a heavenly sigh coming out of his lips as he cradled her on his lap. "You know _litt~le reap~er~~_, spying is considered a _**sin~~**_" he giggled, Ben's eyes widening in shock as he slowly lifted his head and rubbed his eyes.

Ben moved slowly, grabbing for a knife he had hidden under his sleeve as he narrowed his eyes at the strange man. "Who are you and what are you doing with Sophie?" he said in an angry tone, clutching the knife tightly as he glared at him.

"It looks to me I don't have to tell you," he giggled into his sleeve, "because you _owe~_ Sophie a **lot** of debt and you can't possibly pay me for the _know~ledge~~ _you_ seek_."

Ben started to leave his blanket, standing up and close to attacking him. Whoever he was, this man can't be trusted. "As I said, who are you and what are you doing to Sophie? If you don't let her go I will attack you till you do… I have to protect her."

Just then Sophie began to stir in her sleep, looking around in a half-awoken state. "H-huh? Ben w-what's wrong?..." she asked as her eyes were still closed, suddenly feeling a long nail brushing against her cheek. Then she shot up on his lap and opened her eyes, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes coming into contact with the mysterious shinigami green eyes hidden behind silver bangs. "Undertaker…" she said with a relieved sigh, rubbing her head in frustration as she rubbed her eyes. "Ben… this is my father."

"W-wait wha –"

"He's creepy, but you get used to it," Sophie shrugged, trying to get off of his lap. "Now… hey let go!" she growled, the Undertaker's arms wrapping around her waist and keeping her in a tight lock.

Knowing already that fighting him back was pointless, Sophie sat back down on his lap, still not comfortable with him enough to lean her body against him. "What did I tell you about _calm~ing~~ do~wn_," the Undertaker giggled, Ben raising an eyebrow at his comment. Ben let out a tired sigh and sat back down on the blanket he was sleeping on, watching the two of them with sudden interest. "Why haven't you come by to visit little maiden?" the Undertaker whimpered like a little puppy and held her close, his smile wavering when he noticed Sophie's discomfort.

"L-look, there's some things I need to work out right now," Sophie growled back, "and I just need to be alone for a whil –"

A _**'hiss'**_ sound escaped her lips as the Undertaker dug his nails into her arms, causing small little droplets of blood to drip onto his nails and coat them in crimson red. "I'm very disappointed Sophia," he hissed into her ear, calming down slightly when he noticed that Ben was still watching them. "To not trust me… _how could~ you?_"

Sophie looked up at him, biting down her bottom lip as she forced back tears. "I-I… its complicated… and I want to figure everything out myself. That's what I've always been doing anyways…" Her hand wandered, grabbed hold of her totem, and gripped it tightly. Then a deep sigh escaped her lips as she closed her eyes tightly. "It's been very stressful… and I think I hit rock bottom. I'm just trying to get over a few things, okay?" It was hard to keep the smile on his face, seeing Sophie so depressed. Whatever happened… **he needs to know**.

The Undertaker wiped the stray tear on her face and tilted her head up, forcing her to open her eyes and look up at him. "I may not know what happened, but you need to tell me, _**in detail~**_, and don't leave anything out."

"B-but –"

"_Shuush_…" he said calmly, holding a finger up to her lips. An electric pulse went through his body when her gentle lips breathed on him, his hand moving down to her side and wrapping her close to him. "_In detail_~"

Sophie looked at him with an unsure look on her face, a chuckle escaping her lips as she rubbed her eyes. "Wow… I forgot this. I don't know when I can show up, but will you be patient and wait for me? I… I don't know how my schedule is right now."

"Of course," the Undertaker grinned, giving her a kiss on the cheek that made her cheeks turn red, "_as long as you come by soon~~_… little maiden…" he finished whispering into her ear, the vise grip around her waist powerless as his hands limped to his side. "I will leave you two now," he giggled, setting Sophie back down on the blanket and standing up.

"W-wait I –"

"I will see you when you're free," the Undertaker chuckled, swooping into her face and startling her. "Don't forget, _you owe~ me a__** punish~ment~~**_" he licked her face and giggled when she cringed away, skipping away and waving to them.

The two of them watched till the Undertaker disappeared, Sophie letting out an annoyed growl as she looked at the fresh wounds on her arms. She turned to face Ben as she began to lick the blood off of her arms to help them heal faster, noticing the anxious look on his face. "… You won't tell anyone about this, will you?" she decided to ask, just to be safe.

"N-no…" Ben shook his head before giving her a little smile. "I think it's rather sweet that he cares about you to go through the trouble and hunt you down… who is he?"

"The Undertaker," Sophie answered as she wrapped herself in the blanket and set her head back down on the ground, "a retired shinigami, a mortician, and a madman. A wonderful mix for a father, huh?" she chuckled lightly, dying down as Ben wrapped himself in his own blanket. "He's not my biological father, but he raised me… and he owns me."

"Owns you?" Ben asked, "How can he own you?"

"Because I want him to," she smiled to Ben, closing her eyes and curling up into the blanket. "I want him to own me… even if I don't know why I feel that way. I'm his, and that's all I need to say about it," Sophie finished.

Ben nodded and lay back down, watching as Sophie slowly fell asleep. It was interesting, watching her sleep after contact with her father. She didn't whimper, she looked content, and she had a smile on her face. Ben smiled and closed his eyes, noticing the bright green and yellow glow from the trees in the direction the Undertaker walked away to.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: There we go! Now you know just a bit more about Sophie. Gasp! Time travel! Keep that in mind because it'll be important later ^^ and after a lot more thought I'll just change it to M… unless the site shuts off reading this story for someone. Would it? I'll wait perhaps a day or two for your comments =3 and as always, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! **

Owl feather – Native American – death or prophesy

Owl + Hawk feather – Native American – life

Little black bird (hawk) feather – Native American – courage

Maya – Sanskrit – dream, illusion

Boris – Slavic – small; battle glory

Willis – Germanic – Will, desire + helmet, protection


	34. The Arrangements

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Oup! Another chapter is up! Sorry for falling behind in this. I'd rather write the chapters then actually look them over and post them, but I'm just doing this just in case I get bored with writing and want to draw. Since I don't have an art class this semester, it may happen ^^ Sorry if my information is wrong in some aspects, but I tried to get everything as accurate as possible. I may have learned about the Native Americans in school, but that was too long ago to remember everything that was said so I had to use google. Hmmm… maybe I should take a Native American class at one point… X3 Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

"**Marius Ellen Ioreta Serbus**," Sophie growled, "**don't test my patience**."

"But come on!" Marius groaned, either not noticing or not caring about the annoyed tone in her voice. "Just look at the list! Can't you say yes to **one** of them?" Sophie stopped with Marius almost colliding into her back. Then she ripped the scroll from his hand, a snarl escaping her voice as she looked it over. "I-I figured I should add everyone who could take care of you… Since, you know…" he chuckled sheepishly.

"No," Sophie said roughly, shoving the scroll back in Marius' chest as she trudged down the hallway.

"N-no?" Marius growled, rolling the scroll tightly before chasing after her. "You didn't even look them over –"

"Every guy on that list is either married, was married, or a snobby brat! How can you expect me to choose from that awful group?" Sophie growled at him. "I don't see why this is a big deal anyways. Why are you making a big deal –"

"Because you need **someone** to protect you," Marius tried to explain, "and even more so because you're the head of a powerful family. What will happen if someone attacks you? Tries to kill you? That's what an arrange marriage is for –"

"Well I want no part in it," she huffed at him. "Besides I… I had someone else in mind anyways…"

"But I reviewed him and he isn't powerful enough to protect you –"

"Like I care!" Sophie yelled back at him, causing Marius to stop as she turned around and pointed an accusing finger at him. "And I'm guessing because of _**yo~u**_ he… you're an ass Marius! Can't you just let me live without all these little problems woven into everything! First I go off from work and then you come here with this list? I… did you even know that I hit rock bottom? While you were out to your little parties and keeping our status so high and prominent I was out drinking myself half blind. I even inhaled chloroform almost every night to help me sleep, if I wanted to sleet that is. Then my friends helped me conquer my drug addictions, but what do you do? The next time I actually see you, you tell me I have to get married to some bozo I'll probably hate for the rest of my existence! Well you know what Marius, no deal! I'd rather marry someone who helps me, not harm me… or not marry at all."

"Why are you making a big deal about this?" Marius huffed.

"Because," Sophie growled, "marriage should be for a man and a woman that love each other, not for connection reasons and security. I'd rather be married and always on the run then **stuck** in some house playing _house wife_ while my husband is out having sex with other women! I can't see why _**you**_ can't see that! Hell! Maybe if you had asked me ten years ago I would have said yes, but now it's a no. **No**. N. O. No!"

"Well if you're thinking of love then you _obviously_ didn't find it," Marius huffed, "because that Jericho ran out on you and slept with another –"

Marius flinched, his right cheek being slapped by Sophie's hand. She held her hand there for a few moments before her hand went to her side, not knowing what had gotten into her. She looked down in sudden embarrassment, clutching her hands in fists as her body began to shiver. "**I** am the head of this household and **I** make the decisions. This is **my** life and **I** will decide what happens to me. Do **not** get in my way, _**got that?**_" Not waiting for an answer from him Sophie ran out the front door into the pouring rain, trying to get as far from the situation as she could.

Marius just stood there, his right cheek stinging as his shaking hand went towards his face. He let out slow gasps, never wanting to see the anger and rage in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes again. He didn't know what to do, but his eyes started to tear up as the door slammed behind her. "M-marius?" came a voice from behind, Marius turning around to see Margaret looking at him with concern on her face. "I wasn't expecting you to be back so soon – w-wait what's wrong?" She gasped, watching as the twenty one year old looking man was starting to cry.

"S-she… Sophie just…" he tried to explain, his throat starting to cramp up from the strain.

Margaret noticed how he clutched his right cheek in pain, trying the best he could not to cry in front of her. "Here let me see your cheek," she offered her hand hoping Marius would take it. Marius gave her a nod and followed her without a fuss, holding onto her hand tightly like a young child afraid of being separated from their parent.

!#$%^&*()

She didn't know where her feet were going, but she kept walking into town. All the while she had her hat over her face, her eyes on the ground. Eventually she stopped, tears pouring down her face as she leaned against an alleyway. How could she do that? Hit her own brother... Sophie knew in the back of her mind that he was really trying to help her, but right now she was trying to get back on her own feet and move forward. She didn't want to talk about arrange marriages, about being with another man, but only wanted to work on herself and finding her own sense of peace in her heart. She cried, sobbed aloud, tears streaming down her face as the rain fall on her back. No one was in the streets anyways, so why should she care about public appearances?

Sophie felt awful, dreadfully awful for slapping him in the face. She knew him, how he acts. Marius never really grew up yet. He was still a little boy who was trying to learn as much as he could about the world. He always acts strong and stoic in the spotlight, but in the background he is always shy, always listening intently to a conversation and not questioning anyone's insights. He was so innocent… but yet Sophie slapped him in the face, her own brother. She never did that before, at least not to him. She had done it a few times in her life, but not to her own kin… not someone she cared about. Sophie looked down at her left hand in disgust, wishing it would vanish and everything was a dream. She grabbed her flask from her coat and opened it, drinking down the contents in three big gulps before letting out a few soft sobs as she put it back in her coat.

"Sophia?" she heard from behind her, turning around to see the Undertaker looking over at her with his clothes getting dreadfully wet from the rain. She looked at her surrounds and noticed that she had run to the front of his shop, purely on instinct.

"U-undertaker…" she chattered her teeth, looking up at him as tears kept streaming down her face. He noticed that her face was red and he began to walk over to her. Sophie backing away quickly. "P-please… I don't need your help right now," she told him, "I-I can take care of myself…"

"**Don't say a foolish thing**," he told her, forcing her into a hug and pushing her into his chest. Sophie squirmed in his grasp, her sobbing getting louder as she tried to get away from him. He refused to let go, a growl escaping his lips as Sophie started to get violent. "What happened to you, Sophia? Little maiden, tell me…"

"Oh god!" Sophie cried out, her head going into her hands as she pressed her head into his chest. "I'm so horrible! A horrible, horrible creature! I taint everything I touch! I try to be good, I swear, but I always end up doing something bad! Why does this happen to me? I'm evil! Why? Why –"

"Sophia…" he said to her sternly to silence her, gripping her head tightly as she buried herself into his arms. "You are not horrible, you are not bad, and you are definitely **not** evil. Where are you getting these ideas?"

Sophie said nothing, only letting out quiet sobs as she clutched to his clothes. "M-my soul can't really be black… can it? If I can't see it then that means… am I **really** a pawn as Leonard said? A-am I only here for one purpose and one only?... Should I-I just do what others tell me to do?..."

The Undertaker blinked, listening as Sophie poured her thoughts out to no one in particular. He frowned, noticing how cracked and distort his little maiden had become. Only fifteen years… about half of her own lifetime, and all that time she was slowly being crippled and damaged by whatever the council had thrown her way. "Sophia…" he sighed, unsure of what to say. "Don't… You're soul isn't black. I know that for sure," he told her, rubbing his hand on her head and held her tightly around the waist with the other. "… Come inside. I think it's time you told me what's going on." Sophie lifted her head away from his chest and wiped her tears, at least she tried to. He was going to pick her up, but fought against it seeing as she didn't like him grabbing her anymore. Instead he linked a hand with hers, slowly pulling Sophie inside and out of the pouring rain. Once they made it to the door Sophie's whole body clung to his arm, refusing to let go of him as they walked inside.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"So Sophie's back?" Margaret chuckled, dabbing Marius' face with a damp wet cloth as he sat on the top of a sink. "Why hasn't she told me?"

"She hasn't told anyone," Marius shrugged, "after she told me to leave for a few years and I came back… well Sophie just changed. She doesn't laugh as much as she used to and is more worried about surviving then having fun. Perhaps I'm pushing her too much."

"Well why did she slap you?" she asked as she swat his hand away so she could get back to his cheek.

"I've been pushing her to marry someone from this list I was told to give her and –"

"Oh," Margaret laughed, "Sophie's **never** one to settle down for any guy. Don't you know your own sister's personality?" After a long pause with Marius staring at the ground, Margaret sighed. "Wow… you two need to learn more about each other. Sure you may know about each other's pasts, but nothing about the here and now." Then she handed him an icepack and Marius held it up to his cheek, wincing from the sudden pain. "You need to go and talk to her as soon as possible. Perhaps make it up to her? I know that holding a grudge with family members is never a good thing… from experience."

"Y-yeah… thanks Margaret." Marius jumped off of the counter and gave her a quick peck on the cheek, giving her a wave as he left. "Thank you!" he finished, leaving Margaret standing in the bathroom shocked as she held her hand to her cheek.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"… I think I should start with when I left Undertaker," Sophie sighed, her hands still shaking as she brought a beaker full of hot steaming liquid to her lips and drank it down. "They sent me to America, but not just there… to a small outpost surrounded by nothing but desert. All I had with me was the suit I was wearing and my messenger bag; they made me leave my foot locker at the port I had landed from in New York… well it wasn't all bad. I had in my bag an extra pair of clothes and the pajamas Grell gave me…... I should say it happened after I got there, when Marius gave me his report for the month. I was just infuriated, seeing everything Death was making him do. So I crossed some things off and bid him adieu, deciding to take the time I had getting used to my surroundings."

"I didn't start off well. The living conditions were horrible. To find water we would have to travel miles on horseback and have to set up camp for the night once we made it there. That wasn't the part I hated… but the stress; getting to souls that were miles apart in only a few minutes. Sometimes I would just kill the soul early so I could get to the other soul on time… they never told us ahead of time. Information for us took longer than it had to, only learning of our assignments in only a matter of minutes before it happened. I had to train myself to be fast, using my black haze to teleport myself a few times a day to get everywhere on time." Then she cracked a smile to him, watching as the Undertaker sat across from her drinking his own tea. She let out a sigh, closing her eyes and holding onto the warm liquid in her hands. "Then… then were my responsibilities as a God of Death. Everything became too overwhelming for me, so I told Marius to take over for a while. I didn't see him after that… for about five years after I told him to take care of our family affairs. Apparently that meant not keeping in contact with me and that **really** hurt… He just doesn't understand."

"My powers were another thing. Getting them back… sometimes it got overwhelming. No wonder Thomas sealed them away, but I needed to learn how to control myself. The desert helped because the vegetation was scarce and I could release my energy without worrying about killing anyone. Even so… I kept having nightmares," she sighed. "Nightmares every night, even about things I knew nothing about. Thing that happened to me in the past, things that happened to my father in the past, and even past that. The farther my dreams went… the scarier it became. I left the familiar and became unfamiliar with my surroundings, wondering why I was killing souls and destroying them. It… it was frightening. I told myself it was all a dream, but sometimes it became too overwhelming. So I stopped sleeping so much, maybe sleeping for an hour a day or less. It became a norm for me, but I don't really sleep unless I pass out from exhaustion."

"I… I started to drink. Every night I would go out to a salon and drink myself half blind. When that didn't help I started trying other things. Smoking, tobacco… opium and cocaine, whatever worked for me. The best thing was chloroform, because it knocked me out in a split second and I wouldn't wake up till the next morning. I don't know what happened to me when I was doing all those things," Sophie sighed, "but I recall my friend Rose grabbing me once and yelling at me, tears streaming down her face as she slapped me and shook me to get a hold of my senses before I blacked out. I stopped with the cocaine intake after she told me I was stabbing random humans for money to buy my drugs, but that didn't stop me to keep doing everything else. Probably if I was human I would have died by then, but I think I almost did." Sophie shrugged as she sipped her tea, setting it down next to her as she looked down to the ground. "It… it was hard. I just wanted something to take my mind off of everything. I figured no one would care if I died… since no one I knew was trying to keep in touch with me. It didn't matter there if I died. Shinigamis died on a daily basis for whatever reason and no one kept records on them."

"It wasn't until Alex saw me that I started to change my act. I don't remember much, but he wouldn't let me go to the salon anymore. He tried keeping me away from everything I was taking, but I needed something! I would scream at him… and I think I injured him more than once. It wasn't until I coughed up a huge excess of blood and was brought into one of the hospitals that I starting thinking about everything I was doing. Was it really worth it? I…" She chuckled lightly to herself, "Alex and Rose was my only lifeline there. If I didn't had then… I would be dead. I stopped the drugs and everything I was taking, but I never went cold turkey. Alex helped me with creating a system for myself, only a flask full of alcohol a day or a smaller alternative of a harmless substance. He kept a good eye on me while I was regaining my senses, but I definitely wasn't the same after that. I had bags under my eyes, my ability to work was deteriorated, and I was having the nightmares again. Not only that, but continuing to think of myself as the head of a powerful family was still too much for me to handle… I was thankful to Alex and Rose for helping me, but I was also scared. The reason I started to drink wasn't confronted and I knew I had to come to terms with myself before I could move on. So, in the middle of the night, I left my unit and wandered into the desert… alone… without any food or water. I left everything behind, even my messenger bag, with a note saying that I needed to clear something up and if I'm not back then they can sell my things. I felt horrible for leaving, but I had to. I took the flask with me, but I didn't fill it up with anything when I set off."

Sophie chuckled to herself, grabbing the totem around her neck and looking at it with a null look on her face. "I… well I never told anyone what I had done after that… it's a bit personal." Then she looked over at him, noticing how he was staring over at her intently. Without even thinking she stood up and sat next to him, grabbing hold of his arm as she gripped her totem tightly, "I'm sorry if this is scaring you, but I'm fine right now… I… aren't you going to say something?"

"Well…" he sighed, "I'm not going to say that I'm ecstatic right now, but I'm just glad you're alright…" The Undertaker grabbed her arms and pulled her tightly in a hug, burying his head into her neck as she flinched slightly. "Why are you afraid of me?"

"I-I'm not afraid of you," Sophie chuckled nervously, "just… I'm just on edge right now." After a few minutes of staying in that position, she shifted herself and buried her head into his chest, clutching to his clothes tightly as she let out a sigh of relief. "… There's more."

"Then you best tell me _little maiden~_" he slurred his words, though his tone of voice was serious than the Undertaker simply trying to be silly. "You… you could have come back."

Sophie smiled, looking up and moving the bangs from his eyes. Another chuckle escaped her lips, noticing how gloomy his eyes looked. She never saw this in his eyes… except the time before she died. "I actually tried, but it was too soon. The first month I sent a transcript, but it was quickly rejected. I figured I had to wait longer and I kept filling out the forms… but eventually I stopped sending the forms in. It seemed useless in my mind. Only surviving till the next day… yeah…" She sighed, putting her head back on his chest and listening to his heartbeat. She smiled; his heart always seemed to call her down.

Then she looked at her totem and took something out from under her shirt, revealing the green ring on a silver chain. The Undertaker blinked, thinking she had sold it or lost it by now. Really Sophie had kept it close to her, right next to her heart. So her hands were occupied with something to do, she put the chain around her neck and intertwined the two necklaces as she began again. "I was gone for perhaps a year. Maybe longer for all I know. Not taking anything with me was a bad idea, but at the time I wasn't thinking straight. I just kept walking, wanting everything in my head to go away and leave me be. I passed out after walking in the sun for two days, waking up in a small teepee as a woman pressed a damp rag on my face. I didn't know them, nor did they know me, but they were nice enough to take me into their home before I died out in the wilderness. After a few days I was able to walk around again, only one other person in the village knowing English. He was a young man named Aponivi, meaning where the wind blows down the gap, which was funny because he translated everything for the village so I could communicate with everyone. He was a nice man, and even though he was human he was very kind to me. His older brother had found me and brought me to their mother, who was the woman that was looking after me along with his sister. They were a nice family, letting a white person like me into their home, even though they hated the white humans."

"Anyways, after a week of communicating I learned that they were a Hopi tribe on an Indian reservation. Nivi told me everything about them, how their ancestors were pushed off of their land and moved there. It was very sad, but the fact that they were letting me stay made me smile. The only way he knew English was because he had a hobby of reading English books during his spare time and going to the forts for whatever things they needed to trade for. We talked about books most of the time, about Shakespeare and other things he had read, and a few things I even read myself. Well the days rolled on and they called me Hehewuti, or warrior mother spirit, because of how I treated everyone. At times I would argue, I would argue the best I could in their language if I didn't agree with a certain point of view. Other times I was very nurturing, helping with the cooking and teaching the local kids English and rewarding them with treats. My favorite sweet there was lemon drops, oh they're good! I wish I had some but I ate the rest of them on my way here," she chuckled to herself. "Anyways… I told Nivi about why I wandered off into the desert. He told me that I should talk to their medicine man for help and I did; he was the best. He knew so much about different herbs and spices and how to heal people with only using things from nature. I asked him for spiritual help, but eventually I ended up going to his teepee every day to help him and learn more about healing. Actually some of his methods were really good and with my heart condition he was interested in it and helped me heal over time. Some things helped, some things didn't, but it was a great learning experience."

"Well… after a few months the medicine man told me it was about time for me to go on a spiritual journey. I told him about my problems, in a very human way so he didn't think of me as an evil spirit or something, and he advised me to go into the forest for a while. He told me I already took the first step by leaving my unit and ending up here, but it was my heart and soul that had to take me to the next step." She sighed with longing, closing her eyes as she began to recall everything. "I followed his advice and went off, given only a small water skin of water before leaving. I would have to make everything myself and survive on my own, but it hadn't been for the soul searching I needed to do… I don't think everything would have been as powerful as it became."

_Sophie let out a sigh as she cleaned the rabbit fur in her hand and scraping the meat onto a log, watching as the sun went down. The only clothes she had on her back was the clothes the native Americans gave her before she left, and of course her green ring on a silver chain she never took off around her neck. The fire was a breeze after a few weeks outdoors by herself, having to make a fire with only sticks, stones, and her hands. She wondered if this was the best idea, this spiritual journey they told her to take, but she needed answers and needed them now… before she could continue on with her life. After cooking the rabbit she slowly ate the meat, watching the world around her as she heard animals calling to one another. _

_She sighed, thinking to herself as she ate the rabbit and dried out its skin on a nearby tree. What was her goal again? To get answers. Answers on how to listen to her family and be the head of her household, but yet keep her own personal identity. She didn't want to lose who she was because of her leadership roles, but then again she didn't want to do it anyways. The **dead** is her job. To kill those she deemed unworthy and save those she thought deserved a second chance. Just how can she do that? Was there even a need for her type anymore? She ripped the rabbit in half and set the other half on the other side of the fire, looking at the flames as she thought deeply to herself. Her responsibilities were to condemn, but her heart told her to be merciful. Not only that, but she had to be a natural born leader. She would be a role model to anyone she talks to, either by status or her experience and age. She didn't want to turn anyone away who needed her help… so how could she do all that? How could she keep her personal identity while maintaining a leadership role? Were the two even compatible? That's what she couldn't stop thinking about; not the nightmares, but what was her life really about? _

'_**Should I even exist?'**_

_Sophie flinched back, finally noticing a wolf at the top of the hill. It smelt out her food, or perhaps it smelt her. She started to hyperventilate, unsure of what to do. She didn't want to summon anything and she didn't have anything to protect herself. She just watched the wolf, eyeing it suspiciously as it cautiously jumped down from the other side of the fire. She relaxed slightly, noticing that it was going for the spare rabbit meat that she left, but she couldn't put down her guard yet. As if knowing her anxiety, the wolf slowly took the meat in between its teeth and walked up the hill, curling up and eating the meat between its teeth. Noticing how far away the wolf was from her now, she continued to eat her rabbit meat and finished it about the same time wolf did. Feeling a bit bad that the wolf was over there cold and alone, she decided to speak to it. "Would you like to sit by the fire?" Then she chuckled to herself, "Oh of course you wouldn't need that. You probably don't even know what I'm say… ing…" _

_She paused, watching as the wolf looked up at her as if it was listening to her and nodded, walking back down and sitting on the other side of the fire where the rabbit was. Sophie sighed, noticing it went back to sleeping instead of listening. "Well alright, not a talker huh?" she chuckled as she took the dried skin off of the tree and rolled it up to use later. She set it into a bigger skin, which Sophie had fashioned herself and was what she was using as a bag for the moment. Then she sat back down, watching the wolf as she tended to the fire and had it die down. The wolf looked as if it was sleeping, but really it was watching as Sophie tended the fire, talking to herself and no one in particular. "… Live is so hard. Who knows how long I'll really live, an hour, a few years… life is never certain," she sighed. "How can I balance everything I need to do while still keeping myself… me? Who am I really? I grew up in a morgue and like tending to dead bodies and cutting them up, but yet I always believe that the person who died got what they deserved, either in this life or in a different life they are taking a journey to. I was taught things, even though I was poor I learned different languages, fighting, and etcetera… but who am I really? A shinigami? A God of Death? No… I know I'm not really one of those things. What I am really… what I want… is to just be free. But how can I achieve that with everything I have to do?" she sighed to herself again as she poked the fire. By that time it was only a few shards of flames, the only light coming from the dying fire and the moonlight above them._

"_Death questions who she is?" Sophie heard, her eyes going wide once she noticed who was talking. _

_The wolf stood up, rustling up its hair a little before staring into her eyes. "You think you are part of a game and will have no real meaning to your life after it is over. What is your question? It's 'Should I even exist?' correct? How can you know if you don't go looking for the answer?" Sophie blinked in astonishment listening to the animal speak. She is either hearing things, the fatigue had gotten to her, or this animal was more then who he seemed. "You seek freedom, but yet you don't see that freedom brings about responsibilities. You know what those responsibilities are, so what is the problem?"_

"_The problem is… umm… Mister Wolf," she began, still a bit rattled up that she was talking to a wolf like this, "that my responsibilities are very complicated. I need to be a leader, need to be alpha male… or I guess female in my case, but how can I keep myself whole with all of this confusion around me?"_

"_Didn't you learn **anything** from your short life?" he asked her. "You seem to know very little even though you're a knowledgeable person… If you come with me I can help you, but you must leave your belongs behind." Sophie blinked, watching as the wolf turned away and began to walk up the hill. Looking at the bag she had made for herself, especially the items she had handcrafted herself, she sighed and set the bag down, leaving it to be taken by whoever was passing by._

"… as we walked he had me call him Waya and I followed him to his den. Instead of immediately walking in, I stood and sat on a rock watching them. They were a pleasant family, the wolves playing around him as he nuzzled the nose of another older wolf. I sat there for days, not moving and only watched them. I didn't want to disturb them, and as long as my presence didn't disturb them I didn't see a reason to leave. One day a cub came up to me and gave me some food and ran back off into the den. I looked up and saw Waya looking at me, ushering me into the den. So I did and stayed with the pack for a while. He taught me a lot… having me follow him into the forest to catch game. It was interesting the teachings he taught me, and everything seemed to tie into place after that. Even if I don't know everything it doesn't mean I can't keep trying to find the answer. I will make mistakes, like Waya did by accidently falling into a running river while chasing a sheep," she chuckled to herself, "but it doesn't mean I shouldn't try. I-I realized I needed to grow more, so I could can come back here and prove to the world who I really are, Sophia Serbus, daughter of the late Maurus Serbus, a servant of darkness and God of Death..."

"It was around that time that I met a little black cat by the name of Ahe, though her collar said Ahelie," she sighed. "It didn't speak, only meowed. Ahe quickly grew to like me and followed me around for no real reason. Waya told me she had showed up a few weeks ago and he brought the cat into his home… though he wasn't exactly sure what it was. Even with his increased sense of smell Waya couldn't tell if the cat was a demon or not, but knew it was supernatural is some way. I also talked to many other spiritual animals, and they told me their own life stories. After a while I realized that I really did need to lead, become a leader, and go back home. Before I went back to the tribe Waya gave me the bag I had left behind, which held everything I had left behind. When I looked there were also feathers in the bag, most of them already made to be worn, but a few still needed to be completed. He told me to use what I liked with them, either giving them away or keeping them for myself. That's when I parted and left them, going back to the village with my hopes held high and set towards the future."

"When I arrived the medicine man gave me a totem and it was a carving of a wolf, but then he asked me how my journey was. When I told him my experience he just chuckled and told me that his dream was correct in giving me a wolf totem. They had a celebration for me, but not just for me but for a few other young people who had gone on a spiritual journey. Nivi was one of them and his totem of an eagle. It was great… celebrations were going on for probably weeks till things settled down again. Then I told them that I think it was time for me to go back home. The tribe said their goodbyes and let me go, but not before I handed out a few of the feathers. I went around to everyone who treated me kindly and gave them a feather, telling them that the wolf spirit gave it to me when I left his den. Lastly was Nivi and I have him an eagle feather… oh you should have seen the expression on his face," Sophie chuckled, "he was stunned. So was everyone else in the village, but I told them it was the only eagle feather I had in my bag and it was the wolf spirit that gave it to me. Then when they accused me of killing an eagle, I told the medicine man that it was Waya who gave it to me. Once he heard Waya's name the threats against me stopped and he let me continue on my way and stayed friendly to me to this day."

"When I came back to my unit everything was still in dismay. Honestly, it seemed that no one noticed I was missing except for Alex and Rose. That's when I put my best foot forward and started talking to the group, throwing away useless luxuries and working to improve things for us. Alex and Rose were amazed by my sudden change of attitude and asked me where my confidence came from, but I told them nowhere because no one needed to know how my spiritual journey went." Sophie let out a sigh and put her necklaces back under her shirt, giving the Undertaker a smile before continuing. "My unit wasn't the listening type so I tried a different approach. I would ride off and gather money for us, using wanted posters to capture bandits and get the ransoms. It was hard to do both, a human job and a shinigami job, but it worked out in the end. Over time I gathered a reputation as the Dark Rider because I rode around on Death's horse… since I couldn't possibly steal a horse from someone. Usually about two-thirds of the money would go to a few towns while the rest went for our group, which lasted for about a month. I made it that say so we wouldn't start buying a lot of useless items, only buying things we needed to survive on. I helped a few people with their drug addictions and drinking problems, working on improving our messengers and invested in a carrier bird. The only one they had was a hawk, which we needed to buy a glove for, but it was okay because it was something we needed. Our missions improved and we were able to organize everything better… and then Marius came back."

Sophie sat up and grabbed for her tea, drinking it down. "You would think I would be excited to see Marius after five years, but I wasn't. He changed like I did… but not in a good way. He was grumpier, the expression of anger always on his face. Then he gave me this list of names, names of men I would marry. I was disgusted and over and over again I told him no and I didn't want to marry someone yet. To marry a man I do not know… that was the worst idea I could think about," she shook her head. "Well when he came back I told him that I was going to be in charge from now on and everything he did would have to pass through me. I needed to set up my authority and show Marius that I had to be in charge and not him. Besides you should have seen him… he looked as if he wasn't getting sleep like I did. I promised him I would go to each one of these men on his list and revaluate them, not trusting his own descriptions of them. In reality I was right, they were all horrid! Either too old, too married, or too stubborn. I told him that too, but… yeah you know where that eventually led," Sophie said as she drank again from her cup.

Then she set the drink back down beside her, setting her head back on the Undertaker's chest. "Not only that, but I was starting to get a large reputation. Both in the human world and in the supernatural world everyone knew me as the Dark Rider. I soon got a promotion, but I insisted that my unit moved up the ranks with me. My supervisor actually didn't want to leave, along with a few others, saying they'd rather stay there. Instead he gave me his cowboy hat, which I wear often," she chuckled, looking over at the coat hanger and noticing that her black cowboy hat was set there along with her outer layer of wet clothes. "I got to keep the hawk too. I use him a lot… I call him Nocona, but Noco for short," she chuckled. "He's a sweet little red-tailed hawk, though he does like to intimidate others. He usually wanders off until I give him a mission, so that's why I named him Nocona."

"Anyways I'm babbling sorry!" she yelped, closing her mouth and thinking again. "Well I got a promotion… then another… then another. All the time I just did what I normally did, which the shinigamis there didn't care about. I began my God of Death jobs also, running around all over the world to go to parties and meetings. It was okay, but I liked being in one place better. I still had my hobbies. When I killed something to eat I would skin the animal and use every part of it for whatever I may need. If it was fur I would make something useful out of it or sell it to fur traders. If it was feathers then I would use the feathers to make ornaments, which I would sell, give away, or keep for myself. I liked to make things, so I made little trinkets and gave them to children if they wanted them. I learned to cook with whatever I could find and simply, sometimes adding beer into the pot for a tangy flavor. Also I learned how to make medicine, using local herbs to help anyone that got sick. I think that's why Ben is here, but honestly I could just teach him how to make it himself," she shrugged.

Then she sighed, shifting her weight so she had her back against the Undertaker's chest. "Now you think I wanted to stay after all of that… well I still wanted to go home. Actually, not a want, but a **need** to return back home. I felt that something was waiting for me here and I had to get back home. Of course there are other factors. Everything was getting stressful again. Also… there was this shinigami…" Sophie chuckled to herself, "but I won't tell you right now. You'd get jealous… but I loved him, but then he… well let's just say he's stupidity caused me to just leave," shrugged. "Honestly, I don't know if I'm stressed anymore… there's still a lot to do, but not enough time to do it. I don't know dad… I'm just tired right now. That's really it," she said, looking up at him with a smile, "so… I'm done. How about yourself? I think I'm going to have to clean this place up," she huffed. "Yeah some dusting will do… Hey are you going to talk?" Sophie frowned, noticing he wasn't giving her his usual teasing and laughter.

"… I regret letting you leave me," the Undertaker said in a very monotone voice, his arms snaking around her waist and holding her close. "… I could have lost you Sophia… little maiden… I can't bear with myself if I lost you again…"

"U-undertaker?" Sophie quivered, turning her head to look up at him. His eyes, they were still so sad. She was feeling bad about telling him everything, but he asked her to. Sure, perhaps there was a shorter and easier version to say everything she went through, but he was the only person she told **everything** to. Even Alex doesn't know all the details, only the Undertaker did. All her thoughts, feelings, everything that went through her head she tried to tell him. How he was acting, this didn't feel like the man she remembered. "I-it's not like I died you know," she sighed, "and it's not like I didn't learn something. You said it yourself; I needed to mature before I could come back. Well I did, alright? Maybe I'm not the same as I used to be, but that part of me is still there… somewhere… taking a siesta…" She eyes wandered away and towards her lap, her bottom lip quivering slightly.

The Undertaker chuckled, letting out a sigh as he set his head on her shoulder and breathed down her neck. "You know, you require proper _punish~ment~_ for being away from me for fifteen years, alright _litt~le maid~en~?_" Sophie wrapped one arm around his neck, giving him a nod but still looking down at her lap. "Sophia…" he hissed into her ear, sending a chill down her spine. "You don't seem very clear. I guess I will have to give you _**more **_than_ plan~ned~_" he giggled, biting down on her earlobe and snickering as she flinched away.

"Fine!" Sophie huffed, "Yes… okay? Just… ugh I don't know! This is so confu – Uumh!" she yelped, his long black nail sliding against her lips.

"_Mmmm_, _so soft~_…" he whispered, her face turning red at his quiet comment. Then he picked her up, skipping and giggling like a school boy as he walked into the bedroom and set her down gently onto the bed. Then he straddled her body, setting his hat down and teasing with the top button of her still damp white shirt. "Oh these clothes must make you shiver little maiden._ Let me take care~~ of that~_" he slurred his voice; slowly unbuttoning each button till her chest was exposed to him. Sophie simply laid there, not giving him much emotion as he finished the last button and looked down her chest. He didn't know if he should be worried or that she wasn't wearing anything under her shirt, noticing the visible scar under her breast line. "Hmm… is something wrong little maiden?"

"Nothing," she shrugged, "I'm just… meh."

"Meh?" he questioned her, a sly smirk growing on his grinning face. Then he grabbed hold of her sides, her eyes going wide as he began to run his long nails over her skin.

She began to shriek and giggle, trying to get out of his grasp. "N-no! No! Dad stop! No!" she giggled, trying to pry his hands off of her. His knees kept her lower body restrained as his hands trailed over her bare skin, Sophie gasping for air in between her giggle fits. "N-nooho…" she hiccupped as the Undertaker slowed down and pushed his body into hers.

"_Oh where, oh where has my little maiden gone?_" he teased with her, pushing his face close to hers and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "_Oh where, where can she be?_" he said again, this time giving her a peck on the lips. "_With her bangs cut short and her hair cut long_," he giggled, twirling her auburn hair around between his fingertips. Then he leaned in close to her face, a shiver going down Sophie's spine as one of his hands trailed down her back and sent her body closer into his arms. "_Oh where, oh where can she be?_" he asked, a playful whimper leaving his lips as he smiled at her slyly. He grinned down at her, watching as her cheeks turned ever redder at the familiar nursery rhyme. Then he resumed tickling her, Sophie unable to control herself as she continued to giggle and snort long after he had stopped.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hello… Undertaker?" called a young man into the morgue, stepping into the room and looking around. He closed the door behind him, which said the shop was closed for the night. He sighed, setting his stuff down on a coffin and sitting next to it. He held the icepack to his head tightly, still feeling a sting after being slapped. "Dang… she must be part cat," he grumbled, poking his cheek in annoyance and numbing the pain. "Undertaker?... Is Sophie here? I know you're around here somewhere," he grumbled. "… Come on… I'm sorry. Can't I just apologize..."

"_Heh~ heh~ heh~~_" the man heard.

Marius blinked in confusion and looked around the room, but not hearing where the sound came from. _'Oh,'_ he realized, _'it must echo in here…' _"Come on Undertaker –"

"You would think a boy raised by Death would be quieter, _yes~?_" the Undertaker giggled, Marius standing up and looking around the room for him. "… If you _pwwwamise~_ to be quiet I'll tell you were we are Marius," he snickered.

Marius grumbled to himself and scratched the back of his head, his eyes looking around the room and making sure he wasn't behind him. "Okay fine," he sighed, "… Where are you?"

"Bedroom," was all he said, the room getting quiet again as thunder clapped overhead.

Marius sighed again, moving the curtain that hid the hidden hallway and walked to the end. Then he gently opened the door, peering inside of the room. "So there – …" he stopped talking and his cheeks began to get red, looking at the sight before him. He saw the Undertaker holding his little sister close to his chest, both of them looking bare naked from his point of view. He couldn't see anything past their shoulders, but he saw that they weren't wearing any shirts. "W-wha…" he was speechless, his face burning up at the sight. "W-what a-a-re you doing?" Marius finally said as his mouth dropped.

The Undertaker giggled lightly, not enough to wake Sophie up but enough for Marius to hear. "_Playing around with __**my**__ little~ maiden~_. Why? Would you like to _jo~in us~~_?" Noticing Marius' face made the Undertaker giggle more, keeping his eyes on Marius from behind his bangs as he slowly came closer.

"D-did you… ummm…" Marius tried to say, his voice still trembling as he slowly put his icepack down.

"No I did not have sex with her, if that is what you're asking," he said in a monotone voice, a chuckle escaping his lips as he coddled her closer to him. "Marius…" he said in a soft and commanding voice, "come over here."

Still taking baby steps towards the bed, Marius sat down on the side Sophie was sleeping on. He looked over her, noticing that her face was still red from crying. He frowned and brushed a soft hand through her auburn hair. Sophie smile grew a little by his touch, cuddling into his hand as she dreamt. "Look," he looking up at the Undertaker, looking back down at the bedding as he tried to find his voice again, "S-she's my little sister you know. I-I can't have you going around fondling her like this."

"But she wants me to," the Undertaker whimpered like a baby, causing Marius to roll his eyes. Marius looked over at him and then quickly flinched, looking back and noticing the smile on his face was barely there. "Marius, give me the list."

"Huh?" Marius asked, "W-what list?"

"The list with the names of those candidates you want Sophie to chose from… _**for marriage**_," he finished in a rough voice

"And why should I give it to you?" he huffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Haec **mihi**, _Young~ Serbus~_" the Undertaker snarled, a shiver going down Marius' spine. His grip of Sophie got tighter and she cuddled into his chest, a slight whimper escaping her throat as she noticed his anger. Noticing this Undertaker calmed down, his Cheshire cat grin coming back to his face as he slyly resumed talking to Marius in a calm voice. "Now… the list?"

Marius frowned, knowing what he meant. Letting out a sigh he took the scroll from his pocket and handed it to the Undertaker, who opened it and looked down the list. How he could see the names with those long silver bangs over his eyes astonished Marius. The Undertaker looked over at Marius and he chuckled slightly, scratching the back of his head as he looked towards the floor. "W-well it wasn't my idea. It was father's. Plus you know Sophie's powers… she has problems controlling them. So we figured that having her marry a God of Death would help her, but not just any God of Death. A powerful man who could keep her under contro –" he flinched at the sudden noise, noticing the Undertaker scratching a few names off the list with his nail.

"Too old… too young…" the Undertaker said quietly to himself, scratching out names as he went down the list. "Too cold... too dead…" Then he paused, seeing his own name on the list. He shook his head and crossed his name off, resuming crossing off everyone on the list and handing it back to Marius. "If you were a **real** brother, you would have investigated these men yourself instead of having Sophia do all the work. These men may look like a perfect match, but if you know Sophia you know she doesn't want just _an~y_ man." He leaned into Sophie's face, kissing it gently before looking up at Marius. "Why should I let you explain yourself if you will only make my little maiden upset?_ Hmmm?_..."

"Because I'm… well I'm…" Marius sighed as he built up the confidence to look at the Undertaker's face and at his silver bangs. "I'm sorry. I just want to apologize for everything, alright?" Staring at Marius blankly for a few moments, Marius continued to look at him with his crystal blue eyes trying to look at his hidden bright shinigami green eyes that were looking back.

Then the Undertaker looked down at Sophie, leaning into her ear and fondling with her waist. "Sophia… little maiden… someone is here to see you," he giggled, Sophie's eyes slowly opening as she rubbed her nose into the sheets.

"H-hmmm?..." she asked, slowly looking up at the Undertaker and smiling. "Why are you hiding your eyes?" she tilted her head, the Undertaker chuckling as he kissed her on the forehead.

"Turn around," he told her, Sophie slowly turning her body.

When her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes came into contact with Marius' crystal blue eyes she flinched, pulling the sheets over her body as her eyes went wide. "M-marius it's not what you think!" she yelped in an effort to explain herself. "Y-you see –"

"Sophia I am sorry," Marius interrupted her, turning his body so he was looking over at her face to face. "I'm sorry for trying to force these marriages on you… and I'm sorry about Jericho. I honestly thought that you need someone to protect you… and I only want to look out for you Sophia. You're my little sister and without you I'd… well…" He sighed, taking one of her hands in between his two cold hands. "Look, date whoever you want. Marry whoever you want. I'll be with you every step of the way… I want to be there for you Sophia."

She sat up and grinned, grabbing him in a tight hug. "Oh you!" she laughed, pressing her body against his. Marius blushed completely, his sister's bare body pressing against his cold and wet clothes. "Does this mean you'll let me be the head of the Serbus family and be by my side?"

"Of course," he smiled; giving her a little kiss on the cheek as he gently pushed her shoulders away from him. "As I said I'll be with you every step of the way… and now… umm…" he looked down towards the floor as his face flushed. "C-could you get off of me? You're… u-uuh…"

"Oh!" she yelped, jumping off of his lap and sitting on the sheets in front of him. "Sorry Marius," she giggled, fixing his coat a little before looking up at him with a smile. Then she noticed the terror on Marius' face, tilting her head in confusion as a presence loomed behind her. "W-what's wrong – Agh!" she yelped, hands wrapping around her body and pulling her backwards. "Undertaker!" she yelped, burying her face into his arm as she blushed.

Marius also blushed, noticing the Undertaker had a large gash on his chest that disappeared into his black pants. "Now that you're here Young Serbus… would you like to_ jo~in us~?_" the Undertaker giggled before he buried his teeth into Sophie's neck and nibbled on her. Sophie squirmed as she tried to get away, yelping as he bite down into her neck and drew blood.

"How tempting that is," Marius began as he scooted away on the bed and began to back away, "but I need to go –"

"_Oh is that so~?_" the Undertaker said, scooting towards him and pressing Sophie between them. He grabbed hold of Marius' necktie and pulled him closer to his face, his lips brushing slightly against his own. "I don't see the _rush_…"

"Hey now back off!" Sophie growled, pushing the Undertaker away and freeing Marius from his grasp. "You may own me, but I own Marius. If he needs to get somewhere then I want him to go, alright," she huffed, setting herself in between the Undertaker and Marius.

"S-sophia…" Marius said quietly as her weight on his legs kept him on the bed.

"… _I see~_" the Undertaker grinned, grabbing Sophie's shoulders roughly and pulling her body back onto his lap. Marius let out a yell and fell over, groaning as he landed on his back. Sophie yelped, her face turning over to Marius until Undertaker grabbed her chin roughly and turned her to look into his eyes. "Then I'll give you a _punish~ment~~ worth for __**him**_," he grinned, his hand trailing down her back as he held her close with his other. Then he looked over at Marius, who had gotten himself off of the ground and was in pain. "You can watch if you want _Youn~g Ser~bus_," the Undertaker chuckled, having Sophie straddle his lap as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

Marius frowned, glaring at him as the Undertaker's nails trailed down her back and caused her to moan. "N-no Marius. J-just go," she said, suddenly crying out as the Undertaker bit down on the top of her chest and sucked her roughly. Marius nodded and left, a sigh escaping his lips as he heard Sophie from the bedroom. "C-can't I just go back to sleep?" she growled at him, yelping as he bit into her again and looked up at her curiously.

"_Hmmm?_" the Undertaker asked as he looked around for the mysterious sound, Sophie rolling her eyes as she pushed away from him.

"Geeze…" she grumbled under her breath, limping over into the bed sheets and wrapping the pillow and various sheets into her arms. "I have work tomorrow… that's what."

"You're no fun," he whimpered like a puppy that had his toy yanked out from underneath his teeth.

Sophie just shook her head and yawned, clinging to the sheets as the Undertaker tried to pull them from her. "**Stoooop**," she grumbled, closing her eyes and pushing her head into the pillow.

The Undertaker chuckled, pressing himself on top her as she curled up in a tight ball. "You still owe me, _little maide_ –"

"Yeah I know. Later. Now sleep," she grumbled, letting out a yelp as he turned her over roughly and gazed into her eyes.

Sophie whimpered, seeing his eyes being cold and dark till it slowly softened back to normal. "… good night little maiden," he said in a monotone voice, setting his body down on the bed and pulling the covers over his body. Sophie blinked, looking over at him as he had his back turned to her. She frowned and sighed, getting under the sheets and trying to fall asleep.

After waiting for a while and feeling very guilty, she rolled over and set one hand around his waist and the other close to her heart, pushing her nose into his back. "Sorry," she mumbled, closing her eyes again and going back to sleep.

The Undertaker lifted up his head slightly and smirked, careful not to wake her up as he rolled over and faced her. "It's quite alright," he cooed into her ear, wrapping his arms back around her and letting her sleep against her chest. Hearing the door move slightly, he looked up and grinned. "Do tell William T. Spears that Sophie Serbus won't be coming in today," the Undertaker called over to the door, noticing as Marius walked back in and grabbed his icepack.

"Sure," Marius sighed as he looked over at Sophie. Noticing a slight smile on Marius' face, the Undertaker grinned wider as the young boy left, hearing the front door closing behind him. Then the Undertaker sighed and closed his eyes, falling asleep with his body entangled around Sophie's.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Ah yes! I figured, hey if she does have a high status then her family will want her to marry asap right? Well knowing Sophie she doesn't like that idea XD Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think? Am I going into things too fast or is this a nice soft pace for you guys? ^^ THANK YOU FOR READING AGAIN! See you next time! =3**

Ahelie – Hebrew – breath

Nocona – Native American – wanderer

_haec __mihi_ – Latin – _she is mine_


	35. The Conceal

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Once again, I am sorry for not posting this sooner! I have a feeling I may either get bored of writing for a while, but also I have a lot of thoughts and want to get them down asap before they leave my head. So there we go! My explanation ^^ Oh, and I finished an ID. I know I was talking to someone on this site about them, but I forgot who I was talking to. Maybe your comment accidently got erased? I don't remember, but could you please comment! I would like to put you name up as the original idea. Also if you want me to link others to specific accounts or something I can do that too. Just comment back! =D As always, enjoy this next chapter! And yes, Undertaker is possessive. I think that's been established already XD**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sat upon a coffin watching Undertaker work, her legs pushed up against her chest as she watched him. It was nice to wake up and hear that she didn't have to go into work today, but now she had nothing to do. Nothing to do… she hadn't felt that feeling in a long time. She kept her face in between her legs, a sigh escaping her lips as she thought. Yes, it had been a while. Which reminds her, how old was she? Thirty five years old and seventeen years ago she passed away. Geeze, now that she thought about it her death day was coming up soon…

Without thinking Sophie jumped off of the coffin and began to wander off, the Undertaker suddenly noticing. "_Oh~_ where are you going_ little maiden~_?" he called to her before she walked out of the room.

"I'm just going to go for a walk," she told him in a simple manner, grabbing the curtain before she left.

"Would you like some_ com~pany~_?" he asked.

Sophie chuckled lightly and shook her head. "No… I just want to go for a walk alone." Then she left the room and closed the curtain behind her, walking down the hallway and to the backdoor. Slipping her black trench coat, black boots, and black cowboy hat on, she walked out the backdoor and into the cemetery. She sighed, standing right outside the door making sure she wouldn't be followed. Once she noticed the Undertaker wasn't following her she smiled to herself, walking up the hill and along the dirt road.

Once she made it to the top Sophie walked off of the path, soon coming across two gravestones. The one on her right was her own gravestone while the one on her left was her mother's. "Mommy…" she said quietly, kneeling down in front of her grave and chuckling lightly to herself. "I know that you're in a better place right now… but it's nice to be able to come to your grave every once in a while, you know?" A small whiff of the black haze appeared in her hand and Sophie summoned a few flowers, setting them on her mother's grave as she turned around and leaned against the gravestone. "Oh wow… I'm so different now aren't I?" she chuckled again, looking down at the ground and then at the stone. "Think about it. I'm thirty five years old, I died seventeen years ago, and… you died twenty six years ago. So long ago… though I doubt I will ever be able to forget," she shrugged, "you and father's death I mean…"

"So much has happened in just that short amount of time, huh? Wow… I spent one half of my life here and the other half in America. That's weird to think about," she sighed, pulling her legs closer to her body and setting her head down on her knees. "Please… please tell papa that I don't want to marry some bozo right now. You know who I had my sights on, but I just want to forget right now… Don't be angry with me. I just want to be honest." Sophie chuckled to herself as she continued to think. "Why do I have to be separate then others? Why can't I marry who I want to? You know who I like, I bet you do, so why split us apart? I have a feeling that Marius is behind everything that happened, but I'm willing to forgive him if you can just tell me why. Why should it matter who I marry? Besides, why should I get married anyways? If I can't marry someone I love then I'd rather not marry anyone at all; end of story… I miss you."

Sophie glanced over at her side and grabbed the flowers, looking at them as she swirled them in between her hands. She had a small gathering of chrysanthemums, both yellow and white, marjoram, and forget-me-nots. How she still loved forget-me-not flowers. She let the other flowers down except for one forget-me-not flower and sniffed it, letting out a content sigh as she breathed in its delicious scent. Then she summoned into her hand a bouquet of black roses, setting them beside her on her mother's grave. Sophie smiled to herself and put her head back on her knees, thinking to herself as the flowers lay beside her.

!#$%^&*()

The Undertaker noticed Sophie had been gone for almost an hour and decided to go look for her, setting a jar of formaldehyde down on a nearby counter and skipping out of the room. "_Hmmm_…" _'Where could she be hiding?'_ he thought as he skipped out the backdoor. He paused once he noticed two figures at the top of the hill, swiftly hiding behind a large gravestone and watching the pair.

There was a faint humming coming from one of the women, who was making a ring of flowers out of the ones sitting beside her. "Don't say that," Sophie huffed as she had her face buried in her knees, "I've changed… I'm not who I used to be."

"I believe you **think** that because you haven't figured out who you really are yet," the other one said, snipping the thorns off of the black roses and adding them to the circle. "Besides, do you think it's better to clip the thorns off of a rose or leave them in?"

"… keep them in," she huffed, "because they're more beautiful that way."

The woman giggled and set the crown of roses upon her head, causing Sophie to lift up her head. "We are sorry for making you sad… making you cry. If you do not want to get married we are fine by your request, but just remember that we are trying to help you… be your family Sophia."

Sophie lifted up her head and kissed her mother on the cheek, a tiny smile on her face. "I love you mommy…"

"… I love you too υπέροχο κοπέλα," and with those departing words her mother's ghost left, leaving Sophie as she sighed to herself and took the crown off of her head. She looked at it with a hallow expression on her face, taking a petal off of the dark red rose and squished it in between her fingers. "I know you're over there Undertaker," she said quietly, but enough for him to hear.

The Undertaker pouted, jumping out of his hiding spot and casually walking with his sleeves swinging to and fro. "I was hoping to surprise you, little maiden," he huffed as he twirled a little around the gravestones before walking over to her and sitting down next to her. "… Sophia what is wrong."

Sophie paused, calculating in her head if what he said was a question or a statement. "… nothing… nothing at all."

"I know that face," he smirked, grabbing the crown from her and giggling as she narrowed her eyes at him. "You're not happy with something. You know you can tell me _any~thing~~_ right?"

She sighed, grabbing the crown back from him and poked a few of the flowers before starting. "Just… I… there was this guy."

"_Oh~?_" he tilted his head to the side as he scooted closer to her. "_Wh~en?_"

"America," Sophie chuckled, "or should I say it was during a bandit chase across the Great Plains… He saved me. The human was contracted to a demon and almost ripped out my heart, but the shinigami saved me. It wasn't till a few years later when I became the North American Director for The West that I met him again and got to thank him by saving his own ass. I don't know… after a long time I started to grow attach to him. Sometimes I would have to stay late and was unable to get to my region… so he would let me sleep at his house. Then after that… well our relationship blossomed."

She looked over at the Undertaker and sighed, a look of dread of her face. "Did you… sleep with him?" he asked, a chuckle escaping Sophie's lips as she shook her head.

"Of course not; I kept your promise… and my own. No, he's not the man to do something like that. Actually he would have me sleep at his home so I **wouldn't** end up in someone else's bed. You could say he was a bit possessive… actually like you," she chuckled, her chuckles slowing down as she noticed the look on his face. Then she shook her head and huffed, looking back at the flowers as she sighed. "I'm not going to tell you his name… you may hurt him."

"Now why would I do that?" he giggled, his hand crawling across her back and pulling her closer to him. "Not like I _rais~ed _you or anything, or did you forget _hmmm~_?"

"How could I forget?" she set her head on his arm and closed her eyes, clutching the crown tightly in her hands. "Just… what happened… I'm not really to talk about it."

The Undertaker gently grabbed her chin and tilted her head up so she was facing up at him and looking at his silver bangs. "_Hmmm_…" he said quietly to himself as he looked into her eyes. He could definitely tell, by first glance, that she was tired and heartbroken over something or **someone**. Then he grinned, his smile beaming from ear to ear. "Well… you still _owe~_ me your brother's punishment. How about we go _in~side_?" Sophie nodded and stood up, leaving the crown of roses on top of the grave, grabbing her black hat as he led her back to the morgue, and disappearing into the darkness of the building.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"W-wait I –" Sophie paused as did the Undertaker as he slipped his hand out from under her shirt and listened carefully to the sounds of the doorbell ringing and feet shuffling from the other room.

"Are you here, Undertaker?" they heard from the other room, causing the Undertaker to sigh with disappointment as he set her off of his lap.

"Stay here will you?..." then he couldn't help but giggle at his own comment, careful to keep himself quiet as he slithered out of the bedroom and left Sophie sitting uncomfortably on the bed.

"Oh great," she mumbled to herself as she tugged on her restraints unable to move. Sophie sighed, wondering how she was going to get out her hands out of the long rope the Undertaker had tied around her hands, which kept her attached to the bed frame of the bed. She twisted the rope and growled quietly to herself as she rubbed the pieces of rope together till they snapped under her strength. Her smirked at her accomplishment as she quickly took the rope off of her hands and hid them in a nearby drawer. **No** way was she going to let the Undertaker get away with that, but still being a curious creature Sophie silently walked out of the room and down the hallway.

She sat hiding behind the kitchen door and listened in, keeping her eyes on the curtain as she listened to the conversation in the other room. "… take a seat first. I'll go and make some _tea~_" she heard the Undertaker giggle as she whipped her head around the corner and ran into the kitchen, looking for a place to hide as he skipped down the hall and into the kitchen. He hummed a simple tune to himself as he poured out his already made tea into beakers, setting them on a tray and giggling to himself. "_I __**know**__ you're hiding litt~le maiden~_" he sung as he opened a door of a nearby cupboard. He grinned at her as he pushed his head into her face, while Sophie held her hands to her mouth to keep her from screaming. His grin grew at the sudden horror on her face as she wondered what he was going to have her do. "Be a dear and put something decent on. We have _visitors~_" he giggled as he stood up and grabbed the tray, shutting the cupboard with his foot and walking out of the room.

She grumbled and gently pushed the door open, crawling out of the cupboard and walked back into the bedroom as the Undertaker requested. Quickly grabbing a simple black dress from the closet and slipping off her muddled white shirt and slacks, Sophie dressed herself in less than a minute and slipped on some nice black shoes. She didn't partially like wearing a dress, but she figured she should look like she was indeed human and not some deranged lunatic the Undertaker is keeping as his pet. With a quick swipe of a nearby comb and putting her black rose clip into her differently colored hair, she walked out of the bedroom and walked down the hall into the main room. "Undertaker," she said with a nod before nodding at the man talking to him, "sir." Then she sat down on a coffin next to his urn and began to munch on the cookies, looking as bored to be here as she really was.

Undertaker raised an eyebrow, noticing that she actually looked like a human. Her hair was mostly black, though there were a few tints of auburn red shining through that showed off her hair in the eerie setting of the dim room. Her eyes were crystal blue, but had been dulled to the point that they looked like normal blue human eyes. "Undertaker, are you listening?" the other man asked, a chuckle escaping Undertaker's lips as he looked back over at the butler before him.

"Certainly Mr. Butler," he grinned, "only distracted. You were saying?" The Undertaker swung his legs back and forth as he listened, his eyes still on Sophie.

Her eyes were on the butler, a slight look in disgust as she huffed a little once he finished his joke. "To think a demon like yourself thinks **that** was a joke. Hah!" she smirked, the demon's red eyes turning deadly as he glared at her. "I've heard better jokes in my sleep."

"…" was all he said as he tried again several more times, eventually getting a tiny crackle out of the Undertaker. Sophie still didn't seem impressed with him as he called his master to come back into the room.

Sophie raised an eyebrow, still noticing the Undertaker's gaze on her. "Now Undertaker – who's that?" a little boy with navy blue hair and blue eyes asked, suddenly noticing the woman in the corner as she looked over at him.

"If you **must** know, I'm Athena Ernest –"

"My wife," the Undertaker giggled, the other three pairs of eyes going wide around the room as his giggles increased by the look on their faces.

"I didn't know you had a wife Undertaker," the boy asked as he raised an eyebrow. "Where have you been?" he huffed, Sophie's eyes narrowing at the boy before she shrugged and stood up.

"Why I… I've been away on business **boy**," she smirked, seeing his blues narrow at her as she continued, "and who are you? I don't practically like my _**little~**__ hus~band~~_ talking to someone I don't know." She giggled as she wrapped her arms around the Undertaker as she placed her head on his shoulder; a wide grin on her face as she poked his cheek. "And could you mind telling me who **you** are?"

"Why I –"

"That gentleman over there is Young Earl Ciel Phantomhive, the _Queen~'s Watch~dog~_" the Undertaker interrupted him, Ciel narrowing his eyes at suddenly being interrupted.

"Oh I _see~_…" Sophie thought to herself. "Phantomhive huh? Yes my family used to do business with your family before I married the Undertaker. It's nice to see you again, _Watchdog_," she snickered to herself until the Undertaker gasped and grabbed her left hand.

"Where is your wedding ring, my dear?" he gasped, whimpering slightly as he put on a show for the young earl and his demon butler.

"Around my neck like always," she shrugged, taking her green ring off from around her neck and touching the gem with boredom. "Why?"

"You must be cheating on me! Why Athena why?" he cried, fake crocodile tears falling down his face as he grabbed her dress and cried on her chest.

"Do you **always** assume the impossible?" she shook her head, pushing him off of her as she could hear him snickering at her. "Now can you just answer the earl's questions already? By the looks of things he could care less about your blabber," she smirked, grabbing another cookie from the Undertaker's urn and sat next to him.

The Undertaker's grin wavered a little, but his grin quickly grew as he jumped off of the coffin and walked over to another one, the one right next to the earl. Then he opened it, giggling hysterically as Ciel covered his nose and backed away. "Don't do that again!" he sneered at him being shocked by being shown and smelling the body without any fair warning.

"Oh but this is the victim that was in the paper," Undertaker giggled as he poked his nail in the man's cheek. "I would think the _Young~ Earl_ could stand the sight of a _**bodi~es**_," he giggled again as Ciel narrowed his eyes and looked into the coffin. Pleased that his comment seemed to sting the young boy, he explained everything the earl had asked of him with, of course, adding his own little jokes in between and annoying the earl with his antics.

Once he was done the Undertaker set the coffin lid back down and jumped across the room back over to Sophie, wrapping his arm around her. She sighed when he picked her up and set her on his lap, getting used to the physical contact quickly again. "Be careful out there Young Earl, though I would _love~_ to see you in one of my **little** coffins," he giggled, Ciel narrowing his eyes before he turned around with a huff.

"Come Sebastian. Let's get out of here," he said, the butler bowing to them as he closed the door behind his master.

Then Sophie narrowed her eyes at the Undertaker, pushing his arms away from her and quickly dropping the act. "Wife? Wife? What tha hel –" She let out a yelp, his lips slamming into her own.

His hands snaked back around her and tightly constrict around her waist, pinning her into his chest. Sophie tried to squirm away as he pinned her hands down, a whimper escaping her mouth as he let her lips go lightly. "I was wondering what your reaction would be and I got a _lov~ely_ response," he growled into her ear, wrapping cloth around her wrists and tying her hands behind her back. "However you still need your punishment and a **little** husband shouldn't deny the privilege to their blushing bride, _ri~ght?_"

"You still didn't answer my question!" she huffed, glaring into the green glow behind his bangs. "Why **wife**?... Why can't I be your daughter like before?"

The Undertaker paused when he heard the hurt in her voice, his grip around her waist and hands releasing as he felt quite off guard. Yes… why did he? He honestly wasn't expecting to answer for her, but the words just escaped his lips. He chuckled, setting his hat down behind him and running his hands through his bangs. "I figured you would like it little maiden," he said quietly to himself

Sophie blinked in confusion as she sat herself down comfortably on his lap. "… I still look seventeen Undertaker. Isn't it a bit odd of an _**old geezer**_ to have a wife who's only seventeen?"

He grabbed her chin and kissed her lips, his eyes closing into the kiss before he let go. "Not unless you love me little maiden and… **I own you**," he hissed into her ear before lifting his head up and grinning at her. "Now will you be compliant or will I have to force you onto the bed?"

She narrowed her eyes, "I love you, but I don't like that look in your eyes."

He grinned, "_I see~_… but you know this would have been for your brother."Then he pressed his face into her neck, biting down roughly as she let out a gasp of pain. "Not unless… you **want** him to endure this."

"N-no… no…" she tried to say calmly, her voice shaking as he left his teeth marks on her collarbone. She buried her face into his shoulder, a hot breath coming from his lips and breathing down her neck as he picked her up and brought her back into the bedroom.

Gently setting her back down and binding her hands, he kissed her jaw line before giving her a peck on the lips. "_I'll be right back in a minute~_. Just sit there and don't fuss…" Sophie nodded and watched as he left, leaving her in the poorly lit room.

After a few minutes she couldn't take it anymore, whimpering quietly to herself as she closed her eyes and tried to pull away from the bed frame. "U-undertaker?" she called into the hallway. "… dad… daddy… daddy let me go," she sniffled. "Let me go… let me go! Please! Dad! Daaaad –" Her eyes opened wide as a hand pressed against her mouth, her body relaxing once she noticed who the hand belonged to. "I-I'm sorry but… let me go. I don't want to be here. Let me go," she huffed as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the Undertaker said in a calm voice, a comforting smile on his face as he set his body beside her and pushed up her chin so he could see her face better, "but my _guests~_ couldn't wait. I'm done now… and the night is still young," he grinned as he pressed his lips into hers in a comforting manner. "_Now~ now_, is this a way to treat your husband, _hmmm?_" Then he frowned, watching as Sophie turned her head away and looked at the ground panting. She glanced back at him as he forced her to look into his eyes, terror showing in her normally confident crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. He smiled gently, wiping the tears from her face as he cooed to her softly. "I can take off the restraints if you want… but you would have to promise to not run away."

"J-just… just don't leave me," she choked a little, burying her head into his hand and kissing it tenderly. "I-I don't know what you want, b-but don't leave… don't go… dad…"

The Undertaker pressed his lips into hers; adjusting her body a little before he hovered over her. He continued to kiss her, his hands moving up her body till they made it to the rope. "I'm going to take your dress off, alright?" he told her, getting a slight nod from Sophie before he grinned. He untied the ropes and laid them on top of a drawer, leaning back into Sophie to steal a kiss. She moaned, his hips roughly pressing down against her own. Then he arched her waist up against his chest, continuing to press his lips into her as he undid the ribbons and laces tied on her back. Sophie gasped for air, but the Undertaker took it away as he kept his lips pressed against her mouth, discarding the dress off of her body slowly. Lifting his head off of her own, he gave her a wide grin that caused her to chuckle nervously. "You seem _ner~vous_ little maiden," he giggled, kissing her cheek as he left the dress halfway down her body and exposed her chest.

"Is this what you do with your regular customers that **can't** pay?" Sophie huffed, trying her best to not moan under the Undertaker's tender touches. She really didn't know why her body was acting this way, but she didn't like what was going on.

"Yes," he said simply and looked at her face. _'How soft…'_ he smiled to himself, slowly brushing one of his long black nails along her cheek. "I have needs too," he chuckled, cutting into her cheek and sucking on the blood as her wound quickly healed.

Sophie blinked in confusion, a sigh escaping her lips and she whispered past his ear. "Of course you do," she chuckled lightly, "but h-how far are you going to go?"

"Just enough," he whispered into her ear, biting into her neck and slipped the dress off of her. Then he tied the ropes back around her wrists, Sophie whimpering slightly by being caught again. "Let me take your body, alright?" he whispered, "I'll go _slowly~_ but not too far." He smiled deviously as he pushed his body back into hers, Sophie moving her head with a moan as he sucked on the top of her breast. He bit down, a gasp escaping her lips as he sucked on her waist and pulled her body closer to his face.

Sophie arched her back as she let out a groan as he drained her of her blood. "U-undertaker…" she said softly, "g-give me your hand." He held one of his hands up to her mouth, still concentrating on her stomach, and she bit down on his palm roughly. He gasped, not expecting her to bit him as she sucked and licked his hand as it lingered on her face. "So cold," she said quietly, gasping as he bit into her again. Then she yelped, his other hand trailing to her sensitive area and gently pushing into her. "Uun-dert-taker!" she gasped as she arched her back uncomfortably and tried to move away.

His body pinned her down, his hand pumping in and out of her slowly as his face trailed back up to her face. "You're so **hot**," he grinned, kissing her neck as she kept gasping and moaning for him. "Why did you call yourself Athena, _huh little maiden_?" he whispered into her ear, rolling her body a little so he could get his finger into her.

"B-because…" she gasped, closing her eyes and pressing her head down on the pillow. It was hard for her to think straight as he thrust a second hand into her. "B-becaUse, oh…" she gasped again, "m-my mother… OH! My mother her… uUGhhhmm…" she tried to say, her eyes opening slowly as his fingers pulled out of her.

"_Go on~_" he grinned, sucking down on her jaw as he waited for her to answer.

"Her family comes from Athens," Sophie panted, turning her head slightly so she could look into the Undertaker's eyes, "a-and I figured to just use the name of their patron goddess. I only use it when talking to humans … w-when they ask me for a naAME! –" she gasped, her back arching up in pain as he stuck his fingers back into her.

"Hmmm… _I see_…" he closed his eyes and grinned, licking her cheek as she continued to pant under him. "Good reason… little maiden…" he continued to talk as he trailed down her sweat dripping body.

He kept thrusting into her, Sophie crying out as he added a third finger. "U-undertaker, Undertaker!... oh, OH! Taker! T-tak-er… oh god yes…" she gasped as he pulled his fingers out of her, Sophie shivering with his breath on her entrance.

She yelped, breathing heavily as he stuck his tongue into her. He moaned, grabbing her legs and pushing his tongue farther into her as Sophie gasped and panted as she continued to call for him. Suddenly he stopped, gently setting her legs down and sitting up on his knees. "I… I'll be right back," he said quickly, stopped by Sophie's leg as her feet pinned down his coat.

"U-untie me if you're going to leave…" she said quietly, a hidden sadness on her face as he cut the rope and took off towards the bedroom. Sophie gasped; sudden pains streaming through her as she slowly lay on her side and rubbed her stomach in discomfort. She looked at her wrists, noticing that she had been tugging too tightly. Then she put her head into her hands and rolled over onto her stomach. Just then the Undertaker crept back in, sneaking over to Sophie's back and wrapping his arms around her. "Ww-hat did we do?..." Sophie frowned, feeling his bare chest against her back, "I'm so confused…"

"… Are you okay?" he asked, noticing that she shook her head as she silently sobbed to herself.

"D-d…" Sophie paused, turning around and looking up at the Undertaker's eyes. She smiled, chuckling as she buried her head into his chest. "I told you… I'm a virgin," she laughed. Then she sighed and bit down on her bottom lip, "Dorren… would do that…"

Undertaker looked over to the ceiling for a while, soon rubbing Sophie's head and gently kissing the top of her head. "I'm sorry… I didn't know that he –"

"It's fine… just let me sleep," she sighed in relief as he cradled her in his arms. "… That's why I don't like it when you bring people over," she chuckled, "but do what you want. I don't care…"

"If you stay here with me I won't have to," he shrugged as he rubbed her back slowly.

"Would you make me do… ummm… **that** again?" she asked.

"Nope," he chuckled.

"Good," she sighed, "then I'll accept your offer… I guess, but expect me to not be here **every** night. I have other things to do."

"Remind me before you go and I'll let you," he grinned, kissing the top of her head and running his hands through her hair. He unclipped her black rose clip and put it aside on the dresser, pulling the sheets over them as the two of them drifted off to sleep.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"What do you mean I have to turn everything in by tomorrow?" Sophie growled with her arms crossed over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at William.

"The council told me to have you turn in your forms tomorrow morning on my desk… but they didn't tell me **what** forms," he grumbled.

"Then tell them to give me more time!" she slammed her hands onto his desk and leered at him, "because I still need six other people to turn in their paperwork to me today and it's almost noon!"

"I don't know what to say," he sighed, "but get the work into me by 1 tomorrow. If you don't then – What are you doing?" William growled as she shoved over to his phone and began to call a number.

"Getting my work done," she huffed, "now move aside!" Sophie grumbled to herself as she called for the intercom, letting out a sigh before she was connected. "Ryland Brines, Lewis Herman, Lee Roggan, Cedric Sandor, Shaun Vigo, and Curtis Wilmore come down to office E205 **immediately**," she finished, the phone being slammed back on William's desk as she let out a tired huff. "… It's okay if I use your office, right?"

"Go right ahead," William sighed as he went back to doing his paperwork. "It won't be long… will it?"

"Shouldn't," Sophie shrugged, "but I may –"

The door slammed open as Lewis let out a huff, standing tall and still once he was being glared at by Sophie. "I-I-I-I-I –"

"Get out!" she slammed her hand on the desk, Lewis running back out and closing the door behind him. William paused, looking up at Sophie for an explanation as she grumbled to herself and ran her fingers through her hair. "Maybe I should talk to them _outside_," she sighed, securing her hat back on her head as she gave him a wink. She let out a frustrated sigh as she walked out of the office and narrowed her eyes at the shinigamis standing before her. "Where the hell is Shau –"

"Present!" he huffed, running down the hallway and stopping next to one of them.

Sophie narrowed her eyes, walking over to him slowly. He gulped as they listened to her boots _**'click'**_ and _**'clank'**_ against the hardwood floor, flinching back slightly as she leaned her head into his face and stared into his frightened green eyes. "Show up on time and not a minute later, _you understand me~?_" she said slowly and in a stern voice, a chill going down his spine as he nodded.

"Y-yes ma'am…" he responded, letting out a sigh of relief as she rolled her eyes and walked away from him.

"I called the six of you here because I need your paperwork in by 3pm **today** at my desk," she said as she pointed over to the vacant desk next to Ronald. "Now… is there any problems?"

"I-I have to reap –"

"Then blow it off," she huffed, "because I told each and every one of you to turn these forms into me yesterday. Ask someone else to take over any reaping you have to do today because I need the forms in **today**. If not…" Sophie chuckled as she tipped her had up and leered in front of the shinigami closest to her, "Then you will be terminated. Understood?"

"Y-yes…" the shinigami chattered his teeth.

"I don't," one of them stood forward. "What do you mean by that?"

"_Lee Ro~ggan~_ correct?" she asked, already knowing who he is as he gave her a nod. "Hmm… you don't know much about me do you?"

"No madam," he shrugged.

Sophie sighed, "You're lucky I'm actually in a good mood today Mr. Roggan… Lewis!" she called, Lewis jumping up with a yelp. "Tell this gentleman over here why you don't want to cross me," she said, walking over to her desk and grabbing her cup of tea.

"Y-yes…" Lewis paused, coughing as he straightened himself up and looked over at Lee. "Sophia Serbus, the Dark Rider. Director of –"

"Cut to the chase," she snarled.

"Sorry," he chuckled sheepishly. "Anyways to put it simply, Mrs. Serbus has a list, a list with everyone that has crossed her. If you get on her list then… well stuff can happen to you."

"Like what?" Lee asked curiously.

"W-well –"

"You get on my list if you piss me off," she slammed her cup on her desk and walked over to them. "I give you a warning, perhaps two, before you are considered on my list. It used to be that my list was only twenty names long, but it's gotten longer and I keep the names at about fifty." Then she sighed, "The _stu~ff_ that can happen is this: If you are lucky, I'll kill you. If not, I torture you. I may chop off your head and have you watch as I devastate your body in a wine press. I may cut up your body and experiment on your organs as you lay there half alive. During that time I may steal an organ or two for whatever I need it for. It depends on what I'm in the mood to do, but it's not like I do this on a daily basis," she shrugged, "just when I'm bored."

"I-in other words," Lewis coughed, "if you're at the top of the list then you will die first. Depending on what sick, disgusting thing the Boss wants to do then she'll do it… and steal you when you're not expecting it." He sighed, wiping his brow at the sudden thought.

Sophie just chuckled, "In other words, when I'm in a bad mood and pissed off," she shrugged. "And don't call me **the Boss**_Lewis~_" she snarled, "or else you'll move from number thirty six to number four."

"Shit! Okay I get it!" he whimpered.

"Now go and get those forms into me by three today," she shooed them away with her hand. "If you have questions ask someone else. I don't care about your gossip," she finished as she watched the shinigamis run up the stairs and back to their offices as she sighed and sat down at her desk. Sophie looked up, noticing four pairs of green eyes staring at her with sudden shock. "What?" she asked in her calm and kind voice.

"W-w…" Ronald coughed, turning back around to his desk and look as if he was working.

"Hah!" Eric laughed, "Ronnie boy is at a loss for words!"

"Sophie!" Grell gasped, pushing his chair over to her and spinning her in her chair. "W-what is this?"

"Meh," she shrugged, "it's just something I do… have a problem with that?"

"… should I?" he growled back.

"I don't know," Sophie sighed, "I just want to get my work done today. Sorry for scaring you or something. Hey, if you want to learn more than listen to the office gossip. I figure you're good at getting that information by now." Then she gave him a wink and turned back to her desk, deciding to take her mind off of a sudden headache and frustration she was getting after having to talk to William today.

!#$%^&*()

"Aren't you cheerful today?" Alex grinned, causing Sophie to roll her eyes.

"Oh whatever," she grumbled, "Are your transcripts turned in?"

"This morning," he grinned. "Are you going out and doing anything tonight?"

"Nope," she shrugged, "but I'm going to move my stuff to the Undertaker's place. It's about time I do that –" she paused, looking off into the distance.

Alex raised an eyebrow, following her line of sight as he looked over at the figure she was staring at. "Sophie… don't do – Hey!" he yelled, Sophie turning around swiftly and walking as fast as she could down the hallway.

The shinigami she was staring at looked over at them, his hazel eyes widening as he saw the other's black attire. "S-sophia…" he paused in shock, dropping his bags and taking off as fast as he could towards her.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Bam cliffhanger! Yeah I'm trying to show off as many sides of Sophie as I can. Don't worry though; we'll get back to a sweet side of her sooner or later. Well… sadly, for a warning, the Undertaker isn't really called upon for a while (I know because I've written up to about chap 40) so… yeah… Don't worry though, he'll be back. Just need to go over some things first, explaining characters and etcetera. Anyways I hoped you liked this chapter. I'll try to post the next one soon, but right now I want to write more! =D **

White chrysanthemum – at a funeral, this flower symbolizes death, lamentation, and grief

Ernest – Germanic – earnest, serious, steadfastness, battle to the death


	36. The Treachery

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: You know I always love it when I post a new chapter and one to more people adds this story to their favorite and/or alerts. It makes my day! =D Hey guys! Finally got around to posting this new chapter ^^ I hope you enjoy! And if you have questions don't be afraid to ask… this chapter may get more confusing (if this story isn't _already_ confusing enough XD)**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey wait! Wait! –" he yelled, stopping once Alex put his hand up and glared at him.

"Why don't **you** just stop?" Alex growled.

The other shinigami narrowed his hazel eyes, standing up tall and intimidating in his face. "Because…" he paused, "because I sailed halfway around the world for her. Because I'm ready to quit my job over her… because I just want her to understand what happened," he huffed, pushing Alex is the shoulder and running after her.

Sophie ran as fast as she could, her eyes narrow and towards the ground as she franticly made an escape around a few corners and running up the stairs. Then she was stopped, her face looking back down the stairs at a tall shinigami with shaggy dark lavender gray hair with black streaks and a clean and probably expensive black suit. "Sophia…"

"What the hell do you want?" she growled, pulling her arm away from him and glaring at him.

He frowned and suddenly felt hurt. "I… look Sophie I'm sorry for what I did –"

"Is that why you're here? To apologize?" she growled. "I told you, I forgive you but I never want to see you agai –"

"Then you didn't apologize!" he growled back. "You say you forgive someone, but did you really? Sophie, I'm trying to get you to understand –"

"What? That you slept with someone? That everything we had together meant **nothing** to you!" Sophie looked down, her hands clutching as she choked back on her sobs. "I… you… how could you? Do you really think that I could forget that anything happened right away!"

"No!... I did not," he said calmly, "but why did you leave before I could sort everything out to you?"

"… Because I had no reason to stay," she huffed, turning her body from him to leave, "and your decision was the final straw. Especially with a whore no loss…"

Sophie looked towards the ground, slowly continuing her flight up the stairs. "Sophie… please…" he said quietly as he held out her hand to her.

"No Jericho," she spun her head around and glared at him, "it's **over**. I don't want to see you anymore." Then she ran up the stairs, leaving him to look down at the ground. He sighed to himself and turned around, going back for his things that he left in the lobby.

Sophie turned to level E and turned the corner, a shinigami watching as she dashed to the end of the hallway and into a vacant room. She locked the door behind her and looked around, noticing that the room was dark. Flipping the switch the room and noticing the room wouldn't light up; a whimper escaped her lips as she flipped the switch several times before giving up. Then she slammed her back against the wall, sliding down slowly as she held her hands to her face. She sobbed quietly to herself, hugging herself as she pushed herself into the corner and curled up into a tight ball.

!#$%^&*()

"Was that Mrs. Serbus?" Alan asked, Eric and Ronald turning around and looking over in the direction that Alan was pointing in.

"Was it?" Ronald shrugged

Eric blinked for a moment before standing up and walking over to Alan's desk. "You sure?" he huffed, "because I wouldn't see her acting like that."

"Mrs. Serbus wears a large black trench coat and a hat right?" Alan shrugged, "I-I think that was her."

Eric sighed, walking down the hallway and to the room the being ran into. He grabbed the door knob and turned it, grumbling to himself when it wouldn't open for him. "Hello? Anyone in there?" Eric knocked at the door, hearing nothing in reply. He pressed his ear up to the door, Ronald running over to him with Alan slowly walking right behind him. "Someone is in there," he said, hearing faint quiet sobs coming from the room.

"_Hello~_" came a giggly voice from behind them, the three of them turning around to see Grell standing there with a hand on his hips. "What's going on over here?"

"We think Mrs. Serbus is in there," Eric told him as he pointed to the door.

Grell frowned, knocking on the door and trying to turn the knob. "Hey Sophie are you in there?"

"… Go away," they heard a soft voice from behind the door.

Grell narrowed his eyes and knocked on the door again. "I'll go away when you _open~_ the door," he said in a bubbly way.

"I know that's a lie Grell," the voice answered, "now leave me alone."

"You open this door!" Grell yelled, pounding on the door and trying to turn the door knob. "I don't want you hurting yourself, missy!" Eric pulled Grell away from the door and they heard nothing else, Grell letting out a tired sigh and turning around. "Does anyone know where we can get a key for this?"

"William has one," Alan shrugged.

Grell nodded "You guys stay here and make sure she doesn't do anything. I'll talk to_ Will~iam_," he giggled, his voice hushing quickly as he rushed back down the hall and to William's office. "Hello _Will~_" he grinned, throwing the door open and rushing to his desk.

"Hello Mr. Sutclif – What's with the forwardness this time?... What do you want?" William grumbled.

"I need to open a locked door and I need your key," Grell said as his smile faded, getting straight to the point.

William paused, "… why?"

Grell growled, his patience growing thin. "Because Sophie barricaded herself into a room and I need to leave in a few more minutes. Now come on! Hand them over," he huffed, holding out his hand and waiting for William to comply. "I will **not** leave Sophie in there."

"Not until you tell me why you're avoiding me," he narrowed his eyes and glared back at Grell.

Grell just rolled his eyes, "I don't have time for this!... Fine. You know what, it's because you're a pompous windbag! You can't let go of something that happened _year~s_ ago and I told you it never happened! You may think I'm promiscuous and the office slut, but I assure you that I only sleep with those I **like**. Who you may ask? Well you for one… but now I'm not sure," he finished. "Now _**the keys**_," he said again as he held out his hand.

William paused and sighed, handing over the keys from his pocket and putting them in Grell's hand. "The key to open the door will have the door number on it. I'm sorry –"

"We can talk about it later," Grell huffed, slamming the door behind him and rushing back down the hallway. "Okay move aside," he sighed, fiddling around with the keys till he heard a click and opened the door. Grell slowly peeked inside, pushing back on Ronald as he tried to look into the dark room. "Stay outside _sweetie~_" he winked, the door closing behind him and only leaving a small crack open. He looked around the room till he spotted a blob in the corner, a heavy black coat and two small shoes poking out from under the coat. Grell sighed, walking over to the coat and crouching down. "Sophie… what's the matter?"

"… I don't want to talk about it," Sophie huffed, causing Grell to frown when he heard her voice was cracked from crying.

"Do you need a hug?" he asked, shifting away as Sophie turned her body and looked up at him. She nodded, tears streaming down her face as she coughed into her neckerchief. Grell sat down on his knees as Sophie grabbed him in a tight hug, burying her face into his chest. "Hey it's okay…" he said quietly, rubbing her back as Sophie kept sobbing quietly.

The door opened again, Grell glancing over and noticing William walk into the room. "Can someone tell me what's going on here?" he grumbled.

"Bugger off," Grell growled back, William narrowing his eyes as he watched the two of them on the floor. William didn't leave and only stood there and watched, his arms crossed over his chest as he moved his glasses on his face and looked towards the gray, though it would normally be white, wall.

"Gr-ell I'm a lost cause," Sophie said quietly, "L-let me go…"

"Not ever," he huffed, holding her tighter as she squirmed a little in his grasp. "Hey I have an idea," Grell realized as he pulled away from Sophie gently and held her head in a comforting way, "how about you come with me on my jobs? _You may enjoy it~ _and we haven't done some work together in a **long** time."

Sophie thought for a while before she looked up at him, giving him a slight nod. "Okay," she smiled, coughing again into the bloodstained neckerchief around her neck.

Grell smiled back and helped the both of them up, still having a firm hold around her body as she clung to his chest and coughed to herself. "_See you later Will~iam~~_" he winked, throwing William his keys as William caught them with ease. "I'll be back when I feel like it," Grell shrugged, helping Sophie out of the dark room and back into the white lights of the hallway.

Sophie cringed, keeping her face buried in Grell's chest while Grell watched as William locked the door behind them. "… What are you waiting for?" William grumbled, getting a grin from Grell.

"Now hold on," Grell grinned, "there's something else I need to say." Then he pulled Sophie away from his chest as she kept her hands to her face and wouldn't put her hands down. "Sophie you're going to have to be more responsive then that!" he joked as he grinned.

"J-just give me a minute," she sighed, slowly putting her hands down and rubbing her irritated eyes. Sophie let out a sigh and looked away from everyone and down at the floor, grabbing her flask out from her pocket and drinking it down heavily. "Okay I'm good. Sorry about that," she giggled, though she didn't seem convincing to William and Grell.

William sighed, "I don't have time for this," he huffed as he walked away from them and shooed Ronald away from behind a nearby cubical.

"Could you tell me what's wrong or am I going to have to force it out of you?" Grell huffed, a chuckle escaping Sophie's lips as she shook her head.

"N-no… I-t's nothing… I don't know," she sighed, "it's just crazy right now… could you wait? I'd rather do some field work before I say anything."

Grell grinned, "Great! Come on then." He grabbed her arm and pulled her along; all the while Sophie glanced around and then pulled her big, black cowboy hat closer to her face. She had to admit, the big hat is hard to see from sometimes but it comes in handy when she wants to hide her face.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"I feel like I'm going to pass out," Sophie complained as she stood behind Grell as he slit a woman's throat and let her bleed out. She sighed, leaning against the wall and closing her eyes a few times, "… is she even supposed to die?"

"_Yep~!_" Grell giggled as he took his death scythe out of her and collected her cinematic records. "This little _bitch~_ **needs** to die," he laughed in an eerie way.

Sophie sighed and shook her head, looking over at the dirty wall across from them waiting for Grell to be done. "… His name is Jericho."

"Pardon?" Grell asked, not quite catching what Sophie began to say.

"I said his name is Jericho," she grumbled, "and… I was dating him."

"Hold on, what are you talking about?" he huffed as he swung his scythe over his shoulder and stared at her with confusion.

"The guy who made me cry is named Jericho!" she yelled at him, calming down slightly when she noticed his stunned expression. "I loved him… and he loved me, or so I thought," she snarled a little. Sophie looked at him and then chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "I'm sorry… this is ridiculous. It's almost nine and I should get home to the Undertaker... I can talk about it later." She turned around and was about to leave, but was stopped by Grell's blood stained black gloves.

"Don't go," he said compassionately, but in a stern voice as in a direct order, "I won't let you leave my sight till you explain, _al~right?_" Sophie paused but then nodded, taking out her flask again and drinking from it. When she closed it up her hands were shaking as she looked towards the ground and sighed. "… Come you're coming with me," he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her along.

"W-where are we going?" Sophie asked with a nervous tone in her voice.

"Oh, just a _lad~y_ friend I know," he giggled. "I figure this may be a while and since the stores are closed at night it's best to be somewhere warm." Sophie nodded and walked a little faster, clinging to his arm as they walked through the alley and out into the open streets.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Madame Red I'm back!" Grell yelled into the mansion, throwing his bloody gloves into a bucket and grabbing a wet towel to clean off the blood on his face. Sophie trailed along behind him, standing behind his back as he hummed to himself as if everything he was doing was a simple routine. "… Are you coming or what?"

"Y-yeah," Sophie said, walking behind him and cling to his arm again.

Grell grinned, but suddenly paused as a decorative red pillow was thrown at his head. "Where have you been?" A woman huffed, walking up to Grell and snarling at him. "You were gone for _**too**_ long Grell! I was worried you got caught or something –"

"I had other things to do, _ye~esh_!" Grell grumbled. "Now would you like your tea malady?"

"… No. You're a horrible butler," she huffed as she turned around and began to walk away. She suddenly paused, hearing snickering coming from behind his back. "Grell…"

"Yes, _ma~lady_?" he grinned.

She turned back towards him and tried to turn him to look at his back. "What was that noise behind your back?"

"Hmmm~?" he shrugged, "I don't know what you're talking about _**Aaaanne~**_"

"Anne?" Sophie asked, the other two looking behind Grell's back. She left her hiding spot and sighed, "Angelina Durless right?" she smiled.

"H-how do you know my name – Grell who is this?" Anne narrowed her eyes at him.

Grell grumbled quietly to himself before responding, "She's just a colleague of mine. We wanted to talk after work, but as you can see I had to come back."

"_Uhhh hmmm_…" she narrowed her eyes at him.

"Please miss, it's nothing long. Just a simple talk," Sophie told her, "but if you want me to leave I won't mind it."

"… You remind me of someone," Anne thought and neglecting Sophie's comment, "but I don't know from where… I am the former Baroness Barnett, whom I'm called Angelina Durless now." She smiled, offering her hand.

Sophie smiled and shook it, "Sophia Serbus, but you can call me Sophie."

"Sophie… alright," she chuckled lightly, "Call me Anne or Madame Red if you prefer." Then she sighed, "Now if the two of you will excuse me I'm going to go to bed. Grell, be good." Anne narrowed her red eyes at Grell before she yawned and tightened the red robe hanging loosely on her body. She gave them a slight wave, walked down the hall, and disappeared into a room Sophie assumed was her bedroom.

"_Yes ma~lady_," he bowed, looking over at Sophie and grinning. "You know her huh?"

"Well umm –"

"Tell me later," Grell huffed and shooed her with his hand. "Hmm… we can talk in the lounge I guess. Here follow me." Sophie nodded and carefully followed behind him, not wanting to get lost in this mansion even if it was smaller than other mansions she had been in. Once they got there Grell offered her a seat. "I'll be back in a moment!" he giggled, "I just want to grab some food for us. I haven't eaten in _eons~_! Would you like something?"

"Ummm…" Sophie paused and thought, "H-how about some sweets? Tea maybe? I don't care." Grell nodded and took off, a nervous chuckle escaping his lips when the request for tea had been mentioned.

Sophie sighed, kicking off her boots and throwing her coat off to the side. Then she flop her body on the couch and groaned, putting a hand over her eyes as she sprawled her body out on the couch. She stayed there until Grell came back with a tray full of food and tea, setting it down on the counter and pouring out the tea for them. "Sophie here," he nudged her, Sophie groaning as she lazily sat up and rubbed her tired eyes.

"O-okay…" she sighed, taking a sip of the tea he offered her as he poured out his own. Then she paused, unsure if she should spit it out or cough. She decided to cough, "G-grell why does this taste salty! This is an herbal tea isn't it?"

"I'm sorry!" Grell groaned, "I'm not good with making tea yet…"

Then he looked up in confusion as Sophie laughed her head off and set the tea down. "This reminds me of the Undertaker," she laughed. "He was horrible with _**every~thing**_ and I had to teach him how to cook. You know he once made a cookie spicy? He added too many chili peppers… but why he did that I don't even know," she continued to laugh.

Grell snorted a little and set his tea down, laughing along with her as he wiped a napkin on his mouth. "At least I'm not the only one, huh?"

"I guess," she shrugged, grabbing a pastry and eating it. "So Grell, what business do you have here?"

"Just a side job… but don't tell Will," he winked as he grabbed a tiny sandwich and ate it in one gulp.

"Understandable," Sophie shrugged, "because I had a few in America… but you guys get paid fairly well here. Why do you need the extra money?"

"It's not the money but other things," he shrugged.

"… What do you do here Grell?" Sophie narrowed her eyes.

"I am a _butler~_" he grinned, "but I'm forced to wear this horrid disguise! It's so disgusting! Especially the hair, ick!"

Sophie laughed, "Once again understandable. It's better to keep your powers hidden… does your mistress know?"

"… I don't know," he shrugged, "but wouldn't mind. Anne is very nice about these types of things. Ever since her husband… well we're moving off topic!" He jumped up a little as he grabbed another piece of food on the tray. "Now, who is this Jericho person and why do you call him your _lover~_?"

Sophie just sighed, "He's not my lover… I don't know right now. I should just start at the beginning though." She finished the food in her hand and then sat back in the couch, looking up at the ceiling to keep her eyes away from Grell's gaze. "Well… I wasn't completely honest with you," she sighed, "I had a substance problem over the time I was in the Americas because of the stress… Everything just got overwhelming. I didn't work and did drugs and even to a point that it would have killed me… even if I'm a Death God. Just… I don't know. I wanted to go home." She bit down on her bottom lip, holding back tears as she thought back to her past. "I wanted to go home… I wanted to come back to the Undertaker. Everything stressed me out. We had no rules or regulations over there either. Just do what you feel like and not care about consequences. I got into drugs and Alex saved me when he came over… finding me against a house about to be raped or so he told me." She paused, looking over at Grell as he sat there looking over at her with concern. "Don't give me that look," she frowned. "I'm over it… but now I know I can get addicted to things easily. Just… stop looking at me like that."

"Sophie…" he sighed, standing up and sitting next to her on the couch. Grell wrapped a comforting hand around her and had her leaning against his arm, his other hand grabbing for some more food and eating it. "Thank you for telling me," he grinned, "but what does this have to do with this Jericho person?"

Sophie sighed, "When I got better my performance grew. I became somewhat famous around the Americas and eventually left my unit. Over time I became director, which was **very** short," she grumbled. "Anyways, it was around that time that I was thinking of coming back here to England. That is… until I met the other directors." She sighed and grabbed another pastry, plopping it into her mouth before she continued. "I first met the guy on a mission before then. I think I saved his ass," she chuckled, "and then I met him as the director for the East side of the North America Division. There are two other directors meaning there are four of us total, but I liked Jericho the most. He was as kind to his workers as I tried to be, eventually being my role model. It wasn't for a few more years till our relationship became serious. First it was just a friendship, but it grew over time into something else."

She chuckled to herself before sighing again, closing her eyes and tightly grabbing hold of Grell's arm. "His shinigami name is Jericho Serkan. I learned over time that he's also a God of Death. He's stuck in the parting stage because his father won't give him his rightful role as head of the family. He's the oldest, but he's still powerful even though he's at his weakest point," she sighed, "and good looking… and cute… and funny… nice… You see Grell; because of my status my parents want me to marry a God of Death. Honestly I could care less, but Jericho seems to fit the bill. Plus I love him, I really do… and I **thought** he loved me."

She buried her head into Grell's shoulder and sighed again, refusing to let go as she fought back tears. "What happened?" Grell asked.

"Well that's the thing. He… cheated on me." Sophie looked up at him and gave Grell a small smile, grabbing some more food before she went back to talking. "First everyone was trying to separate us. Different families wanted us apart, even my own family for that matter," she grumbled. "Luckily I could use our shinigami jobs as a reason to see him at least every week and him with me. We didn't have sex or anything, but we just liked each other's company. About a year ago I thought we were going to get serious and… but…" she sighed, "but he did something awful. I don't mind that he had sex with others before me, but during our relationship he slept with a woman. In less than a day word got out to everyone in the office and once it reached my ears… well I lost it. I yelled at him and broke off our relationship with the words _'I __**never**__ want to see you again'_. We made a promise to stay together and love only each other, but he broke that night he slept with some _**whore**_." Grell frowned, noticing as Sophie was close to tearing up again. "He tried to apologize, but it was the last straw for me. Being stressed off every day wasn't helping and problems abroad kept my mind elsewhere. I quickly transferred here to avoid him again, but then… he came back," she sighed, "and even if it's for business or just to find me **I don't want to see him again**. Jericho hurt me, he really did… and I don't know if things will be better between us again…"

She wiped the tears from her eyes that were beginning to spill from her eyes and she chuckled lightly to herself. "Whenever he would come by we would sit out and watch the stars. He would hold me _**so~ **_tightly, promising to keep me safe for the rest of our existences. When I came over to his place we would sit in his apartment building, drinking wine and enjoying each other's company. I was able to leave all the stress I had when I was with him… he kept me sane," she sighed. "Jericho is just breaking my heart. I see him and I feel my heart is rupturing… I don't want this feeling anymore. Grell… just… I…" she continued to wipe her tears away, eventually sobbing on her arm and into her hands. "I hate this. I hate it! This feeling… oh god I want it to stop."

"_Shuu~sh_," he said calmly, rubbing her back and grabbing her in a hug. "Cry it out Sophie. You'll feel better after you do." She continued to cry and poured out her heart for as long as he would let her, refusing to let go of Grell once he looked at his watch. "Oh geeze it's almost midnight! Would you like to stay here tonight?"

She let him go and rubbed her eyes, still holding onto his sleeve. "S-sure… it's rather late. Sorry," she chuckled meekly.

"It's alright," he smiled. "Let me put this stuff away and we'll go to bed. Oh! Would you like your own bed or sleep in my room? Madame gave me a room since I'm a butler, but I don't use it as much as I should," he chuckled.

"Yours," she said quietly, letting go of his arm as she looked to her hand.

Grell grabbed the tray and kept his eye on her, noticing that she wasn't moving an inch since she set her hands on her lap. "I'll be back in a sec._ Don't wander off~!_" he giggled, Sophie chuckling lightly as she noticed him disappear, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she clutched her hands into fists. She continued to look at her hands till Grell walked back into the room. "Same as always," he sighed. He walked over to her and grabbed one of her hands, pulling her off of the couch and directing her down the hallway.

Once they got to his room Grell let Sophie walk in first, flicking the switch and grinning as her eyes lit up. The room was painted red with red décor everywhere. It was completely a sea of red, "W-wow…"

"I designed it myself," he smiled happily. "You didn't think that I would let this room be boring old black and white, did you?"

"Of course not," she chuckled, watching as Grell walked into the room, closed the door behind him, and grabbed her things and set them down on a nearby chair.

"Go ahead and change! I have a nightgown –"

"I have my own clothes thank you," Sophie smiled, pulling out her silky red pajamas. "Thanks so much for the pajamas. I love to wear these when I actually have a decent bed!"

"I'm glad you like them," Grell grinned, a sigh escaping his face when he remembered how long ago he gave those to her. The fact that they weren't worn out yet meant she hadn't used them a lot, but perhaps that's because she never got to sleep anywhere _de~cent_. Then his eyes widened as she began to strip. "Hey let me leave first!" he growled as he shielded his eyes with his hands.

Sophie blinked in confusion, continuing to take off her clothes as if nothing was wrong. "I don't see why you're all _hu~ffy_. You're a woman right? Well women do this all the time Grell **if** there are only women in the room of course," she grinned.

Grell blinked and smiled, skipping over to his closet and pulling out his own nightgown. It was just an oversized collared shirt with a light red and white checkerboard pattern. "I'll keep it decent for _you~_" he winked as he slipped off his own suit and put on his pajamas. As he did so Grell walked into a bathroom and brushed his teeth and cleaned his hair, taking off his makeup and doing his nighttime beauty treatment. Sophie sighed and sat down on his bed, wrapping the sheets around her and yawning.

By the time Grell came back into the room Sophie had her eyes closed and cuddled her head into a fluffy red pillow, trying to keep her eyes awake as she waited for him. He still had a few things to do, so he walked around the room and rearranged things to their proper places. "This reminds me of when the council made me stay in your apartment instead of locking me up in a cell every night."

"_Oh yeah_," Grell giggled, jumping into the bed and setting his glasses down on the dresser next to him. "… So long ago…"

"Only fifteen years ago," she chuckled, "but I guess you're right. Hey I heard that Ronald was your apprentice. Why did you have another one?"

"I felt I needed it," Grell shrugged. "Plus you were taught by so many other beings that I felt that I needed an apprentice to myself… but you're still my favorite! I don't know Ronald as well I know you."

Sophie smiled at his comment, immediately wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling herself closer to him. "Same here," she giggled, "but not as well as the Undertaker, of course."

"Of course," he smiled back, letting her bury herself into his shirt. He really did miss this, cuddling with Sophie instead of having to have hot passionate sex every other night when he wanted someone's warmth. "You… you're a cuddlier aren't you?"

"… I guess…" she shrugged. "The Undertaker cuddles with me all the time and my mother used to until they made me sleep in a bed by myself. Plus I like it… it relaxes me," she chuckled to herself lightly. Then she let out a sigh, looking up at Grell and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Hey thanks for doing this. Don't go telling everyone that I love Jericho. If the Undertaker found out, oh **all** _hell~_ may break loose," she laughed.

"Okay," he chuckled with her. "I wasn't planning on it, but if that means I can blackmail you –"

"_**Grell~**_" she frowned.

"Kidding!" he laughed, giving her a peck on the cheek before wrapping his hands around her. Wow, compared to him she was still tiny. He was tall, but not as tall as shinigamis like William and Undertaker. He probably engulfed her unlike Grell can. No wonder the Undertaker liked to keep her all to himself, she felt very warm and soft against his skin. Even if she hadn't showered she smelled oddly heavenly and her hair was very soft. Sophie could be considered perfect to most beings, but Grell wasn't into that sort of thing. Sure he experimented with women, but he'd _always~_ prefer men over women. He was glad that Sophie has tried to keep herself innocent. Grell knew that almost every other girl at that office has **at least** slept with someone once in their careers. And they call him a slut! That's what he couldn't understand about the situation. Sure he wasn't a woman, but he knew he was one at heart. He was always happy that Sophie said he was a woman; it was very encouraging for him with all of this disappointment every day. Sometimes it was too hard and he couldn't come into work. Especially with William… how was he going to talk to him? He sighed and set his head on top of hers; letting her fall asleep first so he could make sure she wasn't having a nightmare before he fell right to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie and Grell laughed at a joke as they walked up the stairs, casually walking down the hallway to their desks. "He said **that**?" Grell laughed slamming his papers on his desk. "Oh god, what a pig!"

"Yep," Sophie smirked when she set her papers down in an organized fashion on her desk, "he was. Spat on my face once too, but I shoved his remains into a storm drain and never saw him again! Oh geeze… I'm going to have to come up with something new."

"You have anything in mind?" Grell asked as he hummed to himself and walked over to her desk.

"Perhaps… _your __**wors~t feAr**_," she chuckled evilly. "Maybe shoved in coffins and suffocate them alive? I already recorded a few unintentionally in my journal," Sophie said as she took out a little black book with a silver imprint of a skull and cross bones on it, "from the minutes to hours a being can survive in a sealed up wooden box. Even shinigamis have a time limit as do other creepy crawly things." Once she found the page she handed the book to Grell, Grell looking over at it with sudden fascination. Alan and Eric looked over at them, a confused look on their faces as they tried to figure out what Sophie was talking about. "I should do a complete study on the life expectancy, but I have a broad idea. Right now I just want to study individual organs. Mainly the heart, but others as well like the lungs… kidneys… that sort of thing," she shrugged. "So… do you hate me?"

"Hah! No!" Grell laughed as he shut the book and handed it back to Sophie. "I may not approve of you ummm… _feasting on organs_ or something like that, but then again how would I know what you like? You're one weird kid to begin with," he chuckled. "I do like those medical ideas. Who was the boy?"

"I'll say it was Ben," Sophie chuckled to herself as she flipped through her book. "He insisted that I try to heal him, but right now it's not working. He's my only guinea pig, but yet I don't have a lot of resources to create the medicine. I wouldn't mind trying it out on others… but I just don't have the strength to produce in a great amount, unless I cause myself to get bedridden over it," she sighed, "I don't know with that kid. Maybe I should try something else?"

"Talk to _mi~lady_ about it," Grell smiled. "She may have and idea for you –"

"Grell Sutcliff and Sophia M. I. Serbus," they heard from behind them in a rough voice, coming into contact with William as he glared at them. "Sophia my office and Grell go back to your desk and work. This isn't your free time, this is **work hours**."

"Hot head," Sophie grumbled under her breath, William giving her a death glare as he walked back into his office. Then she giggled as she walked past Grell, refusing to stop talking just yet. "Are you telling me she doesn't mind my company?"

"I wouldn't say _th~at_," he chuckled, "but she doesn't hate you. I think it's more of _intrigue~_? Hey! I'll talk to you later. I have something to do." Then Grell gave her a wink and walked out of his cubical, Sophie chuckling under her breath as she walked into William's office.

"You wanted me?" she sighed, closing the door behind her as she sat down in a chair.

"Yes," he said in a stern voice, handing her a folder and having her read it over before he continued.

Sophie frowned, the name at the top the first thing she spotted. "Why are you investigating Grell?"

"Mr. Sutcliff has not been to work except for several minutes every day," William began, "and the council said that your expertise can lead us to a reason. Not only this, but he is a prime suspect in a case we are trying to solve."

"And this is…" Sophie sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"We are having trouble with our soul lists," William said as he handed her another folder. "Names that aren't on the list will suddenly appear without warning. We monitor the lists to make sure none of our staff end up on the list, but yet it keeps happening with women… in London."

"And what do you want _**me**_ to do about this?" she sighed again.

"…" William grumbled to himself as he adjusted his glasses. "You are the director of the Special Operation Division. You have more authority then I do on this case. Go and ask your employees to work on it… The council wants a few shinigamis to investigate this case and have a detailed report on the results by the end of the week –"

"If I do this myself," Sophie said as she set the folders under her shoulder and narrowed her eyes at him, "will you make me do my normal job of field work? If I assign anyone for this assignment, I want to make sure their superiors will let them off work so they don't have to do more work than necessary."

"That… yes I will," William nodded, "but everyone is different. You may have a hard time with someone else if –"

"Great. Thank you," she nodded to him, standing up and quickly walking out the door. Sophie sighed as she looked at the folders, setting them on her desk as she thought quietly to herself about her options. If Grell was part of this… she shook her head and let out a frustrated sigh. That can explain some things that have been happening around London. Perhaps he really didn't know the whole picture about the problems around the world and this was another antic of his, but this is something she was going to have to investigate **alone**. She grabbed her messenger bag and swung it over her shoulder, putting her black hat back on her head and rushing down the hallway.

)(*&^%$#!

"Boss!" Lewis yelled as he ran down the hallway.

Sophie turned around and he flinched, jumping back as he stared into fuming blue and green eyes. "What Lewis?" she leered at him, "and I told you to **not** call me Boss. Sophie. Sophie! Get it right, damn it!"

"Mad much?" he gulped, getting a swift punch in the face. "Ow! Hey! I have important information here!..." Lewis took another few steps back, trying to avoid Sophie's gaze. "Uuhmmm…"

"_Hmmm~?_" she vaguely looked at him. "If it's important then spill it. I don't have time."

"Here," he said timidly and handed her a folder.

Sophie grabbed it and sighed, looking at the folder and closing it. "What is this about?"

"EeerrrUummm…" Lewis chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Army of angels sir. They are killing people from left and right in Redditc –"

"Give the assignment to Cedric Sandor and tell him this is a chance to prove himself," Sophie ordered Lewis as he gave a slight bow.

"Yes Bos – I mean… Sophie," he chuckled nervously, "and there's something else."

"What now?" she sighed.

"A demon in Wales ma'am," Lewis began to tell her as he pointed to another folder. "He has killed a whole village and turned the humans into zombies –"

"Give it to Jerold Yachter," Sophie told him, "and also tell him it's a chance to prove himself." Then she crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. "… Is there something else before I go about my business?"

"Nope," he smiled happily, turning right around and skipping away. Sophie rolled her eyes and looked at the soul list in her hands, a new name suddenly appearing for midnight, April 1st.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

She carefully watched as the woman about to die kissed an old man with longing, making Sophie feel sick to her stomach. How someone could sell their body for money wasn't in her line of morals at all, though if it was for a good reason she could see why. Obviously this wouldn't be considered a good reason as the human in question didn't have any children and looked very healthy and vibrant. Then… why? She didn't see the appeal. Just then Sophie noticed a dark shadow on the other side of the building, jumping down from the rafters and slashing the girl with… a chainsaw?

The cloaked madman laughed, watching as his victim let out a silent scream and fell to the ground with her eyes wide open in shock. Now Sophie saw at first glance that the man's weapon was a death scythe, but she also knew that chainsaws wasn't a scythe that was legal. In fact, anything that's **loud** wasn't considered a scythe. Sophie would know: she was one of the shinigamis that would have to sign off on a new style death scythes. Now that she was the Director of all of the British Isles she was in charge of signing off on nonstandard death scythes. Sophie never liked how loud some weapons could be now a days, she even had a hard time with the guns in America, but if someone could convince her that loud weapons were needed then perhaps she would consider regulating them. For now she had to watch this being carefully and watch their every movement.

She watched as he skillfully cut something out of the woman… her uterus? _'Huh… fascinating little killer~, but why?'_ she thought as he began to jump away. Snapping out of her thoughts and Sophie followed him, making sure to keep her presence off so he couldn't tell she was following him.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie blinked in confusion once a building came into view, soon landing in front of a standard size mansion. _'Madame Red?'_ she frowned, feeling something wrong in the pit of her stomach.

Staying in the shadows and in a tree, she watched from a small perch as she watched the man walk into the servant's door and take off his bloody black trench coat. "_Ma~lady~~?_" she heard the person giggle, a sudden gasp coming from Sophie's mouth unexpectedly.

"You didn't bring anyone Grell, did you?" she heard Anne say.

"Nope!" he laughed. "What do you want me to do with this?"

"Dispose of it as always. Then I need you to make me tea," she huffed, "and this time **make it good**! The last pot was disgusting!"

"Can't rush perfection _malady~_" he giggled, walking out of the door and jumping into the night.

Sophie frowned, letting out a tired sigh as she set her back against the bark of the tree and thought to herself. She couldn't run into this. Even if the being who is tampering with the records is her old flamboyant redheaded mentor Sophie knew from experience and training that he can be a powerful enemy. She would have to do this one step at a time… then a grin came to her face. She sat in the tree for the rest of the night as she watched Grell come back, disappear into the mansion, and turn off all of the lights and shrouding her in darkness.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: BAM! What do you think of that? =3 Well more Grell and Sophie bonding. Yeah, I know Grell is being off of character, but because of what had happened earlier 15 years ago I just figured he would treat her like a daughter? X3 A child he never had? Meh, give me your opinions on how you think their relationship should be. I have NO clue. Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Keep on commenting! =D **

Serkan – Turkish – blood head


	37. The Facade

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm glad to see you guys again! Now we move more into the Jack the Ripper arc, but remember that the date at this time is early April and Ciel doesn't come to London till late April… about the 31. The part with Ciel coming to the Undertaker was late March, early April. So he's probably back at his mansion now ^^ I still have some time to write before Kuroshitsuji officially begins. Just so you're aware! As always I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Also, I'm still looking for the person who I was corresponding with about the Shinigami IDs. I think I deleted our conversation by mistake so I don't know who I was talking to… it's making me feel VERY depressed. (I want to give your credit! X3) Well enough about me! Enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

"Get the door Grell!" Anne growled, Grell letting out an annoyed huff as he set her tea down.

"Hey I'm doing the best I can here!" he grumbled as he ran a finger through his brown hair. "Geeze… having to do all this work. I didn't sign up for these grueling tasks!"

"… I know," Anne sighed, "but I need the help. After my husband died I –"

"I understand," Grell chuckled, "and I'm glad to help. Let me get the door." He had a slight skip in his step as he ran to the door, letting out a quick cough and composing himself before opening the door. "H-hello," he said in a meek voice, "Welcome to the Barnett mansion. My name is Grell Sutcliff. Is there something I could do for you miss?"

"Umm… yes thank you," she chuckled to herself. "I was hoping to meet with your master."

"Of course!" he smiled, inviting her into the mansion and closing the door behind her. Grell guided the strange new lady through the halls, holding up his disguise but wondering who this woman was. They weren't expecting a visitor today, so this visit is highly ill-regular. She **seemed** human, but Grell couldn't be too sure. The woman's hair was black, but he noticed it had hints of red as the sun strike the top of her hair. Her eyes were a lovely shade of blue, but too bad it wasn't a vibrant red like Anne's eyes.

He chuckled to himself a little, causing the woman to look over at him with curiosity. "What is so funny Mr. Sutcliff?" she asked, Grell coughing suddenly and quickly putting his mind set back into being a clumsy butler.

"Nothing miss. Was only thinking of a little joke," he smiled. "Madame we have a visitor," Grell announced, ushering the woman into the room and letting her sit down.

"Who are you?" Anne asked, letting the lady sit down before she offered her tea. "I have never seen you before."

"That's because I just moved here," she chuckled lightly. "Hello Madame Red. My name is Athena Ernest and I have just moved from America. My family lives here in town and I have moved back to help with financial issues. I was hoping to get a job here, since I heard you are in need of a few more servants to run the mansion. I don't care what I do here, but as long as I can earn a stable income and go to my other two part time jobs I can do whatever you request."

"Well…" Anne thought to herself as she eyed Grell in suspicion, "I guess you're right. The only servant I have around here is Grell, but I guess it **would** be nice to have some more help around here. How are you with cooking?"

"Give me a fire and I can cook anything you fancy," Athena smiled, "though I will have to grow accustom to the various foods you have here in England. The place I came from only served gruel and bread if we could find it. I can also make tea and coffee –"

"Great! I need someone who can make a decent pot of tea around here," Anne glared at Grell, the butler coughing into his glove and looking away from her gaze. "Can you be here during the meal times? Early morning at 6am, noon on weekends, and 5pm for dinner. Grell can handle everything else, right?" she looked over at him.

"Yes madam," he said with a bow.

"Oh thank you so much ma'am!" Athena almost jumped out of her seat before settling down and letting out a slight cough. "Sorry. Those times are fine and I will try to be here on time. Thank you –"

"No thanks is necessary," Anne grinned, "and where did you learn that I needed help?"

"Ahhh… Mrs. Frances… Frances Midford I believe?" she thought to herself. "One of her servants referenced to Madame Red so I decided to make my way here."

Anne chuckled, "My sister's dear old sister-in-law? Understandable. Grell go show her to the room two rooms down from your own and the maid outfit in the back closet at the end of the hall. It may be a bit large for you Mrs. Ernest, but I hope our accommodations will suit you."

"I don't think it will be a problem ma'am," she smiled standing up. "Your home is lovely."

"Thank you," Anne chuckled, "Now shoo! I have to get going for work."

Athena nodded and followed Grell, looking down the hallways and eyeing him suspiciously. He was strangely quiet, the woman only shrugging it off as she followed behind him. _'That was easier than I thought,' Sophie_ sighed, _'usually they would be questioning me more… oh well. I'll use this time to evaluate Grell. Hopefully he won't see through my disguise.' _Grell turned around and she gave him a little smile, letting out another sigh once he turned around as they walked through the hallways and to the room that would be her bedroom.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"You crazy monster!" Sophie and Alex turned around startled, looking over and noticing a shinigami running towards them with his hand pointing at Sophie. "Give me back my heart!"

"Huh?" she answered back. "I didn't give it back yet? Mister…"

"Edward Rein," he huffed, "and no you didn't. I go out on a mission and come back to see that you moved to the London Division. What the heck! You said that if I finish my missions and get all my paperwork turned in you'll give me back my organs. Well news flash, it's been four months now! Now where –"

"Hah!" Sophie laughed lightly to herself. "Seriously? My young boy, you seem…_ exha~usted~_. How is Tristan Niles by the way?"

"… Worse than you think," Edward frowned. "I… look I'm sorry about being an inconsiderate jerk, but I've come all the way from British Columbia to get my most important self back. If you –"

"You've been listening to me now, _Edd~ie dear~?_" Sophie chuckled softly to herself, and then let out a sigh while looking at her pocket watch. "How about this, you go to the cafeteria and get some food. You look _famished~_. Mr. Agon can direct you, right?"

"Right," Alex nodded back.

"Good," Sophie smirked. "After I come back I'll go look for it. Sound like a plan?"

"S-sure…" Edward coughed as he scratched his arm nervously. "D-do you think they have any salmon?"

"They will if you ask," she smiled to him as she snapped her pocket watch shut and she bid them a good day, leaving Alex with Edward.

Alex let out a sigh, "Geeze… Go down this hallway and you'll see a sign called 'Cafeteria'. It'll direct you to the room. Keep walking till you make it to the end of the hallway. Now I have to get going myself. Good day Mr. Rein," he finished and left Edward there.

Edward waited till Alex was gone from his sights before running as fast as he could to the cafeteria sign and taking a left towards the grand room.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Mr. Sutcliff could you give Madame Red her tea? Here you go," Sophie said as she set the tea pot down on a tray and handed it to Grell. "… and** don't drop it**," she glared.

"Y-es ma'am," Grell shuddered, slowly taking the tray with him and leaving the room.

Sophie let out a sigh and looked at her watch. Great, only fifteen minutes had passed and Anne didn't want anything else for her lunch. She would have to come back for dinner, but by that time her work should be done. She hustled out of the kitchen and up the stairs, walking past the room that Anne and Grell were in. "This is delicious!" Anne gasped. "Athena!"

"Yes madam?" Sophie asked as she took a few steps back and peaked into the room.

"Keep up the good work!" Anne lifted her tea cup and sipped some more. "Perhaps you can teach something to Grell, hmmm?"

"Of course madam," Sophie chuckled, giving her a slight bow. "Am I excused now?"

"Yes you can go. Be back by five for dinner," Anne shooed her away. Sophie paused, noticing that she was whispering something quietly to Grell. "… _and watch her_…" Sophie sighed as she hustled out the door and into town. If Grell was going to be following her this may be a problem.

Just then a great _**'cawww'**_ came from the sky, a few of the pedestrians running for cover as a giant hawk swooped down and landed on a windowsill. "Oh Noco," she chuckled as she pulled out a leather glove from her messenger bag and put it on her right hand. The red-tailed hawk swooped down and landed on the glove, cooing as Sophie scratched its head gently and continued walking down the street with him in her hand. "Let me see that message on your foot and we'll get you some food, alright?" The hawk squawked in reply, lifting his talon up so Sophie could undo the scroll on his foot.

Subconsciously she opened a gate to the London cemetery, walking up the trail and towards the top of the hill. Noco looked around confused, watching as Sophie stopped at a gravestone and nudged him to jump off of her hand. "Noco…" she laughed, noticing as he tilted his head in confusion and cooed. "Such a **good** bird," she chuckled as she scratched the bottom of his neck, "but it's okay. Look at the name, see?" Sophie set her hand down slightly so the hawk could see the name on the stone. Then Noco cawed once he noticed Sophie's name and flew off of her hand, settling down on the top of the stone as Sophie chuckled. "Okay let's see this…" she sighed, opening the small scroll and looking over the writing. After a long glance she put it into her messenger bag, taking out a pen and paper and writing on the paper before attaching it back to Noco's foot. "I'm a horrible master to request this, but could you send this to Alex?" Noco paused for a second before he cawed again, setting back off into flight. Sophie chuckled, glancing over at where Grell was hiding before wandering off again.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Grell grumbled to himself as he wandered back to the shinigami realm. He lost sight of Athena after she wandered back into town! Oh Madame Red will surely be crossed once he told her. The only lead would be that hawk that landed on her arm… Noco he thinks was its name. He took the stairs and made it back to the E level, pausing once he saw the sight before him. There was that same bird on Sophie's desk! Oh no, was Sophie following him? "What is **that**?" he huffed as Grell walked over to Ronald.

"That's Mr. Agon's bird," Ronald shrugged as he went back to his work. "Alex went to fetch it some food and Sophie is talking to Mr. Spears… why?"

"… _No reason~_" Grell giggled as he inched his hand towards the bird's head.

"I wouldn't do that," Sophie sang as she shooed Grell's hand away from her bird, "he can be _very~ _hostile with beings he doesn't know, isn't that right Nocona?" The hawk cooed as Sophie scratched the bottom of its neck, glaring over at Grell once she stopped and sat down at her chair. "Oh let me introduce you. Nocona this is Grell Sutcliff, my old mentor. Grell this is Noco, Alex's carrier bird that had arrived from the Americas."

"Oh…" he paused. "Ummm… Hello Noco."

The bird bobbed its head and then turned, looking away from Grell and instead looking over at the various papers on Sophie's desk. "He's not very friendly," Sophie chuckled lightly to herself. "Did you need something?"

"… _No~_" Grell giggled playfully, "I only wanted to find out why that bird was on your desk."

"Oh… alright. Carry on then," Sophie chuckled as she turned around in her chair and scooted closer to her desk, a sly smirk on her face as Grell narrowed his eyes at the bird and went back to his desk.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Jericho open up," Sophie knocked on an office door, the door slowly opening to reveal the tall and menacing shinigami. "I would like to avoid this, but I have to talk to you about business."

"Of course," he said gently, letting the woman in as she set her hat down on a coat hanger and sat at a chair. She pulled out a letter from her pocket and handed it to Jericho, who carefully looked it over.

_Dearest Sophia,_

_I would like to congratulate you on your success on transferring to Europe. I know how long you have been longing to return and I send you many good graces on your journey. I have heard your roles have been overwhelming and stressful. For this I would advise some opium, since I heard it is easy to come by in England, but alas I know you are trying to quit so I would advise you to send me some if you ever find yourself back in the New Mexico Territory._

_The boy you put in charge, Tristan Niles, seems to be having a hard time with his new roles as director, but I have faith that he will be able to be another great shinigami as you had been here. How is my trusty black hat? You have been taking care for it correct? Of course you are. I wouldn't expect anything less from the young Dark Rider. As you had requested, I have been looking over the Hopi tribe you had lived with. Everyone is doing fine, even though sickness is currently plaguing their land. Everyone who you told me of is doing fine, but their elderly, especially their chief, is looking pale. I wonder if his name will show up on the soul list soon enough._

_Back to business. You were correct in your last letter. The demons, even around these desolate parts of the world, are quickly leaving and traveling to either Asia or Europe. I do not understand why, but perhaps you could tell me? Or is this something you can't tell me because of security reasons? Whatever you decide, be it tell me or not, is up to you. Not only are the demons leaving, but the angels as well. Is there something that will be happening in Europe soon? I feel I should recruit more graduates over to Europe. I never plan on returning there myself, but maybe another youngster can help you._

_Send me another letter as soon as you can. Keep your soul and yourself safe Sophia. I know it is not my place to say this, but if a thug of a god comes after you and violates you I will be the **first** to kill them. Do not tell anyone of my identity. I would prefer to **not** return to my homeland._

_Wholeheartedly Yours,_

_Ro- -an_

"Both demons and angels are coming here to this island," Sophie said once Jericho handed her back the letter, "and many other super naturals as well. The shinigamis here may not have noticed, but the Gods of Death have. They are coming closer to London for some reason, but with the efforts I have been providing and with other beings' help we are stopping their advances. We are all unsure why they are trying to get here, but I believe it is better to keep them away until we know the reason why. That's all," she shrugged as she stood back up and put the letter back in her pocket. "I don't care what the shinigamis will do, but I felt that as a trusted God of Death and because your father obviously isn't telling you the situation then you should know what is going on –"

"Sophie…" he began with a sigh, "If my father does not want to trouble me with his business then it is not my place to ask, but –"

"And **that** attitude Jericho is why no one wanted us to be together in the first place," she huffed as she turned around and grabbed her hat. "Perhaps… perhaps it would have been better that we never met, huh?" Before he could say anything else Sophie left the room, rushing back down the hallway to where Alex's office was. "Hey Alex," Sophie sighed as she opened his door and closed it behind her, setting her hat and coat down and flopping down on a nearby couch.

"Trouble?" Alex asked.

Sophie nodded and smiled as Noco flew off of his perch and landed on the armrest next to her. "Thanks for letting my little bird live here for a few days," she sighed as she scratched the bottom of its neck. "A person from my undercover job noticed him… I can't have any links back to this hawk for a while."

"Understandable," he shrugged as he began to sign more forms. "The poor guy is exhausted though. I don't think he'll be flying out for another week or so."

"Oh you may never know," Sophie chuckled. "He's always been a little curious. Right Noco?" she scratched his neck. The hawk cooed and brushed his feathers through Sophie's fingers, letting her scratch itchy parts of his body that he could not reach.

"So you talked to Jericho?" Alex decided to ask. "What did he say about the increase in supernatural beings around here?"

"Nothing," she sighed, "but I'll probably get an answer before I leave. A few days from now I have to meet with a few big heads of the Gods of Death… ugh! I don't see why I have to go to those things. They don't talk to me and try to pin me down with their sons… so disgusting."

Alex chuckled, "So who is it this time?"

"Ari, Bedřich, and Raimondas," Sophie grumbled, "all equally hot heads in their own special ways… and why the hell me? Out of all those women born as a God of Death why are they after me? There's nothing special about me… well except –"

"For your father? Yeah that's probably it," Alex chuckled. "Hey if you want to sleep here I'm fine by –"

"No I need to get back," Sophie sighed. "Take care of Noco. I know he likes you so just get along."

"Yes Boss!" he chuckled, Sophie rolling her eyes as she walked out the door. Then Alex turned to Noco, who flew off of the armrest and back on a perch close to the windowsill. "I guess it's just you and me, huh?" The hawk squawked and he chuckled back, looking back down and continuing to fill out forms.

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Boss hold it!"

Sophie turned around and pulled out her gun, munching down on an apple and glaring at the shivering shinigami. "**I thought I said** – Oh _dear~ Edd~ie_" she chuckled, "almost forgot."

"It's Edward," he grumbled under his breath, panting as he stopped right in front of her and wiped the sweat from his brow. "Now can I –"

"Do you even know _**why~**_ you were at the top of my list in the first place?" Sophie said as continued to munch on her apple, slipping the gun back in her holster and looking at him slyly.

"Because you hate me?" Edward sighed.

He looked at her with confusion as she chuckled to herself and discarded the apple core into a trash bin. "You could say that," she continued to chuckle, "but that's not the **main** reason. For one, you told me to train you, _remember~?_ Haven't you been paying attention to a word I've been telling you?"

"… Ummm… I thought I was –"

"I'm glad that you haven't been treating me like some goddess that needs to be set on a pedestal Young Rein, but you also haven't been treating me as your superior. I may be younger then you by several decades, but I deserve respect, got that?" she glared at him.

"Y-yes I got that…" Edward grumbled, "but how does this work with my training? I am the sixteenth born in my family and I only joined this organization so I can do something better then mope around and work as a servant for my older brother –"

"You see you haven't been paying attention," Sophie sighed as she shook her head. "You have a choice to serve your family and a choice to pave your own path. You haven't come into terms with your decision it seems. If you can't do that then how can you expect yourself to learn anything?" Looking at the confusion in his eyes she smirked slightly. "Okay, let me say it like this: I _**chose**_ to be the head of my family. I could have said no and stayed at a human state and die of old age in a few more years, but I chose to live. In all honestly, I would have rather died then live on."

"Huh?" Edward questioned her, "Then why chose to live if you want to be dead?"

"Because… my father had been alive for over two thousand years and wished his eternal sleep. My older brother was dead and wouldn't be equipped to head the family as I am. I guess… it's not as much a decision on obligation, but I felt, in my heart, that deciding to live on would be better for me in the long run. That's why," she softly chuckled to herself and poked him in the nose, "I am here standing before you today. Even after taking a vow I still wasn't sure of my decision. It took me a few more years to stand firmly by my decision, but it's not something I regret accepting. In other words, do you still regret your decision to leave your family?"

"I ummm…" Edward stuttered.

Sophie nodded and turned around, Edward looking over at her as she began to walk out the door. "You still have a lot to learn, but some things you need to find out on your own. The first step is to understand why your heart feels conflicted to move in one direction, and the next step is taking action. Now if you can follow me…" Edward nodded and followed her out the door and past the shinigami realm, stopping in front of an old tall tree. He took a large step back as the black haze formed around Sophie's hands, swirling around the tree till a large cabinet appeared in front of them. Then she took out a ring of keys and opened it, Edward's eyes opening wide with confusion as Sophie began to hum to herself. "Heart right?" she asked as she threw jars and bottles behind her as she searched for the specific jar.

"Y-yes…" Edward said, looking up at the tall cabinet that was full of different colors of bottles and jars filled with various miscellaneous organs. He shudder a little, getting a chuckle from Sophie that made him flinch back.

She continued to hum to herself as she searched, a little unsure of which heart was his. "How long ago was this?"

"A-about two years ago," Edward chuckled nervously as he scratched his arm.

"Oh that long? I would have thought you would have died by then," Sophie shrugged to herself as she took out her black book with the silver imprint of a skull and cross bones, and quickly wrote something in the contents of its pages before continuing to search. "Good. The fact that I'm working under people that want _paperwork __**this**_ and _paperwork __**that**_ I would have a mountain of work just to explain why I did it in the first place," she laughed to herself. "Oh here we go!" Sophie levitated the rest of the jars and bottles she threw out of the cabinet with her black haze and set them back in an organized fashion before handing him the jar. "Is this it?"

"I-I… I think so?" Edward questioned her as he quickly took the heart in a jar from her.

Sophie just chuckled, "You're welcome, but don't forget what I said." She gave him a wink before setting everything back away, locking the doors and letting the cabinet vanish back into the black haze. "If that's it then I'll be on my way. Fill out forms with why you were gone and I can take care of everything else –"

"W-wait," Edward said quietly. "C-could you… ummm… put this back in me?"

"Oh right," she scratched the back of her head as she looked around in thought. "I guess… well either we go to a morgue or to the infirmary. As long as they have morphine for you… unless you want to be kept awake that is," she giggled to herself before coughing slightly. "Well?"

"T-the infirmary sounds nice," Edward said meekly, "because I **don't** think I want to be set into the ground today."

"Just making sure," she winked at him before proceeding up the hill and to the shinigami realm. Edward stood there until he realized he had to follow her, holding the jar tightly in his hand as he ran back to the white buildings.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"I think I deserve a little treat," Sophie chuckled to herself as she popped a lemon drop into her mouth, watching as Edward slowly woke up and looked down at his stomach. There was a large line down the center of his chest and two smaller lines above and below his chest, all sewn up in a professional fashion. She giggled at his reaction as she walked over to him and leered over at his face with a wide grin on her face. "Took you a **bit** longer then I thought for you to wake up. _Oh well~_, all part of the learning experience correct?" Then she stood back and gave him some room as he tried to get up. "Give yourself a few days to rest. As your surgeon I will say… three days? Maybe five if you still don't feel well. I don't want that heart of yours falling out of your chest," she chuckled to her own joke. "In the meantime do whatever you'd like. I have to get going now." Then she walked out of the room and out of the infirmary before Edward could ask her another question. Sophie hummed to herself with a bounce in her step, popping another lemon drop in her mouth as she made her way back to the main hallway.

"Did you cross someone off of your list again?" Alex huffed as he noticed her walking past him down the hallway.

"Nope," she grinned, "but how can you_ tell~?_?"

"You still have blood on your face," he shook her head, cringing in disgust as Sophie pulled off her black glove and wiped it off of her face with her bare finger, licking it on her lips.

Sophie chuckling at the face Alex was making. "Little Eddie Rein needed his heart back in his body so I did the simple courtesy of putting it back in there for him. I wonder how the rumors will be _thi~s_ time?" she laughed. Alex just shook his head all too knowingly. "Well I need to get going. My next appointment is soon," Sophie said as she looked down at her watch and waved him goodbye.

"Boss wait!" Sophie rolled her eyes as she turned around, noticing Ben running down the hallway and panting as he stopped. "T-thank god I stopped you –"

"What did I say about calling me_** Boss~**_?" Sophie growled before grinning again. "Yes Benjamin?"

"Oh umm…" he thought to himself before proceeding with his question. "Could I have another –"

"You used up your pills up already?" Sophie narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "Ben, explain."

"J-just I had to use them a bit more than usual, that's all," he huffed sheepishly.

Alex looked over at Sophie who only shrugged. "Fine, but don't make a habit of it," she sighed as she searched in her bag for a small bag of pills. "Tell me though, why is that? Are they not working as potently as they used to or are you getting used to them?"

"I-I don't know," he sighed, "but I just need some more."

Then Sophie stopped, "If you can't give me a reason then I won't give you them. Benjamin… are you addicted to these pills?"

"No Boss I'm not!" Ben yelped. "I mean… No Sophia, no… I just had trouble breathing the other day a –"

"Here," she said throwing him the bag. Ben caught it before it hit the ground and stuffed it in his pocket. "If you ask for more this month I want a two page report as to why you are using the pills and a detailed synopsis on any problems and concerns I should know about. Now I **really** have to go." After having finished Sophie vanished down the hallway and soon out the building.

Ben let out an exhausted sigh and was about to leave till Alex stood in his way. "What are these pills?"

"N-nothing Mr. Agon," Ben said quickly. "I-I was sworn to secrecy by Mrs. Serbus to not tell a soul –"

"I see… carry on Ben." Alex grumbled to himself as Ben walked away, scratching his nose and pushing his glasses higher on his face. "Great… another thing Sophie is keeping from me." Then he walked away, looking at his own watch and running out the doors.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Yes she collects organs and has fun digesting people out of boredom. Sound like anyone we _know~?_ XD I got the idea from this recent ship arc with Undertaker experimenting on dead bodies and etcetera (plus from other fanfics I guess *shrug*). So why _wouldn't_ Sophie develop her own little creepy tastes? =3 Well anyways I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry for not posting them as must as I should, but homework gets in the way sometimes… and also my own mind since I'm backed up by 7 chapters now ^^' Sorry! Maybe I'll be able to post a chapter or more this weekend or something? I don't know… we'll see. COMMENT IF YOU LIKE IT! It's always nice to hear from you guys**

Edward – English – happy guard

Rein – German – advice, council

Tristan – Welsh – noise of arms; clanking sword

Niles – English – champion; cloud

Ari – Scandinavian – eagle

Bedřich – Czech – peaceful ruler

Raimondas – Lithuanian – advice; protector


	38. The Gifted

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: So for a fair warning I may have sped this chapter up a little. Instead of holding a lot of suspense for the next chapter… well you'll just see for yourself ^^ I just want to get to other things you see. (There. Done, with explanation XD) Anyways, I hope you guys like this next chapter! ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Humm dumm baumm bummm ummm…" Sophie hummed to herself as she slipped her black gloves on her hands and tied her sword around her waist. Then she tied her black cape around her neck, checking herself in the mirror before looking over at her trunk. She sighed, "Geeze… I never have time to send you to the Undertaker huh?" she chuckled as she tapped her hand on the top of the footlocker before closing it and locking it shut. Making sure her auburn hair was brushed, neat, and braided to keep her hair out of her eyes, Sophie walked out of her dark and empty room and locked the door behind her. Then she twirled the keys on her finger as she whistled and walked down the hallway.

Once she made her way down to the main lobby a few shinigamis stopped, looking at her attire as her boots clanked across the floor. Alex and Lewis were talking to each other as Sophie turned around the corner, Lewis letting out a whistle and getting a swift slap in the head by Sophie's hand. "You look hot as always Boss," Alex winked.

"You think?" she shrugged, ignoring Lewis' sharp curse as she looked over her outfit. "I guess… as these modern outfits go. If it wasn't for the fact that today's dresses are poufy and large I wouldn't be wearing this outfit, but no bother. As long as I look acceptable and proper I guess it doesn't matter… Lewis stop looking at me like that," she snarled, "unless you want your head chopped up and thrown into a vat of mince meat pie."

"S-sorry Boss!" Lewis huffed. "Just… wow! You're not wearing your hat?"

"Can't. Not part of the outfit," she shrugged. "Plus I need to wear my hood over my face… that's what makes me **myself** after all. Oh Mr. Rein!" Sophie called, Edward looking over and stopping slightly as he was handing his papers to the receptionist. "Come over here. I need you to do something for me."

"B-boss…" Edward paused, walking over to them and stumbling slightly as he let out a cough. "I mean… Serbus how are you?"

Sophie narrowed her eyes, "Don't you start calling me by **that** name. Now can you do me a favor, since I sewed you back up and everything…"

"Yes Boss," Edward chuckled.

"Good," Sophie nodded. "Mr. Agon you will be filling in for my jobs today. Assign everyone accordingly. Herman you will go help Rein carry my footlocker to this address," she said as she pulled out a small folded up piece of paper from her pocket. "Edward doesn't seem to have healed completely yet, but I need this taken care of. Also, when you get there give the owner this letter," she said as she gave Edward the papers in her hand, "because he deserves an explanation for my absence. Now I have to be off! Don't mess everything up while I'm gone."

"Yes Boss!" they said with a slight salute.

Sophie chuckled and shocked her head as she walked out the front door, leaving the three of them to ponder over their responsibilities. "You two get going," Alex said roughly. "Return here by ten o'clock, **sharp**. We have several things we have to get done today before the day is through."

"Yes sir!" Lewis and Edward said, taking off in the opposite direction then Alex.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"I thought we are here to discuss business, not so you can show off your sons," Sophie grumbled under her breath as she glared at the older men.

"Well… I always thought, before going over business, that we have some fun," one of them chuckled.

"Of course _you_ would think that Bedřich," another one of them rolled their eyes.

"But **you** brought your sons too Raimondas," the last one chuckled.

"You all did!" Sophie snarled, "and honestly I will leave if we don't get to the reason I came all this way in the first place. Ari… you are the host. Please begin."

"Yes Serbus," he bowed, walking over to his family and showing each and every one of them to Sophie.

She didn't look interested, narrowing her eyes at them and causing a few of them to flinch back. "You have no girls?" she asked in a polite manner.

"W-why yes I do –"

"Then introduce them too. If you are going to be showing me your _family~_ then show me the women also," Sophie sighed, the other two snickering. She shot them a stern glance and they quickly hushed. The room began to develop tension with how Sophie was treating with the situation.

"O-of course…" the head of the Ari household chuckled to himself. "These are my daughters, Sandra and Nicole."

"Who's the eldest?" Sophie asked them.

"I am," the taller of the girls stood forward. "My name is Sandra Ari from Stockholm, Sweden. I am two hundred and –"

"You don't have to tell me your age," Sophie smirked. "A young _lady~_ doesn't have to tell anyone how old she is, right Sandra?"

"R-right Serbus," she bowed and stepped back.

Sophie nodded and walked past them, walking over to Bedřich and Raimondas. "You two only have your sons also, don't you?"

"W-why –"

"Then I think the introductions are done –"

"Excuse me," said a young boy as he stood forward. "I only want to say that I am sorry about my father. He can be very dense at times and only think of himself. I know who you are and I think that you shouldn't have to choose from my brothers. I actually like that you are the new head of the Serbus family. Your older brother can be rather –"

"Paul that is enough out of you –"

"**Pax**," Sophie held her hand up. Everyone else held their tongue, though the two other women in the room were watching Sophie with awe on their faces. The little boy gulped, watching as Sophie knelt down to his level and gave him a slight smile. "Thank you for telling me this, but I already know why your father is trying to show me your brothers. Now what is your name little one?"

"P-paul…" he gulped, "P-aul –"

"You seemed to have more confidence before," Sophie huffed in disappointment. "Perhaps I was wrong in talking to yo –"

"My name is Paul Raimondas!" he yelped. "I am the youngest of thirteen siblings, I come from Kaunas, Lithuania, and I am twenty… I mean I'm Paul," he chuckled lightly.

"Hello Paul," Sophie smiled as she shook his smaller hand. "My name is Sophia Serbus, but I prefer to be called Sophie by my **close** friends. I come from London, England and I'm about… thirty five now?" she thought to herself. "Well no matter. I hope we become close friends Paul."

"T-thank you Serbu – I mean… Sophia," he chuckled happily as he let go of her hand.

"Sophie is fine," she smiled. "Now," Sophie said as she raised her tone again, getting the attention of everyone in the room, "can we get to our business now?"

"Y-yes," Ari coughed. "Let's go into the parlor room. The children can play outside until it is lunchtime."

"Great. Let's go," Sophie nodded, following behind one of the butlers as they lead them through the house. As the head of the Raimondas family walked by Paul his father gave him a firm slap on the head, walking past him and following behind the other three Gods of Death.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"I don't see why a place would be called _Undertaker_," Edward shrugged as he stared at the paper in his hand.

"It's obviously a mortuary," Lewis laughed as he adjusted the footlocker on his back. "I overhead one of Sophie and Alex's conversations about this shinigami called the Undertaker. Apparently she knows him… or maybe he knows her?"

"Whatever. The faster I get this debt repaid the faster I can get back to my unit," Edward sighed. Lewis just shook his head, the two of them standing in front of an old door and slowly turning the doorknob. "U-undertaker?" he called into the room, "Or whoever you are… Mrs. Serbus wanted us to bring this –"

"It's Sophie you nitwit!" Lewis groaned as he brought the footlocker through the door and looked around the room. "Dang… I can see why the Boss is a bit strange…"

"Why? This place? She has **always** been strange Lewis," Edward shook his head. Lewis grumbled with Edward's comment and shook his head, "What? What's with that look?"

"Oh nothing," Lewis sighed, "you're calling the Boss crazy and I suddenly feel the need to punch out your teeth."

"Hey!" Edward grumbled. "For one thing I did **not** call her crazy I said _**strange**_. Second –"

"_He~heh_," they heard behind them, causing Edward and Lewis to jump back. "Two shinigamis at my shop today? Do the two of you want to see how it _fee~ls_ to sleep in my custom-made coffins?"

They watched as a black cloaked man with a top hat skipped towards them, poking Edward in the cheek as he tried to push him away. "Yep, so you know the Boss lady?" Lewis asked, causing the man to stop poking Edward and skip over to Lewis.

"And who is this _Boss~~_ lady you speak of,_ hmmm~_?" he giggled into his sleeve and loomed over Lewis.

"Sophia Serbus mister," Lewis told him calmly, "and she wanted us to bring you her footlocker. The Boss has been awfully busy and didn't have time to do it herself. We also have a letter for you."

"Y-yea," Edward said as he took the paper from his coat and handed it to the Undertaker. The Undertaker grabbed the paper and looked it over, reading it as Edward eyed him suspiciously. "Why the hell would a sexy young God of Death like Sophia want to know an old geezer like you?" he huffed.

"Edward!" Lewis yelled. "What's with that attitude? You see this is why Sophie had you on her list in the first place!"

"Well I'm sorry if I'm bitter right now!" Edward huffed. "I just want to get home, alright? Plus I still feel like crap after –"

"Hah! At least you have your heart back! If I was Sophie I would have just kept it and turned it into stew," Lewis smirked. "Anyways, you're being mean. I think you should –"

"Now, now little ones," the Undertaker chuckled, "you two seem to be stressed. Would you like a cup of _tea~_?"

"Sure –"

"We have to be back by ten Lewis," Edward grumbled.

"Don't be like that!" Lewis huffed. "Besides, Alex will understand. Now let's just relax for a while… come on now! I took a long boat ride and now I have to work. Give me some time to relax man! Yesh!"

"… Fine, but if we're here for a long time then I'm just going to leave you," Edward huffed as he looked around the room. "Now where do you have the chairs?"

"_Right~ here~~_" the Undertaker giggled as he pointed to the coffins. He chuckled at the faces the younger shinigamis made as he skipped into the back and grabbed a pot of tea and beakers for the three of them. Once he walked back in the two of them were sitting on the coffins, glaring at each other about to rip each other's heads off. "For your questions," he said as he handed the beakers to the two of them, "it will_ co~st you~_"

"Like what?" Edward grumbled. "If you're anything like Sophie you'll want candy or something like that. So? Bring it."

"… Would this be jokes?" Lewis asked, "Because I know a few that have made Sophie laugh. I still have some coffee from America and vodka also. Oh! And Lemon heads. Sophie _lov~es_ those."

"What is it with you?" Edward huffed. "Collecting items for trade **with our own Boss?** Is everyone around here psycho or something?"

"Yep!" Lewis laughed. "Why? Rather be a demon? You can still back out you know."

"… Shut it Lewis," Edward snarled.

"So sir, what are you asking exactly?" Lewis turned back and looked at him.

The Undertaker just sat there thinking to himself. "Hmmm… all of the above sounds reasonable. This is _ve~ry juicy~_ information."

"Sure," Lewis said as he took out his bag and set out some hard candies, a small bag of coffee, and vodka. "Oh and while I'm here would you like me to put the footlocker somewhere?"

"Just set it over by those coffins and out of the way," the Undertaker said as he popped open the vodka bottle and poured it into Edward's drink first. "Now _Young~ Re~in_," he said as he filled his beaker to the brim with vodka, "I want _**y~ou **_to tell me the joke."

"M-me?" Edward huffed. "Wait, how do you know my last name?"

"Wouldn't it be better to tell me your joke _fir~st _before asking another question, _hmmm~_?"

Edward sighed, "Alright. Let me just think…"

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"What fools," Sophie grumbled to herself as she trudged up the stairs and making her way to the E level. She lifted off her hood and scratched her hair, taking the braids out, rustling it up, and brushing the dust out of her hair. "Oh hi Alan," she smiled as she went over to her desk to grab a few things. "Where is everyone?"

"Missions," he sighed, "but day after day I'm told to stay here most of the time. It's getting to be a bother… hey what's with the outfit?"

"This?" she asked as she twirled with her black cloak circling around her. "I just had a meeting with a few people I know," she shrugged. Sophie looked over and noticed a small leather bag, "What's that?" she pointed to the bag hidden under his desk.

"This?" Alan asked as he took the bag out. "Oh! It's nothing… just something I was given earlier."

"Uh huh…" Sophie paused, grabbing the things she needed from her desk and walking over to him. "You know those pills are only demos."

"I was told," Alan answered. Then he realized what she said and looked over at her with shock, "and how do you know that?"

Sophie only turned around and gave him a wave, walking up the stairs and to Alex's office. "Hey Alex, how was today?" she sighed as she slammed open his door and flopped over on his couch.

"Not bad," he shrugged, "but Edward and Lewis haven't returned yet."

"Oh?" Sophie thought, before chuckling heavily. "Must be Undertaker again…"

"Ah," Alex nodded. "Didn't think of that… so how are you?"

"Horrible," she grumbled, "those jerks. They started off introducing me to their sons, **sons**! Then after a bunch of babble about how great their families are we _**finally**_ got around to talking about the demons."

"So what is it?" Alex asked.

"Well…" Sophie began as she sat up and took out her flask, "They are all following this person who calls himself the _**Earthborn**_. They believe he's located in London. He has several legendary demons, angels, and the like who are following him, but no one really knows why. They told tell me that they were **bad** souls, or souls that were on the verge of turning bad. Also, this Earthborn person is talking about a new world order… whatever that means – bla!" she spat out her drink and set the flask aside in disgust. "I'm going to have to grab a beer!… Anyways that's all they could tell me. There are several big groups in lead with this Earthborn leader, but I have a feeling that if I report this then whoever it is will hush the investigation." She stood up and scratched the back of her head as she paced back and forth. "They say he is a shinigami. Not a God of Death, but just a shinigami. Whoever this is probably has a great influence… I'm wondering about this."

"Hmm…" Alex thought as he stood up, "I see… talk to Jericho about this. Also take this." He threw her a beer from behind his desk and Sophie caught it with ease. "I don't want you wandering into a pub alone, _**again**_."

"Heh thanks," she nodded to him, twisting the cap off and drinking some of the beer down before the bottle disappeared in her black haze. "Alright I'll go to Jericho… again," she sighed, "Hey where's Ben?"

"Out reaping," Alex sighed, "and no one else is here. Why?"

"No reason," she shrugged, "just had something to ask him… Alright I'll see you tomorrow. I'm going to turn in for the night."

"Good night," Alex waved to her as she closed the door behind her, placing her hood back over her face and walking down the hallway.

Sophie smirked to herself as she thought to herself. The only reason why Jericho's office was close to Alex's office was because this was their Special Operations level. She found it ridiculous that they only had one level for the whole department. She will have to change that later… once everything is settled down, of course. She knocked on his door and walked in, noticing that Jericho had fallen asleep at his desk. She chuckled and slammed the door shut, startling him and waking him up. "Wakie, wakie Mr. Director," she grinned as she walked back into the room.

"Sophia?" he asked as he rubbed his eyes. "I mean… Serbus hello," he finished sternly as he lifted his head off of his desk and yawned.

"Enough chit chat," she sighed as she walked up to his desk, "this is important."

)(*&^%$#!

After explaining to Jericho about the situation he sat back in his chair and thought to himself. "A shinigami? This will be difficult then."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Sophie nodded, "and for him to have this mass amount of power –"

"Means he must be part of the council?" Jericho asked.

"Exactly," she nodded, chuckling lightly as she crossed her arms over her chest. "So what should we do? Should I report this or keep it hushed here in the shinigami realm?"

"I would say keep it hush, but I'm not the director here so I don't have a say in your decision," he shrugged as he sat up in his seat.

"Yeah… I'll just give them some bull crap and perhaps they'll be happy," Sophie laughed to herself, getting a chuckle out of Jericho. "Well I need to get going. Good luck –"

"Sophie… can I say something to you?" he asked and stood up. Sophie eyed him as he walked around his desk and over to where she was standing. "Look… how many times do I have to apologize? A million?"

"A million and **one** if you must know," she sighed. "I wish things could be better between us but –"

"Why can't it? What's stopping us?" Jericho asked, gently grabbing her hand.

Sophie narrowed her eyes at him and pulled her hand away, causing him to frown. "My family, your family, the Gods of Death, and everyone for that matter. Plus… what you did…"

"I am trying to explain –"

"I am sorry but until I can accept it in my heart I cannot let you back in Jericho," she grumbled, pushing away from him and walking over to the door. "Sorry… but I will **not** make the same mistake and open my heart back up till I know you will keep your promises with me. Now goodbye Shezmu," she huffed, slamming the door behind her.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Great as always!" Anne laughed as she ate the food set in front of her by Grell. "And you say you can't cook… Athena you know how to cook! Better then Grell over there."

"S-sorry madam," Grell pouted.

"Thank you ma'am," Sophie smiled as she walked into the room with a neat and tidy outfit that was similar to Grell's butler outfit. "The desert is sitting on the counter for you, but now I must be off –"

"Now hold it!" Anne huffed. "There is something I need to ask you… Athena please sit down."

Sophie blinked in confusion and sat across from her, looking over at the wall nervously and trying to avoid eye contact. "Y-yes… ma'am?"

"… Why are you here Athena?" Anne narrowed her red eyes at her.

"Huh?" Sophie asked, trying to hold up her illusion from them. "Whatever are you talking about ma'a –"

"Don't try to trick me Athena or is that even your **real** name," she hissed at her.

Then Sophie narrowed her eyes, letting out a sigh of defeat. "Fine… you caught me… but first can you have Mr. Sutcliff sit down first?"

"Grell," Anne snapped her fingers. The butler nodded with a smile and sat down next to his mistress.

"And lose the act already," Sophie huffed, "because I'm tired of hearing that whine of yours."

"What act?" Grell asked, tilting his head to the side.

"… Before I answer your questions, do you _**know**_ what Grell Sutcliff is?" Sophie asked as she had her hands crossed over her chest.

"Why yes my butle –"

"No," Sophie shook her head, "don't lie. Does she know Mr. Sutcliff?"

"Ummm… why she –"

"Yes I do," Anne huffed. "I know he is a grim reaper. Why? Is that what **you **are here for?"

Sophie grinned, "Good I don't have to explain." Then she sighed and sat up a little. "Whatever the two of you are doing the organization, Grell Sutcliff comes from, knows that he is up to something. To explain, these women that you have been having Mr. Sutcliff kill is showing up on our soul lists only seconds before they're dead. Honestly I don't have to tell you this," she continued, "because I am not entitled to, but because I am doing this investigation alone then I want to make sure that you know the consequences for your actions… Mr. Sutcliff."

"… Grell kill her," Anne grumbled under her breath.

"Yes _malady~_" he giggled, jumping onto the table and pulling out his chainsaw. "I have _al~ways_ wanted to use this!" Grell said as he revved up the engine, "and I will **not** go down without a fight!"

Grell jumped down and lunged at Sophie. She just sighed, disappearing in a black haze and appearing right behind him. He let out a yelp and fell into her chair, the table being flung towards Anne. Sophie caught it before it hit the human, Grell trying to regain his conscious before lunging at her again. She kicked Grell in the stomach and he went flying; Sophie disappeared in the black haze and appeared right before he fell through the wall. She whipped out her one of her black guns and aimed it at Grell's head, snatching his death scythe with the other. "_My~ my~_ you're going to be in **deep** trouble, Mr. Sutcliff, if I report you for using an illegal death scythe."

"Now wait a second –"

"Grell Sutcliff hush," Sophie growled at him, still holding the gun to his head. "If I pull this trigger your cells will be unable to regenerate fast enough and you will be dead. **Do you want that**,_ hmmm~?_" Grell slowly stopped squirming, staring at her with anger in his double-iris green eyes behind his messy brown hair. "Now Madame Red… I do not know **why** the two of you are doing these things, but I want an explanation. Depending on what you say I may spare this little shinigami here."

Grell growled, "Who are you anyways? I'm not going to go quietly for some sleazy woman like yourself!"

Sophie smirked, "If you stop squirming them maybe I'll show you… alright _Gr~ell_?" Grell just narrowed his eyes, still trying to get free. "Fine," Sophie huffed, "I was trying to be nice to you, since you were my mentor and everything, but if you are going to be difficult then I'll have to kill you –"

"W-what mentor!" Grell huffed. "I would not train an uncivilized woman who kicks women through walls and aims guns at their heads!"

Sophie narrowed her eyes before she let a sigh escape her lips. She ran her hands through her hair, the black color in her hair quickly turning to their normal auburn red color. Grell paused, looking up at the crystal blue and shinigami green eyes behind her hair. "There. Better? Can you cooperate now?"

"… Who is this Grell?" Anne said as she began to come closer with a knife held behind her back.

"If you don't sit down and put that butter knife down then there won't be any time to tell you, right?" Sophie smirked.

"Okay Sophie you win…" Grell sighed in defeat. Sophie smirked and put her gun away, helping Grell off of the ground as she turned off the chainsaw in her hand. "What is going to happen to me?"

"Nothing if you explain," Sophie smirked. "How about you get the desert and we'll sit down and talk it over like civilized beings?... If it's okay with Mrs. Angelina."

"… You're not going to kill us are you?" she asked.

"Nope," Sophie smirked, "I'm only here to investigate. Now can we…"

"Tell me your name first," Anne huffed.

"Sophia Serbus," she said with a slight bow. "I'm thirty five years old, but I died when I was seventeen… Nothing? No? You still don't remember me? Well that doesn't matter." She shrugged and scratched the back of her head. "Honestly I found this very fun. Sorry if I couldn't stay around as much as I would like, but I had other things to do –"

"Anne! Sophie! I have the cake!" Grell giggled, wearing his red hair down as he set the cake before them and cut up three pieces. "… You know you can get in the same amount of trouble if you help me –"

"If there is a logical explanation then I can keep this hushed up," Sophie said simply, grabbing a plate with a slice of cake on it and a fork before proceeding to sit down next to the chair that Grell broke when he fell on it.

Anne kept glaring at her, feeling **very** uneasy about this situation, and sat down in the seat she had been sitting in before. "So Mrs. Serbus… why are you here and why do you know me?"

"Since you're giving me **chocolate** cake I think I can comply in telling you about the situation," Sophie grinned, waiting for Grell to sit down before she explained. "You see Anne; I am the director of a department that call ourselves the Paranormal Operations. We specialize in many things, but investigating situations like these is one of the things our department has to do for shinigamis," she shrugged as she poured herself a cup of tea and began to drink it. "Grell is actually luckily. If it had been someone else he would have been detained and perhaps fired for the rules he has broken. Tampering with the soul list and modifying your death scythe without the proper procedures is a big no-no for us. I took the job rather personally because Grell Sutcliff was my mentor a few years back and I know this is because of more… _person~al reasons_. Right Grell?"

"… Sophie are you going to report me?" Grell asked as he wiped the chocolate from his face and tried to avoid her implied question.

"If you give me a good reason I won't," Sophie shrugged. "Innocent until proven guilty, but I guess here it's guilty until proven innocent. If you can tell me **why** with good reasons I won't have to demote you," she grinned, "but do understand Grell that this is luck on your part. If this was someone else working on this investigation then you would just be condemned… so? Do tell," she smiled.

"Okay," Grell sighed, "You see –"

"Now wait a moment!" Anne huffed. "Don't tell her! I can't even trust her and you're going to give her a reason why –"

"Anne, she is a friend I can trust," he said calmly, and then he grinned, "and you met her already. Plus I think I owe her an explanation. You don't want me to suddenly leave you, _do~ you~?_"

Sophie smiled, "I understand your hesitation. If you didn't know that Grell was a shinigami then I would only be dealing with Grell alone… but now I have two problems, Grell and you. A human shouldn't know about our identities and I need to deal with you as well as Grell. I'm debating how I'm going to do that, but if you can convince me a good reason then you won't be harmed."

"I see…" Anne grumbled.

"So let me tell you!" Grell jumped up to grab another slice of cake. "But after could you tell me about your undercover name? I've been wondering about it for quite some time."

"Okay," Sophie chuckled, "but let us get through **this** first."

Grell nodded and sat down. "I met Angelina when I was told to reap a soul of a young woman. How she killed her… oh it still makes me flutter just thinking about it!" He huffed, "and why? That woman was a prostitute. Oh how I **hate** those disgusting humans," he grumbled.

"Our reasons for killing them are because…" Anne paused, "because they are women who would throw an important part of themselves away: the ability to give birth to children. I lost my dream to have children because I had to abort my child after an accident and lost my womb with it… and I also lost my husband," she continued, "and –"

"For myself, you already know," Grell winked.

"Yes… well," Anne continued, "they are women on my list that I had to provide surgery on to remove their babies and…"

"Okay I understand Mrs. Durless," Sophie smiled. "You don't have to continue… Look," she sighed, "a human has the right to choose what they will and will not do in their lifetime. Grell, it was irresponsible for you to put yourself with this human –"

"But –"

"_**But**_," Sophie interrupted him, "shinigamis are not responsible for these things. We are made only to reap souls. The fact that you are reaping souls that are **not** to be killed cannot go unpunished. Because of you involvement with Anne is why **you** are being investigated in the first place. Plus, now that I know you're using an illegal death scythe that will also be on the list." Then she sighed again, "With evaluation, Grell Sutcliff you would probably be condemned, demoted, and worse would be sentenced to be destroyed. This is my investigation report," Sophie explained. "Okay right? Well I can do more," she grinned. "All of these reports go through me since I am the director, and an execution is rather severe for a small crime like this. After hearing **why** you did what you did… I can make the punishment less severe for you, but that death scythe is still illegal."

"Don't take away my chainsaw!" Grell groaned, "It took me _**for~ever**_ to make it! You can't –"

"Actually I can," Sophie smirked, "but I don't know… so I'm guessing **you** are the one who keeps requesting for chainsaws to become a standard death scythe?"

"Yes but –"

"I just don't see it," Sophie shrugged and sat back, "because we are supposed to be_ silent~ killers~~_. Meh, maybe you can convince me later, but right now this is about **you**."

"… Fine," Grell huffed, "so what are you going to do now?"

"Nothing," she shrugged again, a beer bottle appearing in her hand as she drank it down slowly.

"Nothing?" Grell and Anne said at the same time.

"Yeah," she continued as she put her bottle away, "because I see no reason to. Right now the whole division is in an uproar over something else, so this little killing spree you're doing can be hushed up if you stop **now**. I'll leave that decision to you. After my investigations then this may fall upon someone else. I can be tough, but also merciful." Then Sophie stood up and sighed, "Look Grell, if you stop now and retire the illegal death scythe I can look the other way. If this continues then I don't know what will happen… plus I know why you're doing this and you should tell William about this."

"William!" Grell huffed, "But –"

"Now if you'll excuse me I need to get going," Sophie sighed as she looked at her pocket watch, "because I need to get home and sleep for the day. Good day –"

"Why don't you sleep here Mrs. Serbus?" Anne asked, causing Grell and Sophie to look over at her with shock. "You seem to be tired and I know how Grell can be infuriating sometimes."

"Hey!" Grell growled.

Sophie chuckled. "Well that's a nice offer, but –"

"That's a command," Anne huffed. "If you are going to work here and watch Grell you will need to obey my rules, got that Mrs. Ernest?"

"Y-yeah… thank you miss," Sophie rubbed the back of her head and chuckled. "I'll be honest, it's fun to hang out here … it's very relaxing compared to the office."

"Great!" Anne smiled, "Then you can stay here for the night and we'll talk more later."

"I'll clean the place first," Sophie said, "because I can't stand for a nice place like this to have a broken chair and smashed wall."

"Of course," Anne smiled as she stood up, "and I'll head to bed. Grell help your director with this."

"Sure?" Grell responded, confused with her sudden change of attitude. Anne nodded to them and left, leaving Sophie and Grell in the room.

Sophie chuckled sheepishly, "Sorry about the sneaking around, but its part of the job –"

"I'm just glad you're not going to kill me," Grell chuckled back as he picked everything up and set it aside. "Just… why?"

"It's what I do," Sophie smirked. "I will do what is necessary to condemn a soul rightfully and truthfully in the way I see fit. For you I see no need to condemn you because you're still working over some stuff right now. It's not right to condemn a being if they don't know what they are doing wrong. I see your intentions… I know why Grell. As of now, I'll wait. Plus I find this a lot more fun than some other jobs I've had pervious," she chuckled to herself as she finished off her bottle of beer. "Of course… do you like me being here? Someone has to keep an eye on you anyways so –"

"Nah it is fine. I'd rather have it be you anyways," Grell grinned. "Say I'll let you go to sleep and I'll clean up around here."

"… I can't do that Grell," she huffed, "because I need to keep an eye on you."

"Fine," he sighed, "but let's does this quick. I want my beauty rest," he yawned.

"Alright," Sophie chuckled; repairing the wall and chair with her black haze till it was nice and perfect.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Wow Edward you're wasted," Lewis laughed as Edward almost fell off of the coffin he was sitting on.

"Oh _pick~le bre~ath_!" Edward snorted. "You are _**all**_ _homo~sapien bl~oooodless~ soul suckers_!" After saying that Edward fell off of the coffin he was sitting on and slammed his head into another, knocking himself out cold.

"Edward?" Lewis asked, leaning over his own coffin and looking over at him as he slept peacefully on the floor. "Wow… only three glasses too," he chuckled as he set the beaker next to him and looked over at the Undertaker, who was laughing his head off at the spectacle. "Well you have your joke. What's the big secret?"

"Since the two of you have been _deli~~cious-ly _entertaining, I guess I can answer your questions," the Undertaker giggled into his sleeve as he set his beaker down next to the coffin he was sitting on. "The reason why I know the little maiden is… why she's my daughter," he grinned, laughing hysterically as Lewis' mouth dropped, "and no; she is not the fruit of my loins, but I still love her to pieces."

"Sophie… really?" Lewis chuckled to himself as he swirled the contents in the beaker around before gulping it down. "No wonder she's weird, but then again **everyone** is weird. True madness can be genuinely genius."

"_Ahh~h_, but you assume that the little maiden is mad because of **me**, _hmmm~_" the Undertaker smirked.

"W-why no sir," Lewis shrugged, "but I was merely stating an observation. Nothing more."

The Undertaker giggled before he calmed down and decided to bring up pleasant conversation with the young shinigami. "How is the little maiden doing these days?"

"Well… honestly better then what I knew of," Lewis chuckled, "but not the best. The Boss seems to be overly stressed about something other than work, but perhaps it's over something that is important. Honestly I don't care, but I want to try to keep her happy as long as possible. She deserves it," he sighed. "It's been nice talking with you. We better get going, but maybe we'll meet up again?"

"Perhaps," the Undertaker nodded with a disappointed sigh, "but your friend seems to need some assistance home," he giggled.

"Yeah I know," Lewis grumbled looking at his watch. "Better just bring him home. It's dark! Good night Mr. Undertaker –"

"You may call me plain old Undertaker, young lad," the Undertaker giggled into his sleeve.

"Okay," Lewis smirked, "_**Plain Old Undertaker**_. See you later," he chuckled, grabbing Edward off of the floor and pulling him out the front door and down the street.

The Undertaker continued to giggle, amused with the young shinigami he had just met. "Lewis Herman huh?" Then he took out the letter from under his sleeve and reviewed it over. "Just _when~_ are you coming?" he wondered to himself as he jumped up and began to tidy up his supplies so he would go to sleep. "Though I won't complain _my lit~tle guest~_" he giggled as he poked a dead body in the cheek, "for I had a few live guests today that were a load of fun! I wonder if more will come… Good night little guest. I hope your dreams are filled with wonder and excitement," he chuckled as he closed the lid on the coffin and skipped into the back.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie whimpered to herself, tossing and turning in the bed Anne was letting her sleep in. Suddenly she gasped, Sophie's eyes opening up in dread as she looked around the room and then at her hands. She let out a tired sigh and slumped back onto the bed, looking up to the dark ceiling and unable to get back to sleep. "Are you okay?" she heard a voice from outside.

"No Grell," Sophie sighed as she continued to look up to the ceiling, "not at all… Did I disturb you?"

"No," he said as he sluggishly walked into the room. "Well…_ may~be_, but I'm worried. Have you been having nightmares this **whole** time?"

"… Can we talk about this later? I'm trying to sleep," Sophie grumbled as she tossed her body the other way and turned her back on him.

"Fine, in the morning," Grell grumbled.

Then he slyly smirked, jumping right into bed with Sophie and making her squeak in surprise. "Grell! What tha –"

"We'll talk_ in the morning~_" he giggled, wrapping his arms around her and brushing a comforting hand through her hair. "Now sleep…"

"_**Grrr**_… Fine," Sophie grumbled as she curled up into the sheets, "… you still like men right? You're not bi or something are you?"

Grell just chuckled to himself softly, feeling tired after being kept up with Sophie's whimpers all night. "Sleep will you? I need my beauty rest." Sophie just grumbled to herself again and closed her eyes, grabbing hold of Grell's arm around her waist tightly once she figured he had fallen back asleep.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: There we go! Now you know a bit more about Sophie's situation as a God of Death ^^ Sorry that I don't have a lot to say, but I'm just tired right now. For the next one perhaps? I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Comment if you have questions! =D**

Sandra – English – man's defender

Nicole – Greek – people of victory

Paul – Latin – small; humble

_pax_ – Latin – _silence_


	39. The Situation

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Sorry for the last update guys. I was busy diligently writing that I forgot to look over a chapter. Oops! Plus I've been having some writer's block when it comes to writing this story… just where I have it placed right now. I don't know what I should put down or how I will write it (not this chapter but chapter 47) Either one or the other… it's infuriating . but that's okay! I decided to do a different story to let my creative juices flow. I'm not stopping this fanfic! Just working on other things so I can get back to my story and not feel like I'm stuck in a ditch trying to get myself out =3 So hey. If you have any short story ideas for me then go right ahead and say them! I don't know if I'll do fluff, lemon, or just a story. Just something short XD (I'll stop ranting now =3) ENJOY! **

!#$%^&*()

"_oooOOOYY~AH_," Sophie yawned as she scratched the back of her head and looked at her small schedule book. "Let's zeee…" she yawned again, setting her book down on her desk and sitting down.

"Sleep well?" Eric looked over with a chuckle escaping his lips.

"Actually yeah," Sophie yawned again, "more than normal… So who usually shows up first? Mr. Spears, Alan, or you?"

"Well Alan and I usually show up at the same time," Eric shrugged, looking over at Alan before looking back at Sophie, "but Mr. Spears always seems to be here first. I wonder if he just sleeps here."

"Geeze," Sophie grumbled, "From a study I recent conducted it shows that people who sleep late will have more mental stamina and can actually outperform early risers in daily tasks. Same holds true for shinigamis since we need to sleep and perform metal tasks every day."

Eric chuckled at her comment, "Oh really? When did you do this?"

"About three years back," Sophie shrugged, "and last year. I set the study out for six months with a group A that would wake up early and a group B that would sleep in late. That's why I'm not bothered that Mr. Knox and Miss Sutcliff don't arrive to work till later. As long as the work gets done for the day I can care less about when they show up to work."

"And here I thought they called you **tough**," Eric smirked.

"Well… for the American standards I'm tough," Sophie smirked as she sipped on a cup in her hand. "I think it's the new recruits that say I'm tough. A shinigami that has worked under me for at least a year doesn't mind my methods, unless they're an intertribal little snot that doesn't do anything for the department," she shrugged. "I can be _ve~ry_ enjoyable company if you stay on my good side and follow my orders. Simplices ut."

"Pardon?" Eric asked.

Sophie looked over at Alan and then smirked at Eric. "Simple as that. Now if you excuse me I have to go deliver these forms." She blew as kiss at Eric and left, walking up the stairs and leaving the two of them alone.

Alan snickered as he turned in his chair and looked at Eric. "I think Mrs. Serbus just showed you up Eric."

"Can it Alan," Eric grumbled before cracking Alan a smile. "Yep I guess so… I'm going to go for a smoke. Want to come?"

"… I'd rather not," Alan answered in slight disgust. "Those cigarettes make me noxious."

"Suit yourself," Eric shrugged as he stood up and grabbed for a carton of cigarettes in his pocket. "Tell Mr. Spears I'll be back in a while."

"Alright," Alan nodded as Eric left, letting out a tired sigh as he watched him vanish down the stairs. Then he took out a small bag and moved the cup of tea on his table closer to him as he fished out a pill from the bag. "I hope these actually work," he sighed, popping the oddly glowing pill into his mouth and drank down the rest of his water. "…" he paused, a slight smile on his face as he held his hand to his heart and felt slightly better. "Wow… Ben was right. I'll have to ask for more," Alan chuckled to himself, resuming his work before anyone else showed up.

!#$%^&*()

"Thomas Isador and Benjamin Herman please come to office N103 immediately," Sophie called on the intercom, letting out a sigh as she sat down at a large desk and stared around the room. The council had given her this office since she was a Director, which she had to admit was a large office, but she never had a real use for it. Since she was working under William then she had no need for the office because she would rather be closer to her superior instead of running up and down the stairs all the time, but then again this **did** serve for a good lecture room so she could talk to her employees behind closed doors. The door softly opened and Ben poked his head in, Sophie noticing that he was holding the other shinigami back. "Mr. Herman I want to talk to you separately. Have Mr. Isador come in first."

Ben nodded and let the other guy in; standing outside in the hallway and watching the other shinigamis walk to and from their offices. "What are you in for now Ben?" Lewis laughed.

Ben growled and narrowed his eyes at his older brother. "I have **no** clue. Warum?"

"Oh, just heard Sophie is going to lay off a bunch of shinigamis. Perhaps you are one of them?" Lewis responded.

"I doubt it," Ben shook his head, "because I get my work done on time and have no reason to be fired."

"Whatever," Lewis shrugged as he passed by, "Gute Reise!"

"Shut up Lewis," Ben narrowed his eyes and snarled, watching as Lewis skipped down the hallway and entered into another office. Then he looked at his watch and sighed, leaning against the wall and clutching his chest tightly. He took out a pill from his bag and popped it into his mouth, swallowing it whole but nearly choked when the door swung open again.

The other shinigami walked out of the office with a frightened look on his face and Ben gulped. "Don't doddle," Sophie grumbled under her breath, "Mr. Herman."

Ben gulped again, slowly walking into the room and closing the door behind him. "Y-yes –"

"Sit," she said sternly, Ben sighing again as he sat down in the chair Sophie was point at. Dang, Sophie **did** look intimidating from behind a desk. Ben swallowed, watching as Sophie took out a form and looked through it. It was his personal forms and his face suddenly turned pale. "… What's with that face Mr. Herman?" she asked.

"I'm sorry if I did something wrong!" Ben stood up, "but I swear to you that it won't happen again! Just don't fire me! I don't want to die!"

"Fire you?" Sophie blinked in confusion, before laughter escaped her throat and she wiped a tear away. "You must be joking Ben. I wasn't planning on **firing** you."

"Y-you're not?" Ben asked as he slowly sat back down. "Then why am I here?"

"… I noticed one of my pills in Alan Humphries' possession and you've asked for more pills? Benjamin Herman what is going on?" Sophie narrowed her eyes.

"Oh…" he paused, plopping back down in the chair and looking up at Sophie. "You see… I ummm…"

"_Yes~?_" Sophie said roughly as a way to urge him on.

"I came across this group for shinigamis to come together and talk about their lives with horrible diseases," Ben began, "and Alan was there talking to us about his Thorns of Death. So I came up to him and told him about the pills I've been using and he became interested. Plus he's a nice guy and I hate to see him suffer as much as I do and –"

"So you're telling me that you gave away experimental pills to a shinigami that you barely know about so he can _**feel better**_?" Sophie responded.

"Y-yeah ummm…" Ben looked down to the ground twitting his thumbs. "Alan isn't a shinigami I barely know. We go out and talk after our shifts about our conditions. He's a really nice guy… I just feel sorry for him. The Thorns of Death haven't taken my body as harshly as he and –"

"Ben… I order you to not give your pills to Alan again," Sophie sighed as she stood up and collected her papers.

"But why?" Ben stood up to block Sophie from the door. "If they work for me why can't they work for him?"

"Look Ben," she grumbled as she slammed her stuff into her messenger bag, "the pills I've been making are something the council doesn't know about. If they were to find out or if they fall into the wrong hands then, knowing them, I'll be told to continue to make the pills. You know how hard it is to make those pills! I can't just throw them away Ben…"

"… I know," he sighed, "but I was only trying to help him. If you want to withhold my pills then –"

"No that's quite alright," she smiled, "and let me handle Alan. Just tell him that you can't give him anymore pills… Have you given this pill to anyone else?"

"Just Alan," Ben answered.

"Good," Sophie nodded, "and if he asks why, tell him the pills are still experimental pills and the council does not know about them. I don't want to be traced back to this… if they have me make these pills every day and night I may end up dying –"

"Alright I get it!" Ben huffed. "I won't give the pills to Alan anymore… I won't bother you anymore."

"Good," Sophie chuckled, "but tell me if you need more. Are you running low?"

"… I only have one more –"

Ben watched as she pulled out another bag and poured half of the pills into her hand and handed it to him. "You take this half and Alan will get the other. Please tell me if you need more, but don't do something stupid again," she smirked as she put the pills in his hand and put her hat back on her head. "Now if you excuse me I have to get going." He chuckled as he looked at his hand, putting the pills into his pouch and walking out the door.

!#$%^&*()

"Oh Alan you're the only one here?" Sophie asked as she came back to her cubical and put her stuff down at her desk.

"Everyone is out reaping and I'm going to be out soon enough –"

"Enough chit chat," Sophie suddenly said roughly. "An employee of mine gave me information that you are using experimental pills he gave you, which are **not** authorized by the council."

"What?" Alan huffed as he looked at his bag and then back at Sophie. "Now sorry but –"

"I know _everything~_ Mr. Humphries," she glared, shoving a bag of her pills into his head. He blinked in shock, a wide grin growing on her face. "Can I trust you with this secret? It was wrong for Ben to pull you into this but –"

"Nah it's alright," Alan chuckled as he put the bags of pills into his suitcase. "Could you tell me what's going on?"

"… I'll talk about it later seeing as someone may come by at any moment, but I'll just ask you how you're doing every once in a while," Sophie shrugged as she walked back over to her cubical. "Oh yeah! And if you need any more just ask. Ben can fill you in on any questions. I have to go now."

"A-alright," Alan sighed as he watched Sophie grab her things and leave. "Thank you!"

"Meh you're a good kid. If you were someone else though I'd have to eliminate you, but no biggie," Sophie shrugged as she left.

"W-wait what?" Alan gasped, before letting out a frustrated sigh and looking back at his papers. Oh boy, what did he get himself into?

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Alex what's up?" Sophie looked up, watching as he ran at her cubical out of breath.

"T-there… there! –"

"Slow down will you," she grumbled as she shoved her cup of tea at him. "Drink that down _slowly~_ and tell me what's going on."

Alex let out a deep sigh, glugging down the tea slowly as he tried to calm his nerves. "I-its Marius," he told her. Then he looked around the room at the other shinigamis, wondering if he should continue.

"Damn it Alex spit it out," she growled. She narrowed her eyes and pulled on his tie so he was staring deeply into her annoyed eyes. "**What about him?**"

"I was out on a mission and saw him terrorizing a village looking for someone," he coughed, "and I ran right over here to tell you –"

"But you didn't think about **stopping** him?" Sophie sighed.

"W-what? I thought you may have told him to –"

"No!" she growled as she threw her coat on and shoved her hat atop her head. "Tell me where he is," she said roughly as she looked at her hands and then pulled her gloves on. "He better **not** dirty his hands before I get there."

"He's in Pickering just north of York," Alex said as he began to follow her, "and I went there because of a massive murder on the soul list at 1154."

"Go tell Jericho," Sophie told him, "and I will show up before you… Well go!"

"Right!" Alex huffed, running right up the stairs.

"Sophie wha –"

"Grell please just let me handle things myself," Sophie sighed, running over to the railing and jumping over the side. In an instant her body disappeared into a black haze, stunning the shinigamis that had ran over to investigate what was going on.

William walked out of his office, looking at the shinigamis as they whispered to each other. "What is going on here?"

"Nothing Mr. Spears!" Eric chuckled, "or I think that… don't know."

"Mrs. Serbus just took off –"

"Thank you Alan," William sighed. "I'll tell the council –"

"You will do **no** such thing," came a voice from the top of the stairs, making their way down to level E and setting foot into the hall. "The Paranormal Operations Department will handle this. Everyone back to work and we'll handle things."

"And just who are **you** to tell us what to do?" William narrowed his eyes roughly.

The shinigami grinned, leaning into William's face as his dark hazel eyes stared into William's green shinigami eyes. "Jericho Serkan, the North American Director of the East of the Paranormal Operations Department. Now if you have an issue we will discuss it later; time is of the essence. Come Mr. Agon," he turned around and walked back to the stairs.

"Yeah you're one to speak!" Alex grumbled as he ran ahead of Jericho down the stairs.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie paused, looking at the chaos around her. All around her were humans and supernatural beings alike screaming, trying desperately to get away from the creature that was lurking in the village. She ran as fast as she could through the crowd and to the other side of the village, finding Marius standing over a body and stabbing into it with his stainless sword. She heard the man scream and she gasped out in fight, suddenly feeling blood splattering all over her hands. "Marius Ellen Ioreta Serbus, I order you to halt at once!"

"No!" he growled, not looking up at his sister as he stabbed into the man dying in his hands. "He doesn't deserve to live! He sent you away from me! I can't forgive him!"

Sophie growled, jumping in front of him and pushing Marius off of the body. She looked behind her and her eyes widened, noticing it was the human body of Chaz Hoover. "**Marius stop**," she narrowed her eyes at him, "now give me the sword… now…"

"B-but…" Marius gasped, clutching the sword tightly in his hand. "H-he… Sophie I…"

"Quis fratris the sword please," she ordered as she held out her hand. He whimpered slightly, his crystal blue eyes full of rage as he stared at Chaz' remains. Sophie grabbed his face so he was staring into her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes, which held a raw hint of grief. "You can**not** do this. Stop killing people. Do you want to know something? Whatever blood you spill is on **my** hands too Marius because that is how our souls work," she narrowed her eyes at him as he stood there shaking. "I feel every soul you devour and every soul you heal. It is the price I pay for being the paterfamilias of the Serbus family. Marius… don't dirty your hands anymore… you are hurting me as much as you are hurting yourself."

"S-soror…" Marius said quietly, his trembling hand slowly handing over his sword to her.

Sophie smiled and took it, still keeping a hand upon his face in a comforting way. "Marius…" she sighed, "You hurt me you know that? You stayed away from me for five years and now you go out killing beings without my orders? Fratri… why?"

"I-I didn't want my little soror to dirty her hands," he hiccupped as he looked towards the ground, "a-and soror used to be _**so~**_ good before she left. I just thought… I never knew…"

"Soror still loves her quis fratris," she smiled, "but I can't live it past me if **you** dirty your hands also. Marius… let me carry the burden of killing. That is what I'm here for, correct? Let's have one sane person in our family, for our mother's sake."

"O-of course soror," he sighed, "I-I am sorry."

"And I accept your apology," she said as she gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, looking over at Jericho and Alex as they slowly walked up the hill. "Please think about what you have done… I want you to move on from this Marius." He gave her a nod and looked down, not noticing the shinigamis walking up the hill, but only the destruction he caused. "Let me fix the mess you have made," Sophie sighed.

"B-but…" Marius paused, keeping a firm hold on Sophie hand.

She smiled, "Please Marius… give me this purpose. Go to the shinigami realm with Mr. Engjëll and have a nice cup of tea. I know you love jasmine tea, yes?"

Marius slowly let her hands slip away from his and he gave her a nod. "Y-yes soror," he sighed.

"Hey!" she called to him as he began to walk over to Alex and Jericho, "I heard the pastries are to _di~e _for! I think you'll enjoy a blueberry scone or two, yes?"

Marius cracked a smile, "Okay. Thank you," he bowed, running down to Alex and walking away with him.

Sophie let out another tired sigh and looked over the destruction as the sword evaporated into the black haze, watching as Jericho walked up the hill and stood beside her. "… What are you going to do?"

"I will have to revive everything," Sophie sighed, "but will you help me if something goes wrong?"

Jericho smiled, "Of course, _**Serbus**_. That's why I'm here," he grinned. She just rolled her eyes and put her hands in front of her, closing her eyes and letting a soft sigh escape her lips. Jericho took a step back, watching as the black haze came from her hands and flowed onto the ground. It shifted as fog through the village, swirling around every fallen soul on the ground. She coughed slightly, gritting her teeth as she concentrated on her hands. Then the black haze turned to white, the glow spreading quickly like running water throughout the village. Jericho turned around and watched as the bodies became healed and their wounds mended. Sophie let out a rough cough distracting Jericho from the amazing sight, watching as her body dropped to the floor and the white glow evaporated into the air. "Sophie?" he said quietly, kneeling over her body as she collected herself.

"I-I'm fine," she pushed him away roughly, still kneeling on the ground and coughing into her neckerchief. Sophie staggered to her feet, brushing off the dust from her clothes and chuckling to herself, "I-I'm fine… this isn't that bad," she smirked.

Jericho nodded and smiled. "Of course not… Now let's get back to the realm," he said as he held out his head to her. Sophie stared at it hesitantly, narrowing her eyes at him. "You are in **no** shape to teleport yourself back to London. Now come."

She let out a sigh of defeat and grabbed for his hand, flinching back and turning around as an ear piercing scream came from behind them. "You bitch! Bitch!" Chaz cried out on the ground, still limping in pain. "You took my chances from being a shinigami! Now you order my death!"

Sophie frowned, barely listening to the curses he spat at her. "Shouldn't your memories be wiped clean Chaz?"

Chaz growled, "I… They came back, all of it, after that shinigami began to attack the village. **You**, Sophia, you are a piece of work. Why can't you let me die?"He cried out as he slowly crawled to them, "I have no life here!"

"Should I kill him?" Jericho asked.

Sophie shook her head, slowly walking over to him and loomed over his body. Chaz grabbed hold of her leg and tried to pull her down, but his human strength was no match for her own supernatural strength. "P-please… grim reaper kill me…"

"… No," she said roughly, "because you need to live out the rest of your life for your sins. You are not supposed to die at this given time, and until your name appears on the soul list will you die. Because of what my brother had done, **you** can only die by the blade of a Serbus or of old age. Nothing, not even suicide, will kill you. Good bye Chaz Hoover." Then she hit his head with the butt of her scythe, knocking him out cold.

"… Why did you do that?" Jericho asked.

"Because Chaz needs to learn for his sins even if he didn't know of his past as a shinigami," Sophie sighed, "and Death doesn't want him to die yet. It is not his appointed hour… it's not my order to kill him yet." Jericho frowned, noticing how cold and miserable her voice sounded. "Now let's go home… I still need to talk to Marius." Jericho nodded and grabbed her hand, the two of them disappearing unnoticed in the blink of an eye.

)(*&^%$#!

Jericho held out his hand as Sophie began to sway, letting out a tired sigh as she leaned against a wall. "I don't think you're okay Sophie," he frowned.

"I'm perfectly fine," she grumbled, "now let me talk to Marius alone."

Then she walked into Alex's office and shoved him out a few seconds later, Alex yelling as she slammed the door behind her. "What is with her lately?" he growled. "Geeze…"

)(*&^%$#!

"Hey Marius, are you okay now?" Sophie asked as she walked into the room and sat down on the couch.

Marius sighed as he wiped the blood from his face. "Y-yeah… oh god. I'm sorry about all of this Sophie. Something just came over me and –"

"Exactly why I told you to **not** make a move without my orders," she told him in a stern and monotone voice. "… Why did you leave me alone for so long? When I meant that you should watch over our household I didn't mean **leave me**! Do you even know _why~_ I tried to have Death send me forms about you every day?"

"No," Marius shrugged as he looked to the ground in shame.

"So I could talk to someone that I knew every once in a while," she said sadly, "and when the forms didn't come in… and you stopped seeing me… that really hurt quis fratris."

Marius' eyes widened and he looked over at her in shock. "I'm sorry Sophie… I didn't know… Just this world is so different then what I know –"

"And **that** is why I am supposed to be in charge, correct?" she looked at him sternly.

His eyes wandered to his lap as he twiddled his thumbs, knowing he had done a great wrong. "Correct."

Sophie cracked a smile, gently rubbing his back and letting out a sigh. "Please don't do this. I know you want to act like an older brother and head our family, but I know this world better. How about this: you defend the warm and luscious fields with Aya, alright?"

"Sure," he chuckled as he rubbed the back of his head. Sophie smiled as she set her hat down and laid her head on his shoulder, letting out a tired sigh. "… I'm sorry again –"

"Hey don't worry about it," she sighed again, "it's alright…" Marius smiled and set his head on top of hers, quickly drifting off to sleep.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"… They've been in there an awfully long time," Alex grumbled to himself as he had his arms crossed over his chest. "Should we go in there?"

Jericho looked down at the watch on his wrist and sighed, "Yeah." He knocked on the wood, slowly opening the door and walking into the dim room. "Sophie… Mr. Serbus, is everything alrigh –" Then he paused, a chuckle escaping his lips as he looked over at the couch.

Alex pushed him away and looked into the room, a smirk growing on his face as he watched Sophie and Marius sleeping soundly against each other. "Wow… if it wasn't for that blood on their faces it would be rather cute," he chuckled.

"I think it's **still** adorable, even with blood on their faces," Jericho commented as he walked over to Sophie and shifted her shoulder slightly. "Sophie… Sophie wake up."

"O-oh?..." Sophie yawned, lifting her head up gently and looking up at Jericho. "H-hello," she smiled sweetly, letting her brother's head slowly float down to the armrest of the couch. Then she frowned, coughing to herself slightly once she remembered where she was.

Jericho noticed her sudden change in expressions and also frowned, looking up at Alex as he walked over to his desk to continue on with his work. "Miss Serbus, can I talk to you privately?"

"Sure," she sighed, standing up and wiping the blood from her face with her neckerchief. Jericho held the door open for her as they walked outside, Sophie chuckling to herself as she took off the bloody cloth from her neck and continued to wipe her face. "Not a lot of blood huh?" she chuckled sarcastically to herself.

He chuckled back, but his laughter wasn't as strong as Sophie's. "… I know you don't want to talk about this but –"

"Jericho what now?" she grumbled. "You know how I am after using my powers like that. I'm _ex~hausted~_. If you want me to get the forms into you today then –"

"Sophie this **isn't** about work," Jericho said lightly, "but… our positions."

"What about them?" she grumbled, pushing away from him slightly as she walked down the hall. "You are a director and I am a director. What's the big deal about that –"

"Not that. You know what I'm talking about," Jericho grumbled. "Look, I love you I really do, but our positions as Gods of Death and –"

"Jericho that's why I'm still angry with you!" Sophie growled. "You don't get it. You _**still**_ don't get it. Do you think I fell in love with you because of our positions? Because I felt pity on you or something? No! No, you know that!" Then she let out a huff, glaring into his hazel eyes as he stared back into her tired blue and green eyes. "… You still can't figure it out?"

"That's why I'm here," he sighed, "because I need to understand why you can like a weakling like me –"

"You're not weak," Sophie said gently in a mutual tone, "and I loved you, not liked. Why?... You're one of the only people who don't care about my position in power." Jericho blinked blankly at her as she chuckled lightly to herself and rubbed her shoulders as if there was a chill in the air. "Jay… you… you always made my day brighter. When I was with you I felt I didn't have to worry about everything as I usually do. You weren't after my powers or trying to woo me, but you just loved me for me. I… I love you," she sighed as she looked down to the ground, "but after sleeping with another woman I couldn't take it. Yes, I ran away, but you were just the lighter to a long fuse that I was neglecting till now. I told you I wanted to go back home… but I wanted to stay with you and –"

"Sophie I didn't know –"

"Jay don't start!" Sophie coughed, starting to choke on the tears that unknowingly rolled down her cheeks, "It's over… get over it. I know you don't like me anymore… Go back home to your old life and leave me out of it." She stared up at him with anger in her eyes, even as tears rolled down her cheeks. "I am done with this… go home."

Then she turned around and began to walk away, putting her hat back on her head and pushed it down over her eyes. "Wait, wait! Sophie wait!" Jericho held his hand out towards her.

"I have been waiting for years Jericho!" she yelled, turning back around and glaring at him from behind her hat. "I am tired of waiting around for you! I live every day as if it is my last, putting myself in danger for the sake of everyone around me. What if I died today, tomorrow? I can't continue to wait on a decision from you! Just… just bugger off!" she growled as she turned back around and rushed as fast as she could towards the stairs.

"Wait I –"

"Sister wait!" Marius coughed, pushing the door aside and calling over to her. "Just hear him out!"

"And why should I?" she growled, gritting her teeth and clutching her fists in an attempt to stop the tears from falling down her face.

"Because… I'm to blame for this," Marius answered softly.

Jericho and Sophie both turned to Marius, her eyes widened in shock. "M-marius?…"

"I was the one who got Jericho drunk that night," Marius confessed, "and I am the one who convinced him to sleep with someone. I didn't want you two to be together… no one does." He sighed, "But I am truly sorry. If you should blame anyone then blame me… I am the one who planned everything."

Sophie stood there frozen, Jericho narrowing his eyes slightly before turning back to Sophie. No one could really read what she was going to do because of the large brimmed cowboy hat over her face, but Jericho knew what she was thinking. "Sophie… Sophie don't –" She made a dash for the stairs, close to throwing herself off of the railing. "Sophie! Don't!" he growled, gripping a firm hold around her waist and pulling her close to his chest before she threw herself off.

"Let me go damn it!" she growled lowly as she clawed at his arms and tried to wrestle away from him. "Let me die! Ahhh!" Sophie hissed as she bit down hard on his arm, trying as much as she could to get his hands off of her.

Jericho didn't budge.

"J-jericho…" she began to sob, clutching tightly to his arm as he kept her close to his chest. "I-I…"

"I know," he said softly as he buried his head into her shoulder, "and I'm sorry too… Can we move on from this? We don't need to resort to violence."

"… Okay," Sophie said quietly, keeping a tight hold on his arm. "… I really do forgive you."

"That's all I ask," he chuckled.

"No really!" Sophie said as she wiped her eyes, "I mean that! God, I'm not kidding –"

"Sophie stop it already," Jericho continued to chuckle, "can't I just be happy about this?"

"Oh is that so?" she looked up at him with a devious smirk on her face, "Well **you** can't be happy on_** my~ **_watch. Nuh uh."

"Why not?" he pouted.

"Because you didn't let go of me yet," she huffed.

Jericho smirked, setting her back down on the ground and letting go of her waist. "_So~rry~_"

"That's better," she huffed again, brushing pretend dust from her clothes and fixed herself. Her eyes were still puffy and red, but she didn't seem to notice as she tilted up her hat from her eyes and gave him a devilish grin. "Sorry about the arm."

"Hey it will heal," he shrugged, "and –"

Jericho's eyes widened as she pulled down on his tie and crushed his lips into hers, all the while a giant smile spread across her face. A soft moan escaped his lips as he wrapped his arms back around her body and pulled her closer up to his mouth. Then she quickly pulled away, a smirk on her face as they parted. "Think of that as a thank you kiss," she smiled to him, rustling up his hair, and walking over to Marius and grabbing hold of his head. "Could we just stay friends for now?"

"… Fine… Sure," Jericho shrugged and nodded, watching as Sophie pulled Marius to the stairs.

"Come on," Sophie said as she talked to Marius, "you **still** have a few other people to apologize to."

"Y-yeah alright," Marius sighed, scratching the back of his head, "but I thought I would do that –"

"Live life to the fullest right?" Sophie shrugged, "because you don't know when you'll be dead. Now come on. I'm probably going to have a bunch of forms to sign after this." Marius nodded and followed behind her, their hands letting go as they descended down the stairs.

Jericho let out a tired sigh, looking over at the shinigamis that were peering around and looking over at the commotion. "G'et, all of you. Back to work!" he raised his voice, the shinigamis running off and going back to their jobs. Then Jericho glanced over at Alex, "What's with that look?" he grumbled.

"… Nothing," Alex shrugged, "but you're not over her yet are you?"

"… I don't know," Jericho shrugged.

Alex walked up to him, glaring at him behind red glowing eyes, "If you **dare** hurt Sophia again I will tear you apart limb from limb."

"Is that a threat?" Jericho growled back.

"… Yes," Alex huffed as he took a few steps back, but was still staring with pure rage at Jericho. "Why are you constantly after her? You're after something aren't you?"

"Not at all," Jericho responded, "because she has nothing to offer back to me. In family status, my family is **just** as important at the Serbus. Plus… well I don't think anymore has to be said," he huffed walking back to his office. "Now get back to work Mr. Agon. I want your report in by three o'clock."

"… Yes Mr. _**Serkan**_," Alex grumbled back as he walked back into his office to tidy everything back up.

"Hey guys," Lewis said as he walked up the stairs and marched over to Ben and a group of shinigamis chattering in the corner, "what's up?"

"You missed _every~thing~_" Ben smirked.

"What?" Lewis huffed, "What did I miss?"

"Mrs. Serbus just cried!" one of the shinigamis said.

"And that director guy, Mr. Serkan, got kissed by her!" another said.

"And –"

"Lewis, Sophia and Jericho just made up and you missed it _**all~**_" Ben interrupted them with a smirk on his lips.

"What!" Lewis huffed, throwing his papers onto a nearby table. "Bull crap! The most entertaining thing for the week and I miss it! That's what I get for doing my work on time," he grumbled to himself.

"What so you know about this?" someone asked.

"Yeah I guess," Lewis shrugged.

"Tell us!" a few shinigamis said at once.

"Yeah tell us!" the others said.

Lewis grinned deviously while Ben glared at his older brother. "**Lewis**… **don't start**…"

"Oh come on Ben," Lewis chuckled, "what's the problem with a little bit of office gossip? Now gather around! I'll tell you all the fruitful relationship of Mister Serkan and **Miss** Serbus." He winked at them before continuing on.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: As I've said, my enthusiasm in writing this story is slowing down… it's probably because I have so many chapters written down and I can't ask you guys _'what should I do next?'_ because I already have the next chapter ready to be proofread 3 Well I'm trying to do other things. I think drawing and coloring most of the day today helped A LOT. Just because I got frustrated with the art… that's it XD Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry for having such a delay. I'll try to post more chapters earlier… Ugh. It's really cold here. If I wasn't stuck at home while there was a blizzard outside then I wouldn't have this horrible cramp in my leg… I wanted a green tea latte this morning 3=**

_simplices ut_ – Latin – _simple as that_

_warum_ – German – _why_

_gute reise_ – German – _bon voyage _

_quis fratris _– Latin – _big brother_


	40. The Blabber

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: BAM! Next chapter up! Thank you for cooperating with me. I'm still having a LOT of problems right now . the major one is my laptop wasn't working… _again_. Had this problem just before finals and now I have it again. Well now the laptop is working… sort of. I'm still using my school's computers and my mom's laptop till I have it working right and everything updated again. Anyways I hope you enjoy this next chapter! And thank you for your comments! **

!#$%^&*()

"… so maybe the next time I'm here can I treat you out to dinner?" Marius coughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head. "b-but if you don't want to I don't care. I just figured since you've been helping me all this time and I've been a fool to not see it –"

"Alright Marius alright," Margaret chuckled lightly to herself, "How about next week at 7:30?"

"7:30am?" Marius asked rather confused, "W-wouldn't you have worked or something –"

"No silly!" Margaret laughed harder, "7:30**pm**. Well?"

"Y-yeah okay," Marius chuckled as he looked to the ground nervously.

"Great!" Margaret smiled. "See you then," she waved to the two siblings as Marius walked away from the counter uncomfortably and continued to look at the ground. "Wow, that brother of yours –"

"Is a dork?" Sophie laughed to herself.

"N-no I wouldn't say that…" Margaret blushed slightly, "Just…"

"… Oh don't tell me you _liiike~ _him?" Sophie grinned deviously.

"I wouldn't say that!" Margaret gasped as she held her hands in front of her hands. "Just –"

"Hey give me a second alright?" Sophie smiled as she walked away from the desk, skipped over to Marius, and grabbed his hand before he walked out the door. "Hey Marius, need me to go with you?"

"N-nah that's alright," he sighed, "but thank you for helping me… are you **sure** you okay?"

Sophie let go of his hand and let out an agitated sigh. "Well I can't say I'm _**okay**_, but at least you told me. Plus I understand why you did all, but… I don't know. It may be a little while till I'm over everything." Then she shrugged and began to walk back, "Tell everyone I said hi'yah. Oh and I _al~most_ forgot, will you come as my escort at the upcoming meeting? It would be nice for everyone to see us together, plus I need someone behind my back just in case someone tries to kill me or something like that."

"Y-yeah I can make it," Marius smiled. "See you soror."

"See ya'h," Sophie waved as Marius left the building. Then Sophie skipped back over to Margaret, who was the only person at the counters since the other secretaries were in the back lounge talking. "It's been so long! Sorry about being gone and then not coming around and seeing you. It's been a bit hectic right now –"

"That's okay," Margaret smiled, "You don't have to explain… Marius told me everything. I was **really** worried about you Sophie."

"Hey it's all in the past right?" Sophie winked. "Anyways… so you have that secretary job you've always wanted huh?"

"Yes!" Margaret exclaimed. "Thank you about everything Sophie. You know we should meet up and do something later, like old times?"

"Yeah maybe," Sophie shrugged, "but as I said, I've been neglecting to see everyone because I've been busy. This job and a **whole** more other jobs, both civil and uncivil. It's just a chaotic right now… but if I plan on going out with Julia then you can come with us! Just keep me away from the alcohol… I still haven't fully recovered from my addictions yet."

"Right… okay," Margaret smiled. "What are you doing tonight?"

"Undercover work probably. I may or may not end up going home to sleep… I don't know. I'm used to taking my work to the extremes and right now I have to serve as this butler and… well whatever. I don't know," Sophie shrugged, "just have to take whatever life throws at me –"

"aaaAHH! There she is!" a bunch of women shrieked from behind the counter. "Margaret you know the Dark Rider?"

"What, Sophie?" Margaret asked completely confused by their sudden yelling.

"No! The Dark Rider!" the women squealed.

"Awe shit," Sophie groaned quietly to herself. "What is with all this hubbabaloo?"

"Well I heard from Bill in accounting that you saved ten shinigamis from a hoard of demons –"

"And Wilma in special affairs said that you captured a sinister bandit at a pass that exploded –"

"And you stopped an avalanche in the MacKenzie Mountains before it hit a shinigami center –"

"And…"

Sophie's smile slowly turned to a neutral look on her face, listening to some of the stories that the women had to say. Her eyebrow twitched when she noticed some of the stories had been made up. Plus she never liked office gossip; it got on her nerves and she never bothered to go along with most of it. "Okay…" she said calmly to quiet them down, looking over at Margaret with annoyance before looking back at the shinigamis circling around her like vultures over a dead carcass. "How about you go and find out if this is true? Because trust me, the story about the alligator is **wrong**. It was a crocodile and it wasn't even alive," she huffed slightly with her arms crossed over her chest as Margaret snickered.

"… But –"

"Well Margaret I'm going to go back upstairs," Sophie sighed, "and we can find a time for that outing later. You have something to prepare for anyways."

Then she gave her a wink and left, the group of shinigamis watching as Sophie walked down the hall casually with her boots clicking across the floor and her hat tilted over her eyes. "What a hothead!" one of the women huffed.

"No wonder I thought she was a _**he**_," another grumbled.

"Maybe she's is really a he and isn't a woman at all?" one thought.

"Yeah!" a few more cheered.

"Hey!" Margaret huffed as she got a few of their attentions, "I **know** Sophia Serbus is a woman. Don't put a rumor out there that she isn't." Then she sighed, the shinigamis barely listening to her as she grabbed her stuff and clocked out for the day.

!#$%^&*()

"Can this day get any –" Sophie paused, listening up the stairs as she heard commotion coming from the N level of the building. She took slow steps and peek her head around the corner at the once familiar voice she heard.

"The Dark Rider took on about a thousand demons!" Lewis laughed, "and saved our unit of only five shinigamis! Then she was right back into the desert capturing bandits and robbers."

"She didn't take on a **thousan** –"

"Ben that's not important!" Lewis huffed, "but one time she – What's with that look on your faces?" he paused, looking around the room as everyone stared fearful behind his back. Lewis looked over at Ben, who was smirking at him.

"_Lewis~ darl~ing~~_" he heard from behind, a chill going down his spine at the eerie tone in the being's voice, "How many times did I tell you about talking about things that _are~n't_ true? You're higher on my list now,_ cute~pie~~_"

"But –"

"The rest of you get back to work," Sophie said roughly, "and if I see one of you **not** working in three seconds I'll fire you before you can even squeal in protest. One –"

Then she smirked, watching as everyone ran away and back to their cubicles. "I warned him," Ben shrugged as he jumped off of a table and casually walked back to his desk, "but he didn't listen."

"Shove it Ben," Lewis growled. "What number is that –"

"Two," Sophie just shrugged, turning around about to leave.

"Two?" Lewis gasped. "But –"

"You're luckily you're not one… but then again that angel isn't here is he?" Sophie smirked before tipping her hat to him. "Good day –"

"That's a bit harsh Dark Rider," came a deep voice leaning against a nearby wall as Sophie walked by.

"Yeah," Sophie shrugged, "but I'm not one to tolerate erroneous rumors, _**Black Blood**_."

"Sounds dirty," he chuckled.

"Can it Jay," Sophie sighed, "I'm going to sign those forms before clocking out."

"Alright. See you later," Jericho waved back, watching as Sophie grabbed papers off of Ben's desk and casually walked back down the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

"That's only a rumor," Sophie sighed as she sat at her cubical and signed more papers.

"But –"

"**Rumor** Ronald," she groaned in disgust. "What, so I am the popular thing today? Tomorrow it will be something else that's stupid right?"

"Well I'm sorry that you're annoyed," Ronald pouted.

"Sorry but I hate gossip," Sophie sighed, "because it's always _**wrong**_. Why can't you talk about someone else? Why me?"

"Because we _l~ove _you," Grell giggled from behind them, making Ronald jump.

"_**Ewww**_," Sophie said in disgust. "I don't want a bunch of fans trampling over me before the week is over… by the way when are you –"

"Seven," Grell shrugged as he walked over to his cubical and sat back down to work.

"Oh and if you want to know something accurate about me, ask me. I'll tell you if it's true," Sophie sighed as she stood up. "And no, I didn't get the name Dark Rider because I'm secretly gothic. It's because of the black horse I ride," she smirked as she gathered her things. "Now if you excuse I – …"

"… Is something wrong?" Ronald asked when Sophie suddenly paused before swinging her messenger bag over her shoulder.

"… Do you feel a chill in the air?" Sophie asked as her eyes darted around the room.

"Chill?" Ronald asked again.

"Whatever are you talking about over there?" Eric grumbled as he lifted his head off of his desk and looked over at them.

"… Probably nothing," Sophie chuckled nervously, sighing to herself as her eyes darted around the hallway and at all the corners. They watched her as she started to walk down the stairs. "Gotch'a – oh no that's not it," she sighed as she continued to walk down the stairs.

"Paranoid much?" Eric asked.

"Yep," Grell only shrugged, finishing his papers and putting them away.

"Now where is the hyperactive Mr. Sutcliff we usually see?" Eric grinned.

"Tired," Grell sighed, "but don't worry, he'll show up _rea~lly_ soon –"

"SssshhIIIITTTTT!" they heard a woman yell from the stairs and then a crash and tumble at the bottom of the stairs.

"Sophie?" Grell stood up as everyone rushed over the side of the railing. "Sophie!" he continued to yell down the stairs.

William staggered out of his office. "What's going on here?" he grumbled.

Everyone turned to him, except for Grell who was hustling down the stairs as fast as he could. "We heard Mrs. Serbus scream and –"

"What the hell?" they heard Grell yell from the bottom for the stairs.

William grumbled, pushing past the other shinigamis as they followed him down the stairs. "Now what is going on – … Sophie who is this?"

Sophie groaned, still keeping her foot pushed into the other woman's stomach and her long black scythe keeping her a nice distance away from her as she clawed for her. "Sorry. Just a pest –"

"Oh so I'm a pest now?" the intruder growled back. "I raised you girl!"

"You did not," Sophie huffed.

"Did so!" she huffed back.

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not!"

"So!"

"Not! Undertaker –"

"That's who he calls himself now?" the woman laughed lightly. "Now give me a hug –"

"Ew no," Sophie narrowed her eyes.

"_**Aw~**_ don't be that way –"

"Chloe you'll just slobber on me again!" Sophie shivered in disgust.

"That's no way to treat your teacher!" Chloe huffed, whimpering her bottom lip. "And a-after all we've been through," she sniffled, "w-we're almost like family –"

"Alright," Sophie let the scythe evaporate in between her fingertips, "but – AAGH! Chloe!"

Sophie groaned in disgust, her body completely being trapped in a tight hug. "Oh so cute!" she squealed as she swung Sophie around. "But you're turning into a miniature angry version of Undertaker," she huffed in disgust.

"So what?" Sophie groaned feeling rather dizzy. "Now let go please…"

"Nope," Chloe giggled as she kept a vise grip on Sophie and cuddled her close.

"_**Shit**_…" Sophie groaned and closed her eyes in defeat.

"Mrs. Serbus who is this woman?" William said sternly.

"Oh isn't he **Mister Grumpy**," Chloe puckered her lips and set Sophie down on the ground, causing Sophie's legs to give out underneath her and she rolled over to the side. "You know what," Chloe said as she pointed a finger at the taller man and poked him in the chest, "my sister is a director around here and I don't think she'd like to hear that her little sister got assaulted –"

"Chloe can it," Sophie groaned as she stood up and picked up her hat.

"_Awwwww~_ but I want to piss someone off and I haven't done it today," she sighed in a dramatic fashion.

"What is **that**? Your goal for the new year is to piss someone off once a day?" Sophie sighed.

"Yep," Chloe giggled.

"Okay whatever," Sophie shooed her a little. "Mr. Spears this is Chloe Obki, a… uhhh _**friend**_, and Chloe this is William T Spear –"

"Hey that's the shinigami you and Alex call Mr. Tyrant right?" Chloe asked.

The others snickered as William narrowed his eyes and moved his glasses on his face. "Chloe…" Sophie grumbled under her breath and shook her head.

"Hey when are you free?" Chloe yelped. "I don't know how long I'll be in town so –"

"I don't know, I don't know!" Sophie sighed in a very tired way and narrowed her eyes at her, "but I just want to clock out right now. Can't we go over this later?"

"Fine, whatever," Chloe shrugged. Then Chloe pulled her hands through her short hair, her blue and black hair rustling behind her as she dramatically let out an annoyed huff. "I'll see you later _wif~e~_" she winked her one-iris green eyes at her, suddenly disappearing and teleporting herself out of the building.

Sophie just shuddered, turning around to meet the gaze of her coworkers. "What?" she shrugged as if everything was nothing.

"What? What?" William growled. "Who is she? A shinigami?"

"A _none-of-your-beeswax_," Sophie shrugged, "because I promised her I wouldn't tell a soul. Anyways I'm going to go home… this is a long day. See you Grell." She gave them a wave and turned the corner into the main hallway.

"… I like that girl already," Grell grinned and giggled lightly.

"Great. Another person who gives me a headache," William grumbled to himself as he began to ascend back up the stairs.

"Hah! That was hilarious," Eric laughed, leaning against Ronald who was also laughing and leaning against a wall.

"Tyrant? I love that name! Mr. William _**Tyrant**_ Spears!" Ronald laughed.

"… Yeah that's pretty funny," Alan admitted with a chuckle.

"If anyone calls me _Tyrant_ one more time I will give you a mountain of overtime for the next **month**," William snarled as he walked continued up the stairs and disappeared.

Grell chuckled to himself quickly, running right up after William to stop and talk to him. "Wow… I guess he's mad now," Eric shrugged, "but still funny!"

"Yep!" Ronald laughed. "And that girl… Chloe right?"

"Knox don't even think about it," Eric laughed. "She's probably a few centuries old."

"What?" Ronald gasped as he jumped away slightly. "How can you tell?"

"I have an eye for those things," Eric winked as he began to walk up the stairs. "Plus I know that Mrs. Obki, the DMD for this whole division, is told to be **at least** two thousand years old."

"Wait what!" Ronald gasped and jumped up again in shock.

"Coming Mr. Knox?" Alan asked as he began to walk up the stairs and after Eric.

"… Yeah," Ronald grinned again and ran up the stairs past Alan. Alan sighed, walking slowly up the stairs and rubbing his chest in an uncomfortable way. "Hey you okay?" Ronald asked, causing Eric to stop.

"Y-yeah… I'm alright." Then Alan stood up tall and proud, passing the both of them on the stairs. "I only want to get back to work." Ronald looked up at Eric, who held a stern expression on his face. Ronald figured he shouldn't ask and ran after Alan, passing Eric as Eric watched Alan walk up the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"So did you and William make up yet?" Sophie said to the figure dressed in a black trench coat walking into the kitchen.

"… I guess," Grell shrugged as he set his coat aside and grabbed a pastry from a tray in Sophie's hand, "but it's on a trial basis. I think I got through to him about the job though… he won't have me reap infants anymore."

"Well there you go," Sophie smiled as she walked out of the kitchen and down the hall with Grell trailing behind her, "progress! See I told you that sitting out in a public place like a restaurant and discussing the situation civilly would help… but did it _really~_?"

"Actually yes," Grell chuckled lightly. "Thank you."

"Hey no problem!" Sophie smiled as they walked into the dining room where Anne was waiting for her desert. "Glad to help. Here you go ma'am."

"Thank you Sophie," Anne smiled as she dug into the desert placed in front of her. "Grell, whatever you had to do did it turn out well?"

"Yes_ ma~lady_," Grell grinned happily, "Great even! Will Sophie be staying tonight?"

"Well I wasn't planning on it –"

"But you must!" Anne gasped. "Your shinigami life may be livelier than your made up human life, but I would like to hear one of your stories tonight."

"R-really?" Sophie paused, "… well alright. Now?"

"Sure," Anne smiled, letting Sophie sit down with Grell sitting next to her. "Tell us _every~thing~_"

"Okay," Sophie chuckled. "I use the name Athena Ernest as my human name and, of course, my hair is different when I use it," she looked to her auburn hair and played with a strand for a while, "but before I disguised myself I still used the name, Athena, in my unit. After coming up with the perfect undercover name I just use it regularly… or used to that is."

"Why the name choice?" Anne asked as she grabbed a pastry and bit into the gooey center.

"I chose Ernest because it's an old name, Germanic, and it means to be serious. It also means something along the lines of being stern, moving forward in the face of battle. A battle to the death I guess," Sophie shrugged, "and I liked that aspect, _a battle to the death_, so I use it as my last name. Now Athena… well Athena is an ancient Greek name meaning wise. Since Sophia means wise I liked to keep the same meaning." Then she chuckled, "Though another reason is because of the goddess Athena from Greek mythology. I like looking up to her because she is a virgin goddess of wisdom and also of war. My mom told me about her when we went over ancient mythologies," she shrugged. "Also… I don't know… I feel that there's a deeper reason I use that name but I can't quite put my finger on it. Oh well…"

"I think it's a lovely name," Anne smiled. "Athena… Sophia, beautiful names."

"Thank you," Sophie chuckled. "It's nice that you like them. Now… can I say something that's been on my mind since I've met you?"

"Sure," Anne shrugged, pulling her plate away from Grell as his hand had snaked around the table to grab for her food.

"I… ummm… I used to be human," Sophie began to explain, "for seventeen years. I died when I was seventeen… but very recent ago. 1870 I believe… and… my father was a mortician… and he was a noble… so I went to a party and…"

"… Huh," Anne responded, "And?"

"At the party my relatives upset me and I took off," Sophie shrugged, "and… I danced… with The Juvéniles of Dance, which is what they called themselves at the time. We did a variation of Swan Lake and everyone was amazed to see me perform… and I danced the flamenco towards the end… ummm… I met you there Angelina, but you were younger than me at the time."

Anne paused, trying to remember as Grell only looked at the two of them curiously. "… a young lady they called the White Swan correct?"

"Yes!" Sophie laughed. "That's what they called me. You remember?"

"Vaguely," Anne laughed, "but I was sad to hear when you died – Oh god… Sophie? Mortician's daughter, Sophie? It's been **so** long! Do you still dance? Still go to balls?"

"Not really," she shrugged, "but only when I'm dragged to it. Actually in the supernatural world I'm, as you would put it, a 'grand duchess'? So I only go to balls unless I have to, obligations and all that."

"Grand duchess?" Anne gasped. "That's a large title to be calling yourself! Are you sure about that?"

"Trust me," Sophie chuckled. "If I wasn't serious about that I wouldn't have used the word. Okay, maybe not duchess, but our system of operations is different than a monarchy. So it's hard to put myself into those standards," she shrugged.

"How then?" Anne asked with sudden curiosity.

"Yes do tell!" Grell also asked, munching on a pastry that he obviously stole off of Anne's plate.

Sophie smirked. "Okay. Well we have a few different categories, but I come from a category of supernatural beings called Gods of Death. Shinigamis are a branch off of Gods of Death, but not necessarily. It's complicated, but to put it simply Gods of Death are usually headed by families. The oldest man in the family is in charge of the household for all affairs that concerns them. There are different degrees of families, but most are in hiding right now and either don't use their real names in society or do but don't go to social occasions often," she shrugged. "My family is famous for what we have done for the last two thousand years and has high prominence with natural and supernatural beings alike." Then she sighed, "The reason I am the one in charge is because I am the only survivor of my family. From our standing we can't just **give** the title away; plus my father doesn't have relatives so it's only me. I don't know what else to say, but that's the most of it."

"Interesting…" Anne thought aloud. "Serbus correct? Yes I think I've heard of you, but of a young man named Marius."

"I have been the head of the family for about fifteen years," Sophie sighed, "but Marius is my older brother. He actually died in my mother's womb, but for supernatural reasons that I don't want to explain because it's been a long time ago… I had him serve as the head of the family while I was working as a shinigami. That being said, I've officially been in charge for ten years. Right now I'm trying to establish my authority… but yeah Marius is my older brother."

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that," Anne frowned. "I didn't know…"

"Well no one else does," Sophie chuckled, "so it would be better if we don't spread that piece of information around."

"Of course!" Anne smiled. "I promise."

"Good," Sophie chuckled, continuing with the conversation as she grabbed a pastry off from Anne's plate before Grell could swipe another.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"… Hey do you hear that?" Anne asked as she heard moans and groans coming from the hallway.

"… I wished not," Grell grumbled, moving the blankets he wrapped himself in and rubbed his eyes. "Oh geeze… not again."

"Again?" Anne yawned, stretching and fiddling around with her red silky nightgown. "What is it?"

"Sophie… oOOF COouuurse," Grell yawned and slowly stood up. "I better tend to her –"

"I'm coming with you," Anne said as she jumped out of bed faster than Grell and put a robe around her waist. "If she is to be my servant then I **must** know everything about her, even nightmares."

"Okay fine," Grell grumbled as he also grabbed a robe and put it on, leading out the door with Anne trailing behind him. "… Do you think this is a good idea to let Sophie in on our _**plan**_?" Grell figured he should ask, "Because she may be a good friend of mine… like a daughter actually, but this could turn out bad for both you and me if she knows everything."

"Don't you trust her then?" Anne asked, raising an eyebrow. "She said she would keep everything secret. And… now that I know who she is… you know she used to make my day a lot brighter at balls when we were young," Anne chuckled to herself, letting out a sigh as she continued to think. "Oh… she was good at pointing out everyone's flaws and who would go right with whom. Actually, overtime those people ended up with each other, if you can believe it."

"Like who?" Grell decided to ask.

"My sister for one," Anne shrugged, "and Mr. Vincent Phantomhive… oh… I loved him, but Sophie said that because of his underworld work he would probably go for a woman who is naive. Sure, Vincent and I had lovely conversations, but my sister… wasn't one to ask questions…" Then Anne let out a sad sigh, "Yeah… she got several relationships correct. Sophie told me to not go for a man like him, but still… well you already know," she shrugged. Once they got to the door Grell opened it for Anne, letting her proceed into the room first. Anne peeked in, watching as Sophie tossed and turned in her sleep, whimpering to herself. Grell only sighed, rushing over to her to wake her up, but Anne shoved him lightly away and woke her up herself. "Sophie… Miss mortician wake up now."

"N-no…" Sophie groaned as she gripped hold of the sheets before her eyes shot open full of fear. "Oh… sorry if I awoke you two," she sighed as she stretched as if the dream she wasn't bothering her.

"… What was **that**?" Anne asked.

"I-I … have nightmares. Sorry… maybe I should have warned you," Sophie sighed, "but I usually don't sleep this long. I figured I would just rest my eyes, but I fell asleep and –"

"Hey Sophie you're coming to sleep with us," Grell huffed.

"W-what?" Sophie practically jumped out of the bed and almost fell out. "Grell I'm a virgin! A-and if you two are doing something I don't want to get involved –"

Her shouts were died down as she listened to Grell and Anne laugh hysterically. "What? Oh, as gullible as always," Anne laughed. "No, what Grell means is do you want to just sleep in the bed with us? No funny business or anything… just sleep."

"… I don't know… I don't want to be a bother," Sophie said as she looked at the two of them suspiciously, "and I'm not a kid," she huffed insulted.

"Yes you are!" Grell smirked, jumping onto the bed and causing Sophie to yelp and back away from him. "You are my little lady right? Well a lady can be afraid sometimes right?"

"But a lady also sleeps in her **own** bed," Sophie huffed.

"_Not always~_" Anne grinned, "and besides, if you want to stay here then you have to obey **my** rules, understand? The rule is that little Sophia has to sleep with one of us every night, alright?"

"… Did Grell tell you something?" Sophie frowned, "Because I haven't told anyone about my problems sleeping and such."

"Yes," Anne nodded, "plus I need to know my workers' problems and concerns. I wouldn't be a good mistress if I let everything lay on the waste side."

Sophie blinked, still unsure of the whole situation but nodded in agreement as she only wanted to go back to sleep. "Okay… fine," she sighed and yawned into her hand, "I guess… I can do that. Just… tell me what you know first."

Anne smiled, "You have nightmares every night and have problems sleeping. That's all Grell told me and I'm fine with this. Plus if you don't want to tell me these things you don't have to, but you should sleep _**properly**_ Sophie."

"Now come to bed," Grell grinned, grabbing Sophie's waist and picking her off of the bed.

"Hey you!" Sophie growled, suddenly feeling shy about being picked up roughly. "Just!... Grell no!" she whimpered and hid her face into her sleeves.

"_Aaaaww~_… she's like Ciel when he's picked up," Anne giggled, poking Sophie's cheek as she whimpered back. "Let's not waste time. I want to get," she yawned, "my _beau~ty_ sleep."

"Geeze," Sophie grumbled to herself. "You two are mean."

"It's only because we care," Grell grinned and sneaked in a quick peck on her cheek. Sophie lifted up her head and frowned, her face turning bright red. "Plus I know how you get when you sleep _all~_ alone, by _yourself~_. Now you don't have to worry right?"

"… Okay…" Sophie nodded, still rubbing her face to get rid of the redness in her cheeks as they walked down the hall. "But… what about Undertaker?"

"_Oh him~?_" Grell huffed, "He gets you all to himself! I honestly think he's greedy," he grumbled. "I want to take care of you_ too~_ like I used to."

Sophie smiled, a small giggle escaping her lips as she set her head on his chest. "Okay… but don't do that again. I'm getting dizzy."

"Alright, I _pwwa~mise_," Grell giggled and snuggled his cheek against hers.

Anne opened the door for Grell as he brought Sophie in, plopping her down on the bed before crawling back in himself. Grell and Anne looked at each other as they sat back into the bed, noticing that Sophie instantly went back to sleep. "Is she always like this?"

"Yeah," Grell sighed, "but I know she's just being tough. Sophie actually likes to be cuddled, but maybe being gone for so long from those who care about her has made her fearful of others."

"Like little Ciel…" Anne thought to herself, letting out a tired sigh as she turned in the bed and looked over at Grell.

"I know this must be hard for you –"

"No. I actually like this," Anne chuckled lightly. "She is like a little daughter I've always wanted."

"Same here," Grell chuckled back, wrapping his arms around Sophie's waist and letting her scoot to him in her sleep. "We shinigamis… we can be rather lonely all the time; that's why having someone like Sophie around is a nice change of pace. When we first met I only thought of her as a kid, but after a long time she grew on me. I don't know… she's one of the closest to my heart right now, right next to you Angelina," he confessed.

Anne smiled, "I think it's nice what you're doing for her, even if Sophie doesn't know it yet… she seems to be slow with the details."

"Yeah," Grell chuckled, lightly laughing it off till he heard his voice fade away. "… We better get to sleep. A big day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Anne nodded as she closed her eyes. Then she let out a surprised yelp, feeling one of her hands being pulled closer to the center of the bed. "Grell what are you doing?"

"Just letting you get comfortable," Grell grinned, setting Anne's hand around Sophie's waist and intertwining her hand with his. "Sophie doesn't mind… now let's sleep."Anne looked over before setting her head back down, making sure Sophie was really asleep, and then went right to sleep letting Sophie shift a little and pull her hand closer to them.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: _Aw~ _that's right. The fluff doesn't have to be with just Sophie and Undertaker XD I hope you guys liked this chapter! For clarification, I'm trying to show a more motherly side to Grell. I think that's how Grell's and Sophie's relationship would be since he had to take care of her when she was being brought in for questioning 15 yrs previous, and they bonded of that. Plus I like Madame RedxGrell, but not in a 'just have sex all the time' context. Honestly I would think Grell would have a close relationship with Anne… but hey maybe that's just me. I don't know =O Whatever though. I just liked it ^^**

Chloe – Greek – green shot


	41. The Invader

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Just so you know: yes Sophie is still angry, but since Jericho is _somewhat_ her boss and visa versa then she can't just kill him. Plus he's rather persistent… but I think that's all I need to say about that relationship. I'm sorry if I haven't been updating a lot. I can't really write my story as much as I would like (since my laptop was down), so I'm only reading chapters over. I'll be back to posting and writing and answering questions ASAP. And ENJOY! (sadly I don't know what else to say… ^^')**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie yawned to herself as she walked over to her desk, sipping on her cup as she began to look over her paperwork. "Hey nice to see you early for once," she heard from behind as someone loomed over her shoulder.

"Hey Jericho," she yawned and sipped from her cup again. "Anything wrong?"

"… Actually there is," he huffed, stealing her cup, "because you're back to drinking coffee again?"

"I slept well, but there's still something on my mind… that's all." She grabbed her cup back from his hands roughly and drank from it again, signing a few forms and then handing them over to Jericho. "Since you're here take that," she said shoving them into his hands, "and by the way, how long do you plan on staying?"

"I'm going to be here till everything is cleared up between us," Jericho shrugged, "and perhaps longer? Still deciding about that."

"I see…" Sophie narrowed her eyes before shrugging it off and going back to her work. "_Ugh~_ guess what happened."

"What?" Jericho asked with curiosity as he grabbed a vacant chair and sat down.

"Chloe is back," Sophie grumbled, "and she's going to drive me up the wall!"

"Oh she's back from Argentina?" Jericho asked, "How was that?"

"Fine I'm guessing," Sophie shrugged, "but I don't know how long she's staying…"

"For a week!" they heard from behind, causing Sophie to shriek in surprise and bang her head against the wall of her cubical.

"Chloe!" Sophie yelped as she rubbed her sore head. "… geeze… Are you going to _**work~**_ this time?"

"That's _boring~_" she grumbled. "No, I'm here to get you into this," Chloe giggled holding up a white shirt and a skirt with a brown/red and white/gold pattern on it.

Jericho chuckled while Sophie shuddered with disgust, "Chloe… I'm **not** wearing **that**."

"Oh come on!" Chloe huffed as she twirled the skirt around her. "It's native! Oh you just **have** to try it! Besides that black outfit you wear all the time is an eyesore," she grumbled.

"… If I wear this, **only once**, will you stop having me wear things?" Sophie sighed.

"Yes!" Chloe giggled and threw the outfit at her. "Now come on to the bathroom!"

"Wait one more – aaaAH!" Sophie yelped, grabbing the clothes on her lap as Chloe pulled her off of her chair and swung her around. "Stop! You'll make me throw up!"

"Oh okay," she giggled, letting go of Sophie's hand as she was thrown across the hall and slammed into a wall next to the door leading into the women's bathroom.

"Look… I'm a bit busy and I think wearing this all day will make me look silly –"

"I know what you're thinking," Chloe winked as she magically pulled out another outfit from behind her back. "I have one for Jericho too!"

"W-wait," he chuckled nervously, "I-I think this is unprofessional to go around wearing **that**."

"Don't worry about it!" Chloe giggled.

Sophie groaned as she pulled herself off of the ground. "… Why?"

"We're going dancing tonight!" Chloe cheered and pushed her into the bathroom.

"What a secon! –" Sophie yelled, Chloe closing the door and keeping it closed with her foot. Sophie pounded on the door as loudly as she could, making a ruckus and trying to break the door down. "Don't trap me in here!" she kept yelling and screaming at the door.

"It will go by faster if you only put the outfit on," Chloe huffed, slowly smirking once she heard the woman trapped grumble to herself and stopped pounding on the door. "Now," she grinned, throwing the outfit at Jericho, "put it on."

"… And why would I go along with this?" he snarled.

"Because I am your elder and you love me," she grinned and giggled at the his ticked off face and the slight twitch of his eyebrow as he tried to stare her down. "Plus do you want Sophie to go to a pub alone… by herself… with little old me and a bunch of other men, _hmmm~?_ –"

"Alright I'll do this!" Jericho huffed, "but this better not interfere with our work."

"Trust me shrimp," Chloe said in a monotone demeanor, "you two need a break. Now put it on, _'kay~?_" she giggled.

"Fine," he groaned as he grabbed the outfit and walked into the bathrooms right next to the women's bathroom, obviously the men's, "I will do this… but we're not together anymore, you know that right?"

"I'll believe you once I see it," Chloe huffed, "now run along." Jericho shook his head as he walked into the bathroom, Chloe still holding the door closed with her foot as she waved to the shinigamis coming in early for the day.

!#$%^&*()

"No!" Sophie yelled from the bathroom as she held the door handle shut.

"Come on let me see," Chloe sighed.

"But this outfit is **ugh** and I can't be seen in this," Sophie huffed. "Come on! I'm too used to darker outfits anyways. Nothing in this outfit is black… I don't like it."

"Just let me see girl!" Chloe grumbled pulling on the door.

"… but I don't like it," Sophie huffed again.

"Hey come on," Jericho said from behind the door, "I don't like this outfit either. If you won't wear it then I won't either."

"Hey wait a second –"

The two of them paused, watching as the door slowly opened and Sophie poked her head from behind the door. "… Do I **have** to wear this? Can't I wear something else?"

"How about the kimono?" Chloe said. Sophie shook her head. "The Maltese outfit?"

"… Something more ancient?" Sophie shrugged. "Besides it is not time to wear all this festive clothing anyways –"

Chloe grumbled, "Oh alright! Just come out here."

Sophie sighed, opening the door and walking out of the bathroom. She looked over at Jericho who was wearing a similar outfit, except he was wearing pants and a small brown hat tied around his chest. She tugged on the bottom of the dress and grumbled, trying to look away from the stares. "Well?..."

"Awe so cute!" Chloe gasped, "and now –"

"Hey enough!" Sophie huffed back. "Something else! – How about that outfit you got me a few years ago?"

"Huh? Which one?" Chloe asked.

"The one that's black and has jangles –"

"No!" Chloe huffed. "Didn't you **just** say that you need to be professional around the office –"

"But it's _**cute~**_! And it fits me like a glove," Sophie quivered her bottom lip. "Right Jericho?"

"Ahhhhh…" he said, his cheek blushing as he thought about the outfit Sophie was talking about. "I ummm… that's not exactly something you should wear –"

"But it's cute! And if you want something cute then why not that?" Sophie huffed. "… Awe is Jericho embarrassed?"

"No!" he huffed. "I mean… hey if you want to wear it I guess –"

"Great!" Sophie giggled. "Is that alright, hmmm?"

"Actually yes! I want to wear my belly dance outfit also," Chloe smiled. "What's Jericho going to wear?"

"Don't worry about it," he shrugged, "I'll put something on."

"You better," Sophie huffed and flipping her foot around the corner as she walked back into the bathroom, "and it better match my outfit too. Now let me change – and girl get your butt in here!"

"Sweet!" Chloe giggled as she was pulled into the bathroom. Jericho sighed, looking at the time and grateful no one had come in to this level of the building yet.

!#$%^&*()

"Hey what's with that outfit?" Eric asked as Jericho stood outside of the women's bathroom.

"Oh this?" he shrugged. "Just something a certain little **someone** is making me wear… yet again," he sighed and shook his head, "and you are…"

"Eric Slingby," he grinned, "I work with Mrs. Serbus under William T. Spears."

"I see," he nodded. "Did you have a higher position before?"

"Yes," he sighed, "but I've always loved field work. I don't mind this… hey Alan about time!"

"Hi Eric and… ?" Alan tilted his head to the side and looked at the other shinigami's outfit. Jericho was wearing an Arab style outfit; wearing a light brown robe with a black and crimson red cloth around his waist. He had an old style kilij tucked in on the left side of the cloth and wore a colorful long cloth around his body and one end tucked into the black and crimson red cloth. He wore a light brown cloth on top of his head, pinned down by a black and crimson red cloth tied around his head. Jericho also wore brown leather sandals, which looked worn out and need to be replaced. "You are?"

"Jericho Serkan, the director for North American in the East. A little _lady~_ in there is making me wear this," he sighed as he ran a hand through his lavender gray and black hair, "but I'm not complaining. I haven't worn this in a **long** time. It's nice."

"Then hello," Alan chuckled as he held out his hand, "I'm Alan Humphries. I'm guessing you're talking about Mrs. Serbus?"

"Yes," Jericho chuckled and shook his hand. "Has she been good?"

"No problems whatsoever," Eric told him. "Though… Her and Mr. Sutcliff is probably giving Mr. Spears a headache," he laughed.

"**Mister** Sutcliff?" Jericho asked. "Don't you mean miss?"

"Yes he does!" came a voice from the stairs. Grell walked up the stairs and flipped his hair, suddenly pausing as he looked the new man over. "_Oh who's __**this**__~~?_" he grinned.

"… Jericho Serkan," he sighed. "I can see why Sophie speaks so highly of you. You were her mentor at the academy here in London correct?"

"That's right," Grell grinned. "Why are you wearing that anyways? –"

"Tada!" Chloe said triumphantly, jumping out of the bathroom and standing tall and proud. The shinigamis' mouths' dropped, staring at the outfit she was wearing. She was wearing tight dark blue and green bra and bikini panties. She had a light black fabric over her legs that hung over her arms, attached by gold fabric and gold bangles. Chloe also wore golden high heels and skipped a little as she spun around and showed herself off. "Hey Sophie come out here!"

The door opened, but then closed quickly again. "Why is everyone outside?" Sophie grumbled.

"What's with the commotion?" William growled as he walked out of his office and made it to the crowd of shinigamis. "… and what's that outfit?"

"…" Jericho sighed, tired of trying to explain things. "Sophie don't make me drag you out. We should start getting back to work."

"… I'm not sure about this again," Sophie sighed. "Do I have to wear this all day Chloe? Can't it just be tonight or something –"

"Nope! All day or no deal!" she giggled.

"But everyone will laugh," Sophie pouted, "and I **hate** being gawked at."

"No one will laugh!" Chloe chuckled, "Okay, bad answer, but you're hot so show it off!"

"… Meh…" Sophie sighed, slowly pulling the door back and poking her head out. "Oh god," she shied away and slowly retreated back into the bathroom. "Does everyone have to stare at me!"

"Yeah turn around perverts!" Chloe huffed, pushing on William's face and turning him away.

"What the hell!" William growled, getting snickers from the other shinigamis.

Jericho narrowed his eyes and pushed his way into the bathroom, getting a shriek from Sophie. Everyone turned back around and looked towards the door, not noticing Ronald as he snaked his way into the group. "Hey what's going on – Hot damn!" he gasped looking Chloe up and down.

"Oh?" Chloe turned to him, whipping her blue and black hair away from her head. "Thanks tadpole," she grinned.

"Tad-pole?" Eric chuckled, "I'm going to use that now. Hey tadpole how was your night?" he heartily laughed.

"Mr. Slingby!" Ronald pouted. "… Well it was great I guess," he shrugged, "and –"

The chaos paused as the door swung open again, revealing Jericho pulling Sophie out of the bathroom with her slung over his shoulder. "God damn it!" she cursed at him and kicked at his chest, pounding on his back and trying to get him to let her go. Then she let out an _**'oof'**_ as she was forced back on the ground. Jericho patted her on the head and chuckled, but still keeping a hold on her waist and keeping her close to his side.

Grell's eyes lit up in awe as he looked over Sophie's outfit. She was wearing a black and crimson red bra and bikini panties. The bra was tied around her neck and the black ribbon lay long against her back. She had a long light black fabric that fell down to her ankles, hiding off her legs and attached to her bikini. She had intercut white and silver designs on her outfit, silver jewelry hanging from her clothes. Sophie wore silver bangles and silver sandals that were in the style as her angelic sandals. She also kept a light black and crimson red fabric on her shoulders and pulled it tight around her body trying to cover herself up. "Sophie what is this!" Grell gasped with excitement and about to grab her in a hug, but Jericho took out his sword and pointed it at his neck, causing Grell to back off slightly.

"Jericho," Sophie growled as she tried to pull away from him, "damn we're not even together anymore. Stop being so protective!"

"Well I can't help it," he frowned as he put his sword back under his clothes.

"See told you!" Chloe laughed. "You two aren't over each other!"

"We're going **slow**!" Jericho and Sophie said at the same time, pausing for a second and looking at each other. Then they both coughed uncomfortably, blushed, and looked away, Jericho letting go of Sophie's waist and letting her push away from him.

"… _Awe~_" Grell smiled and fought off the nerve to pull Sophie in a bone-crushing hug.

"Grell…" Sophie sighed as she tried to hide her blushing face. "Oh god…"

"Hey guys –" Alex paused as he ran up the stairs, noticing the outfits Jericho, Sophie, and Chloe were wearing. "… so what are we doing tonight miss?"

"We're going dancing because Sophie over there needs to chill," Chloe giggled.

"Oh… alright," Alex sighed. "Hey should I tell Julia?"

"Yes –"

"No!" Jericho said, getting glances from the rest of them. "I mean… okay fine," he grumbled. "Go tell her… great."

Sophie grinned, "And also Margaret. I've been _dy~ing_ to talk to her. Hey this can be a perfect time to show you around town."

"To the cemetery?" Jericho asked, "At **night**?"

"Best time to go see a graveyard is at _night~_" Sophie giggled and poked his nose. "Okay so Alex go over and tell Margaret and Julia. We'll plan on getting off of work by six and –"

"Ehem," Alex coughed in his arm.

"What?" Sophie sighed.

"The drinking –"

"Hey you'll be there right?" Sophie winked. "Now let's get to work. I need to fill out forms all day," she sighed dramatically and walked over to her cubicle, daintily sitting down and began to work.

"See you lovebirds later," Chloe winked and disappeared. The rest of them just paused in shock, Grell breaking the tension by rushing over to Sophie while Jericho and Alex talked among each other and walked up the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Now Ben… What's with the snickering?" Sophie growled, the shinigamis yelping and turning away.

"… What do **you** think?" Ben sighed. "So how many of the pills do you have?"

"Enough," Sophie shrugged, "but I'm quickly running out. I don't know how long they'll last."

"I see…" Ben sighed again, unable to turn his eyes away from Sophie's outfit. Then he blushed, noticing Sophie staring at him and then rolling her eyes. She pulled her black cloak closer to her face, trying to hide away the outfit she was still wearing. "It looks good on you, Boss."

"Thanks," she chuckled softly before letting out a sigh, "but I'm tired of being looked at. It's almost time to go… I better put some makeup on or something."

"Oh go do that!" Ben smiled, "and in the meantime I'll tell Jericho and Alex." He chuckled lightly, "The women can't stop talking about him."

"I know," she said with disgust, "but oh well. Life goes on. I'm going to go," she waved to him and walked down the stairs. Once she got to the E level she was greeted by Grell. "H-hi?" she chuckled nervously, "What's up?"

"Nothing," Grell giggled, "but I'm going to help you with your makeup. Since I can't go tonight because of Anne you can go for me! So you need to be **extra** _sex~y~_"

"Nah its okay," Sophie waved him off as she walked by and towards her desk, "but perhaps you have some makeup I can borrow? I only have basic colors and I want to try something new. Plus **you** need to tell me if I look alright."

"Sweet! Where?" Grell tilted his head to the side as Sophie picked up her things to leave for the day.

"Wherever, but here at the office. Hey," Sophie suddenly realized, "how about that fabric room? It's probably collecting dust if no one is in it anymore."

"Perfect!" Grell cheered as he grabbed his own things and followed Sophie down the stairs, "but how will we get in?"

"I have keys," Sophie winked as they hustled down the stairs and towards the level that had the room they were looking for. Once they got to the door Sophie took out a ring of keys and the door clicked, Sophie holding the door for Grell as he switched on the light. "Wow…" she thought to herself, "it's been a while…"

"Yeah…" Grell sighed with a longing look on his face, "I miss this place, but it's for the best. No one wants to make their outfits _cu~stom made_ anymore."

"Maybe we should bring it back?" Sophie winked at him as she closed the door behind them and rushed over to a mirror. "I think we could! Sure I wear black all the time, but I can add other colors… plus my outfit is **already** different. Maybe I should go back to the suit and tie… I don't know."

"We have more time to think about it later," Grell huffed as he pulled out his emergency makeup supplies and set them down next to Sophie, "but right now you need to look good!"

"Hah! I **already** look good," she winked at him, taking off her cloak and extra accessories so she could start putting makeup on her face.

)(*&^%$#!

"You sure about **that**?" Grell asked as he pointed to her makeup as Sophie fixed the black rose clip in her hair and played around with the green ring hanging around her neck.

"The makeup is _fine~_ Grell," Sophie sighed as they walked up the stairs. "Trust me I **know** this is a heavy amount of makeup, but this is how they wore it back in the day."

"Oh…" Grell huffed slightly. "Okay then… if you say so. The heavy amount of black eyeliner is getting on my nerves."

Sophie grinned, "_I see_…" Once they made it to the E level Sophie walked back to her seat and sat down, deciding to wait till the others walked down the stairs. "Hey Ronald," she said in a monotone voice as he walked in and sat down at his desk.

"O-oh hi Mrs. Serbus…" he answered as he kept his head turned from her and his eyes on the papers in his hands.

"… Is something wrong?" Sophie sighed.

"N-no!" Ronald told her.

"Aw come on, I **know** there's something wrong. Is it this outfit?" Sophie grinned when he shook his head slightly. "Thought so," she sighed as she tilted back in her chair, "but it can't be helped. You're a guy after all."

"I had a question though," Ronald confessed.

"_Go~ on_…" Sophie grinned as she sat back up in her chair and leaned closer to his desk.

"How old is Chloe?" Ronald asked.

Sophie paused before a wide smirk appeared on her face. "She's at least two thousand years old."

"Really?" Ronald gasped in shock.

"Yeah," she said it was if the age difference was normal, "and that woman took me _under-her-wing_ as the term would be… or perhaps under-her-fin would be more appropriate," Sophie snickered. "Why?"

"Oh nothing… I'm about thirty three **that's** all…" Ronald mumbled to himself, looking at his desk and back at his papers.

"… It's nothing bad to be thirty three," Sophie shrugged, "Chloe never really cared about that stuff anyhow."

"Really?" Ronald asked.

"Yep," she grinned. "So did you graduate in 1874?"

"1877," Ronald chuckled, "I was held back a few times."

"That's alright," she shrugged, "Alex was also. Those tests were hard?"

"Well I changed the field I wanted to go into," Ronald shrugged, "but I graduated! Took me a few extra years, but it happened. Thanks to Mr. Sutcliff."

"It's _miss~_" Sophie rolled her eyes and sighed to herself, "and I wished you guys would recognize that –"

Sophie let out a surprised yelp as hands snaked around her shoulders, causing Ronald to jolt back by her sudden sound. "_Hello Sophia~_"

"Hello _Jericho~_" Sophie smiled, grabbing his arms and taking them off of her. "Hey Chloe," she smiled over at the woman standing next to him.

"Oh!" Jericho gasped suddenly, "I didn't notice you."

"You weaklings never do," she giggled to herself. "Are you ready?"

"Not yet," Sophie held up her hand. "I was talking to my young friend over here about calling Grell a _she_ instead of a _he_."

"Oh!" Chloe nodded. "Go on then. It's a nice lesson to learn. Did you know boy," she kept talking as she set an arm on Sophie's chair and leaned into Ronald's face, "that it's more polite to call a man or woman by the names they want to be called? For instance, I would rather be called Chloe then Mrs. Obki because: one that's my first name and I don't like my last name, and two… because I'm not a misses anyways."

"Huh?" Ronald paused in slight shock.

"What she _means_," Sophie decided to explain for him, "is that she was married and has been a widow for… two thousand years?"

"That's correct," Chloe nodded, "and I know that I like girls rather than boys after that _**ho~rrid**_ ordeal of having to be married. So if you try any funny stuff with me I'll have to pulverize you."

"See!" Sophie smiled at Ronald. "It doesn't matter if you're a guy or girl, but what **you** know you are. Be it man, woman, into men, into woman, whatever. Grell, isn't that right?"

"Exactly!" Grell grinned as he turned around in his chair and looked over at them. "A **very** good apprentice you are."

"So… what would you fit under?" Sophie asked, "I mean… just asking. I don't want to be rude –"

"Not at all!" Grell smiled as he scooted his chair closer to them, "but I figured _Ronnie~ _would know this by now."

"Know what?" Ronald asked.

"Clueless," Grell and Sophie shook their heads, causing Ronald to frown.

"I am _ob~viously_ a woman who is trapped in a man's body," Grell said simply with a grin on his face. "… Do they have a name for that?"

"I don't think we do," Sophie sighed, "because the humans don't. They don't think of this stuff in this society… it's a shame though. It would be easier to explain things. I wish the societies would see that there are beings out there that are into the same sex, into both sexes, and etcetera, but then again we don't care about those things as much or shouldn't… right Chloe?"

"Yeah," she shrugged, "but there's still mean beings out there. In the past they didn't care, but I had to marry some geezer I didn't like anyways. At least you youngsters have it easy," she sighed. "I wish I didn't have to be pushed into a marriage."

"Hey!_** I am**_over here," Sophie snarled, "and it's **not** fun."

"And that's what makes it funny," Chloe grinned. "Come on! Are we over this and can we go now?"

"Alright whatever," Sophie shrugged as she grabbed her stuff and pulled her black cloak around her body, "only trying to make a simple point."

"Geeze," Chloe grumbled as she shook her head with her hands crossed over her chest, "_'Making a simple point'_. Just like your father."

"Oh is that a _problem~_?" Sophie pouted and then smirked as she gave Ronald and Grell a slight wave as they began to walk down the hallway. "Where's Alex?"

"Clocked out early to get Julia," Jericho shrugged, "and Margaret should be waiting for us."

"Then let's go!" Sophie jumped up and pulled Jericho along to the stairs, "and drink ourselves half blind!"

"… That's not why we're going," Jericho sighed.

"Yeah it is," Chloe grinned, giggling as Jericho's eyes narrowed at her. "What? We can't go out and have a little fun?" Jericho just shook his head and let Sophie drag him down the stairs and down the hallways.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Sexy girl!" Julia giggled, looking Sophie up and down as Sophie twirled around and then bumped Julia's side with her butt.

"Awe thanks! You're not too bad yourself," Sophie winked as everyone walked inside. "… are you sure this outfit is okay to go out with? You remember what happened in Honduras?"

"Oh yeah!" Chloe laughed hysterically. "That was fun!"

"Not for me," Alex sighed and grumbled to himself.

"Well this place is alright," Julia explained. "It's mostly a supernatural being hangout so I don't think anyone would mind your outfits."

"… So everyone will know about me?" Sophie huffed, "Oh great."

"That means I'll have to watch you _**closely~**_" Jericho smirked, getting a giggle from Margaret and Julia.

"Okay cool!" Chloe cheered as she pulled Sophie inside roughly with everyone following in behind them. Sophie gasped at Chloe's excitement, looking around the room at all the activity around the room. Luckily for her she was still wearing her black cloak around her neck, but Chloe was completely exposed. How she wasn't cold Sophie didn't know. "Over there!" she pointed, dragging Sophie to a big table in the corner and plopping her down in a chair.

"Agh!" Sophie yelped as she fell into her chair, Jericho catching it by the back before it flew back underneath her. "Oh… thanks Jay," she chuckled lightly as Jericho sat down next to her.

"No problem," Jericho smiled as he scooted his chair closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. "What will you be getting tonight?"

"Ummm… I'm in the mood for _de I~rish brew_," Sophie giggled with her horrible fake accent.

"Great!" Marius sat down with everyone else sitting around the table. "Just be mindful of the amount you consume Sophie."

"Gotch'a," she winked at him, placing her order with a waiter before everyone else did the same.

!#$%^&*()

After long fits of laughter and two mugs later, Sophie turned to Jericho and Julia with a smile on her face. "_So~_… Jericho have you told her yet?"

"Told me what?" Julia asked.

"We're back together Julia," Jericho told her before letting a sigh escape his lips. "I know that you and father don't approve but –"

"Hey I'm fine with my brother dating!" Julia held up her hand in defense, "but I don't see why you two can't be together. The most I heard about your conversations with father is he disapproves, but why?"

Sophie smiled, drinking down the rest of her beer before she continued. "You know how powerful the Serbus family is right?"

"Yes," Julia nodded in understanding.

"Well," Sophie sighed, "my family wants me to marry a man who can protect me. You know how I get. I can be fine one second and be unable to control my powers the second… sure I have been able to control it better over the years, but it's still a problem. Actually, Jericho could be on the list, but since he is not the head of his family and still in the parting stage… well **that's** why."

"It's sad that everything is like that," Julia frowned, "but aren't you the oldest, brother?"

"Yes, but for some reason father does not want me to become the head," Jericho grumbled. "Sophie, did I tell you why my father won't let me be the head?"

"No," Sophie shrugged, leaning her head on his shoulder and looking up to his eyes, "but you can tell me if you want."

Jericho smiled, "Okay. Father is old, several thousand years old now, and… he became bitter around 1100. You know about what happened then right? My father was fine with this council, these shinigamis, but then so many of our kind died. I am the tenth child, you see, and I had an older brother who he gave the oath to… but he was one of the **first** to go," he sighed. "He was one of the first Gods of Death to die under the council's rule. I was lucky to survive, but so many of us didn't make it. I **am** powerful, I will admit that, and I have been training for centuries to be powerful and take on the responsibility to be the head of the Shezmu family, but… father is against this."

"I can see why," Julia admitted as she took a swag of her beverage, "but have you tried convincing him?"

"Countless times," Jericho shook his head, "and I **know** that he was the one that got me transferred to the Americas." Then he surprisingly smiled, "but I don't regret it because that's where I met Sophie," he kissed her on the cheek before letting out a tired sigh, "but he still won't listen to me."

"I can try with you," Sophie smiled. "I may be a woman, but I have a say in this. If your father can't take it then we should just keep it secret till the time is right."

"And I will back you up!" Julia cheered. "I can't have one of my best friends and my big brother depressed over this. Plus father needs to know that there will be change. I can _fee~l_ it," she shuddered.

Jericho and Sophie chuckled at Julia, Julia giggling when Sophie set her head down on Jericho's shoulder. "Thanks you guys," she chuckled to the two of them. "You're so kind to me… but I don't deserve it."

"Don't say that!" Jericho grumbled. "You say that _**all the time~**_ and I know that's not true. Even with that dark… whatever soul thing is in you, I don't believe you're bad. I **won't**. Plus if you're as evil as you say, what does that make me? A deranged lunatic?" he grinned.

"Yes," Sophie and Julia said at the same time, laughing at each other as Jericho growled.

"**Hey**!" he frowned, grabbing hold of Sophie's waist and pulling her onto his lap. Sophie squeaked, trying to shift her body away from his cold hands.

"What's going on here?" a young boy said, walking up from behind Julia and causing Jericho to narrow his eyes at him.

"Oh you're here Fillin?" Julia giggled as he chuckled back and sat down next to her.

"_For now_," he said, "but don't tell anyone that I escaped," he whispered to them.

"…Fillin?" Sophie said before gasping before she jumped off of Jericho and hurled herself at Fillin into a tight hug. "It's so long! You've grown – oh my gosh!"

"Sophie?" his eyes watered, accepting her hug as he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her closer. "You're back? Oh my god! I've missed you!"

"Same here," she giggled back, letting go of his back and standing up.

"… Wow," Fillin said in slight shock, looking at her attire. "That's… wow Sophie. You're so beautiful."

"Thanks," she grinned as she pulled up a chair and sat next to Jericho, scooting closer to Fillin, "and you're not so bad yourself," she winked. "So how are things? How's the pack? Your father?"

"Father died," Fillin sighed, "Several years ago and I've been in charge of the pack ever since. Though the demons seem to be accumulating around here…"

"Yeah I have the same problem," she sighed. "Hey can I talk to you later about that? Not tonight, but I am trying to get as much information about the situation before they try something funny."

"Of course," he nodded and watched as Sophie took out a small booklet. "… You're the Dark Rider aren't you?"

"Yes," Sophie chuckled, "how could you tell?"

"I had an assumption," Fillin shrugged, "and I heard the stories. Plus I hear you have a little schedule book, so there you go."

"Yeah," she chuckled, "I would forget things if I didn't have **this**."

"Now how about a week from now?" Fillin thought, "Or rather two days from then?"

"Nine days from now would be fine," Sophie smiled.

"Great," Fillin nodded, watching as Sophie wrote it down in her book before putting the book back away in her bag.

"I have a feeling that whatever is happening around here will go down in a few more days, but even if I have to talk to you afterwards it's better than **never**. There will probably be demons and other creatures that don't attack and will rise up later, so better to be prepared," she shrugged. Then her eyes lit up when her mug was filled again by a passing waitress. Sophie grabbed her drink and glugged it down, Fillin and Julia laughing at her as she finished the mug in several quick gulps.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Yep they're back together! You can thank Chloe for that XD I figure you guys will be asking 'you said this is UndertakerXOC!'. Well calm down! We're still not there yet ^^' Geeze… I like to build up to stuff like that =3 (and now I get pummeled by flying rocks and crumbled paper. *eeEEEPP!*) Anyways thank you for your comments! I hope you guys have liked the story so far. Go ahead and give me your comments on it. I feel I may be straying away from what I had depicted for certain characters, so if you feel that way too then tell me. I will gladly switch the chapters a little to compliment your guys' ideas. THANK YOU! X3 (and I'm sorry for not posting this on Friday like I promised. I was going to, but my laptop didn't work when it comes to logging onto . (I don't know why but it doesn't) So I will be answering your questions and posting chapters before the weekend now. I don't think I will be able to answer questions on a weekend. Sorry about that the inconvenience. I'll see what I can do there, but I won't be making promises .)**

Kilij – Turkish – type of saber; curved cavalry swords


	42. The Skeptical

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Huh… I don't know what's going on with , but somehow I can answer your comments again XD Whatever! Anyways I hope you guys are doing well. I don't know what else to say except that school is killing me! Well I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie giggled to herself as she opened up the gate leading into the cemetery, pulling on Jericho's hand as he chuckled. "You don't say," he laughed, getting quiet once he walked into the cemetery and the gate closed behind them. "So… this is where the renowned Sophia Serbus lived?"

"Yep," she smiled as she kept a tight hold on his hand while they walked along the path side by side. "My gravestone is even here. See at the top?" Sophie pointed at the gravestone as they walked past, making their way up to the giant tree at the top.

Jericho smiled, chuckling as Sophie began to dance and move her hips. "Oh what is this?" he asked as he placed his hands on her hips.

"Hey I wasn't going to dance while I had all those eyes on me," she smirked. "And also," she quietly whispered, leaning into his face and breathing against his lips, "this performance isn't for anyone else."

Jericho pulled her body closer to his; Sophie slamming her lips against his and moaned lightly as he rubbed her back. "Jericho…" she sighed, letting his hands roam around her stomach and all along her back. "I miss this."

"So do I," he sighed, sitting down on the ground and pulling Sophie down with him. Jericho leaned against the tree and Sophie leaned against him, gazing up to the bright stars above. "I am sorry about everything," he said as he looked up to the sky.

"… It's alright," Sophie giggled and pressed her head against his chest. "I didn't give you time to explain everything… Honestly I'm still not happy about my anger towards you, but I still love you and will love you just as much as I did when we first met."

"And I love you just as much," he grinned, kissing her lips again and gently pushing her head into his, deepening the kiss.

Then they parted, Sophie giggling again and leaning against his chest, but still looking up to his eyes. "I can't believe Marius showed up. He never does that."

"I think it's because of that girl… Margaret correct?" Jericho thought to himself.

"Yes," Sophie laughed lightly, "and I'm not surprised. I don't think the two of them know it yet… but in due time they will. Only Marius' situation… I don't know how that will last."

"My thoughts exactly," Jericho sighed. "So let me see, when was the first time we met?"

"Actually it was when I just moved," Sophie shrugged. "I was on one of my first actual missions. I hadn't recovered all my powers yet and… well there were demons and you came and saved the day. I didn't even get your name till years later," she chuckled.

"Then the first time, or I guess second," Jericho thought, "was January 23, 1879 –"

"And it was on Lake Superior while the ice was frozen," then Sophie chuckled, "or you **thought** that until you fell in."

"Hey I didn't know!" Jericho huffed. "Besides, I was being attacked by a mob of demons and the ice was beginning to thaw."

"At least I saved your ass before you fell in," Sophie smiled.

"Oh yeah…" Jericho chuckled lightly. "Then… the moment I fell in love with you was when I saw you playing your flute up on that ridge. It was impressively beautiful… and so were you."

Sophie chuckled, shifting in his lap to look up to the stars. "Aw yes. I was wearing my native outfit… which I do have to say was soft!" she chuckled. "And with me was … when I was in Chicago and you were playing the piano at the bar. It was magical. It reminded me of when my mom would play for me before she passed away."

"And now I can't stop thinking of you," Jericho smirked, planting a kiss of her forehead and then looking back up to the sky. "You know, if we really are in a relationship then how will it work under this society we are brought up in?"

"I don't know," Sophie said sadly, "I don't know… but even if I have to leave I'd rather be with you then with some rich snob that thinks I'm just another wife among an assortment of other women. I want to be loved! Not placed in a corner and put down when they're tired with me…"

"I know," Jericho smiled as he rubbed her stomach, "I know…" Sophie smiled back and closed her eyes, a joyful sigh escaping her lips as he continued to rub her stomach. Jericho chuckled after a while and closed his own eyes, quickly opening them when he heard a rustling from behind them. "What's that?" he snarled lowly, taking out his kilij swiftly and slowly in a way that did not disturb Sophie's sleep.

"Hi Undertaker," Sophie yawned, lifting up her head and rubbing her eyes.

"Oh?" Jericho said, putting his sword away back behind his clothes.

"Sorry," she chuckled as she stretched her arms, "but I was showing Jericho around town."

"Jericho huh?" the Undertaker grinned as he skipped out from behind his hiding spot and over to them. "What are you doing with my little maiden, _hmmm~?_"

"I-I uhmm… good sir," Jericho chuckled uncomfortably.

"Jericho this is Undertaker, the mortician here and my father." Then Sophie giggled lightly, "He raised me since I was eight, you know. I told you about him."

"Aw yes," Jericho nodded in understanding.

"And Undertaker this is Jericho Serka –"

"Actually I am Jericho Shezmu," he said as he held out his right hand for the Undertaker to shake.

"Wait now," Sophie pouted, "I thought you didn't **want** anyone to know your real last name."

"Yeah," Jericho shrugged, "but he is your father. I can't lie Sophie… I love you too much for that."

She cracked a smile, chuckling lightly. "Oh alright," she shrugged and shifter her head away from them, but still blushing madly as she looked away.

"Undertaker, sir?" Jericho said, still holding out his hand towards him. Then he retreat his hand back to his side, noticing the mutual expression on his face.

"Dad?" Sophie frowned.

"Is _this~_ the man that was giving you a hard time?" Undertaker answered, Sophie noticing his green eyes glaring at Jericho from behind his silver bangs.

"Yes, but I forgave him now," she smiled lightly and leaned her head against Jericho's chest again. "It's okay… hey if I knew that you would be this angry then I wouldn't have wanted to tell you this way."

"Oh I'm not_ mad~_" the Undertaker grinned again and walked closer to them, "but rather, I don't like it when a _young __**boy~**_ is wrapping his arms around my little maiden… especially when you wearing an outfit revealing _too~_ much."

Sophie frowned, letting out a huff as she crossed her arms over her chest, "What? You don't like how I dress now? Plus it's not like I wanted to wear this today. Mrs. Obki made me."

"Fiona?" Undertaker questioned her.

"No," she shook her head, "Chloe, her sister."

"_Awww~_" he chuckled, "Well that explains it." Then the Undertaker knelt down, leaning into Sophie's face and ignoring the fact that Jericho was even there. "Now where have you been all _this~_ time? I thought you would be home weeks ago."

"I… I'm undercover, and to keep an eye on my suspect I need to sleep over at the place they work at," Sophie huffed, "or not sleep at all. I'm just used to it… sorry for not warning you."

"… So you won't be home anytime soon?" he asked lightly.

"Nope," she shook her head. "Well… no. I don't think so… I still need to keep an eye on things."

The Undertaker let out a weary sigh, standing back up before placing another grin on his face. "I'd like to see you come by then. Once a week, _**at least**_."

"Okay," Sophie chuckled and grinned happily, "I will! Now come on Jericho, I'm going to walk back."

"Good," Jericho said as he let Sophie stand up first before he stood up himself, "because it's about time I get to sleep too. I'll walk you home."

"Oh?" Sophie huffed, "but you don't have to do that!"

"I insist," Jericho narrowed his eyes before giving her a grin. "I don't want some pervert grabbing you on the street. If we are going to be back together I don't want you with anyone else, and as a friend I don't want to put your life in danger. So I am coming with you."

"… alright," she sighed. "Bye Undertaker," Sophie smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll try to come by two days from now, but I won't guarantee it. I'm going to be busy for, at least, two weeks."

"_Come~_ while you _can~_" he giggled, kissing her on the cheek and letting her walk back over to Jericho. Then his smile waned, watching as the two of them walked down the path linked arm in arm and down the foggy streets of London.

!#$%^&*()

"I had a great night," Sophie smiled, "and thank you."

"It was all Chloe's idea," Jericho grinned, walking her up to the front of a mansion and letting go of her arm, hanging onto her hands. "I… what do you think will happen to us?"

"Something horrid?" Sophie chuckled, "I don't know Jay… I wish I did though."

He cracked a smiled, giving her a slow but deep kiss. "Same here," He sighed letting go of her hands and looking into her eyes. "I'm so happy you're taking me back, even though I had done horrid things."

"Hey, if I couldn't forgive anyone then what's the point of being in a relationship?" Sophie chuckled.

Then the door flew open, Grell standing at the door and glaring down at Jericho. "_Ahhemmm_," he grumbled with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Oh?" Sophie blinked, Jericho chuckling slightly.

"I guess it is time for me to go," he smiled, giving a quick peck on the cheek before giving a wave and walking back into the streets.

Sophie waved to him, letting out a blissful sigh as she turned around and walked into the mansion. "Wow," she chuckled, "talk about being protective."

"Hey! I'm going to let my little apprentice end up in some other guy's arms before I see him myself," Grell winked, poking her on the nose with his finger as they continued down the hallway. "… You love him don't you?"

"Yeah…" Sophie sighed before letting out a giggle, "but it's been several years now. Honesty we were just in a big fight… that's all…"

"Well I'm glad you're back together," he smiled, walking into a living room where Anne was sitting reading a book. "Do tell us what happened. I've been up _**all night**_ waiting for you to come back!"

"That so?" Sophie smiled, sitting next to Anne as she set her book down and looked her over. "I was meaning to ask you, who is this Ciel?"

"Hold it!" Anne gasped, "What _are_ you wearing? That's **not** very ladylike!"

"Chloe made me wear it," she chuckled nervously, "and it was either this sexy thing or something that is similar to the other clothes I've worn in the Americas."

"Chloe?" Anne asked.

"Like Grell she is a mentor of mine. Though not training me to be a shinigami," she said as she waved her hands in defense, "but a God of Death. It's similar, except for the rules. We don't have a lot of them, but enough that everyone is civil and not at each other's throats 24/7. That's all. Now back to _**my~**_ question, who's Ciel?"

"Ciel?" Anne asked again. "Where did you learn **that** name?"

"A couple of nights ago when Grell made me sleep in the same bed with your guys," Sophie shrugged. "I heard it as I was going to sleep. So? Who?"

"Ciel is my nephew," Anne decided to tell her. "Ciel Phantomhive –"

"Phantomhive?" Sophie questioned her. "Wait… so your sister married Vincent? Oh wow! I missed a lot didn't I?" she chuckled nervously before letting out a hearty sigh. "So how is your sister?"

"…Rachel and Vincent died in a fire," Anne said coldly, "and little Ciel was the only one who survived."

Sophie frowned, looking down to her hands in embarrassment, "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know –"

"That's alright," she quickly smiled, "I've gotten over it. Come now, let's get to bed."

"Alright," Sophie yawned, "but can I sleep alone tonight?"

"What?" Grell and Anne said at the same time.

"Yeah, sometimes it's just nice to sit alone in the dark and think for a while," Sophie smiled. "I don't think I'll be able to sleep tonight so…"

"That's alright," Grell chuckled. "Just holler if you need anything."

"Okay," Sophie smiled, waiting till Anne sat up before they all walked back to their individual rooms.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed to herself, closing the door behind her and dancing the waltz around the room. The bangles hanging from her clothes clattered in a rhythmic tune as she took off her black cloak and tossed it to the side. She sighed, sitting down on the bed and looking up to the ceiling. It was a tiring day, but she never has this much fun anymore! Usually it's work, work, and more work; shinigami and everything else. Only those times when Chloe appears out of nowhere to pull Sophie from her job to go and have fun is when she usually relaxes. Sure, tonight several men came up to her asking to dance and a few had their hands a bit too far down her waist, but nothing like a protective boyfriend socking them in the mouth and throwing them out to make the rest of the night perfect. She always loved the protective side of Jericho, though it **did** get frustrating at times. Just something she had adapted to, that's all.

Subsequently she sat up, walking over to the closet to look at the clothes Grell had set in there for her. She chuckled, noticing the assortments of red color all over the place. Tomorrow she was going to accessorize more, probably add the red colors that flooded the closet. Of course add her own tastes to her wardrobe, but she was getting sick of seeing black and white all the time and it was about time for some alternatives. Sophie sighed, slowly closing the closet behind her and looking down at the handles in thought. Yeah, it was about time to retire her outfit that she was accustomed to wearing for almost twelve years. Though the hat, what will she do with that?

Pondering over her choices she didn't notice that hands snaking around her waist, pulling her backwards swiftly. Her eyes widened and she tried to yell, quickly be muffled by a long black sleeve and a boney palm covering her mouth. Sophie looked up, her eyes coming into contact with a Cheshire cat grin plastered on her captor's face. "Undertaker?" she mumbled into his hand, a chuckle escaping his lips as he let go of her mouth. "W-what are you doing here?" she asked quietly, careful to not raise her voice too loudly to alert Grell or Anne about the intruder.

"I only wanted to see the fearful look on your _prr~etty_ face when I showed up," he giggled, laughing harder at the irritated look her face was making. "Not only that," he said in a quiet whisper, breathing into her ear and sending a chill down her spine, "but… you seem to be busy little maiden. Could you care to explain the situation to me, _hmmm~?_"

"I guess," Sophie sighed, wiggling from his grasp slightly and turning her body to face him. "I have been busy with work," she began, "with my transfer and other transfers I am conducting for shinigamis coming from the Americas and making their way here. Not only that, but when I conduct undercover work I try to keep a low profile. Since anything the suspect is doing is probably done at night, I have to follow them around all day and night." Then she sighed, "And that would be Grell. So when I saw his name I decided to conduct this investigation alone… okay? That's why I'm here. Plus Grell won't let me out of his sight now that he knows why I'm watching him," she mumbled to herself.

"So what about that God of Death, Jericho you called him?" the Undertaker asked.

Sophie raised an eyebrow, chuckling once she realized his intentions. "I see… you're threatened by him?" she asked.

"Not at all dear," he grinned, pulling on her waist so her face was several inches from his, "but when a boy _I do not know_ comes with my little maiden and fondles with her body like he owns her… well you at least have some explaining to do."

"Or else you'll start stabbing?" Sophie chuckled, letting out a sigh before collecting herself. "Well…" she smiled, running a hand through his bangs and parting them so she could see his eyes, "He's been my boyfriend for years now… eight I suppose?" she shrugged. "And he's sweet and funny and…" she couldn't help but sigh.

The grin on the Undertaker's smile vanished quickly, his face suddenly turning stern. "You… you love that man don't you?" he sighed with disappointment.

"Yes," Sophie smiled, but then frowned as she pressed her head into his chest and let him hold her tightly, "but… life is difficult. With our positions Jericho and I are perfect for each other, but as Gods of Death… He could be the one, but yet we have been told to split up for years now!… I'm tired of being told of what I should and could do. I really do love him and he loves me… and he's not trying to be with me because of my standing in society and my powers, but because he loves me… I don't know… I sorry that I didn't tell you, but I couldn't because the council wouldn't let me send letters to you… or I just didn't get any back? I don't know…"

"Sophia," he sighed, pressing her chin up with his long black nail so he could see into her eyes. Her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes shined brightly in the dark, but he could see that they held a luster of sadness and grief. Looking deeper he saw a tinge of hope shinning in her eyes, a hope that he could understand what she was trying to say. "… I can see that you love him so, but before you two get serious then you already are I want to meet him… **alone**."

"Why?" she questioned him, a frown creeping on her face.

"Because I am your father and I will not give away my little maiden to someone who doesn't love her," he smiled sweetly, leaning his face closer to hers and causing her to look deeply into his shinigami green and yellow eyes. "Plus _**t**__**u**__**mih**__**i~**_" he grinned deviously, placing his lips gently upon hers before he pressed her head in closer to him and deepened the kiss. Sophie moaned, suddenly gasping into his mouth as his cold fingers slowly slide down her back. Soon they parted and he stared back into her eyes, brushing a nail over her cheek and along her jaw line. "Now for leaving me for so long I think you need a _punish~ment_," he grinned.

"N-no," she shook her head, pushing away from his chest and closing her eyes tightly. "I-I didn't do anything wrong… and I don't want a punishment right now. I want to sleep… with you, since you're here," she confessed, looking back up into his eyes with a terrified look on her face.

Then the Undertaker's face softened as his hands kept a firm hold around her waist. Sophie smiled, pressing her lips back against his and wrapped her arms around his neck. Skillfully, and without Sophie noticing, he untied the ribbon on her back and her top fell to the ground. Then he pulled her closer to his body, her chest pressing up against his coat as she deepened the kiss. Sophie let out a gasp as they fell onto the bed, the Undertaker hovering over her as he looked down at her body. She began to blush again, a shiver going up her body as his hands crawled along her body and down to her panties. He quickly slipped them off and let them fall to the ground, pulling Sophie farther up on the bed and floating back over her face. "My god… you are beautiful Sophia."

She giggled and blushed, her hands clenching shyly to her body as she tried to cover herself up. "N-no…" she continued to blush, wiggling around under him till she felt comfortable on the bed. Then Sophie smiled and unbuttoned his coat and watched as he slipped off his coat and kicked off his boots. He gently set down his beads and lockets to the side of the bed, before proceeding to press himself firmly on top of her.

"It's true," he grinned, pressing his body on her and looked into her eyes. "Don't deny it," he said as he wrapped his hands around her body to remove spaces between them. "You truly grew into a _love~ly young maiden~_" he smiled, pressing his lips against hers and refusing to let her go.

Sophie smiled in the kiss, letting the Undertaker press his face into hers till she slowly lost her grip around his neck and soon fell asleep. Undertaker then let go, looking down at her as she lay on the bed passed out from her binge drinking. He smiled; giving her several more kisses along her jaw line, neck, and chest till he was satisfied. He pulled out the sheets from underneath them and pulled them over their bodies, laying down next to Sophie and letting her shift in her sleep as he kept a tight hold on her sleeping frame.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a content sigh, the previous night doing wonders for her mood. She walked with Marius at her side, making their way up to a large mansion. "Hopefully we'll be in and out before the day is done," she told him as they were greeted inside by several butlers. "Now remember, we are here to get information on the problems around here."

"Got that," Marius nodded, keeping close to Sophie as they were directed into a living room.

There sat several different God of Death heads, playing card games and passing the time talking among each other about businesses and politics. "Hello Teutas," she smiled slightly, sitting down next to an elder man as he sat on a couch and read a book in his hand.

"Serbus, long time no see," he smiled, shaking her hand and noticing Marius as he stood to the side and watched them. "What business do you have here? Usually you don't come by social events unless you have to."

"I have a question," Sophie began and getting straight to the point, "concerning the demons, angels, and etcetera that are making their way here. What do you know about the situation?"

Teutas nodded, "Ah I see… the being behind this is named _Earthborn_, but no one knows much about who he is and what he is doing here. All I know is he is heading up an army that is planning to strike at major cities around the world, mostly here in Europe. He seems to be looking towards taking something in England primarily, in London I'm assuming."

"I see…" Sophie frowned slightly. "How will they strike?"

"One after the other I'm assuming," he shrugged. "This war has been going on for centuries Serbus, but ever since the Black Death the two forces have been at a standstill. Who is fighting who, I do not know anymore. This has been an old game that no one seems to remember anymore," he sighed. "Perhaps you will figure out the two beings behind this game?"

"Perhaps," Sophie shrugged, soon standing up and ushering Marius back over. "Thank you for your time. This is short notice, but I need to collect as much information before they strike. I need to know if they are for or against me and my causes."

"Ah," Teutas nodded, looking back at his book. "I will assume against. They were against your father so they must be against you… unless you change that."

"We'll see," Sophie told him, "now I must depart. Good day."

"Good day," he nodded back, watching as Marius and Sophie left the room and chuckled lightly to himself. "That family," he shook his head, beginning to read his book again as the two siblings left the mansion without disturbing anything.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Chloe, for the last time I am not wearing that," Sophie grumbled.

"Hey now! I thought you had fun last time," Chloe chuckled, grabbing her hands and spinning her around. "How are things?"

"Alright," Sophie shrugged as she began her progress up the stairs, "but these advances by the other supernatural beings are putting me on edge."

"Oh those things happen _all_ the time," Chloe beamed, "and I don't see why your father tried to stop them… honestly I don't see the appeal. A new world order? _**Please~!**_ A bunch of hubbub to me."

"Chloe…" Sophie frowned, "it's not matter of my father then of **me**. I need to know what is going on here… that's why I have to keep fighting if they prove a threat to me."

Chloe just shook her head once they made it to the E level. "I worry about you, Sophie. I don't think you want to know the knowledge behind all of this… that's why it's been hidden away and forgotten."

"You don't get it," she huffed, "I can't protect the people I love if I don't know the reason behind the threats. Are they after me? My family? My friends? Or… just my soul? What if I can't protect myself the next time they attack me? What power will they gain if they take my soul? I **need** to know why it's such a big deal for me to be protected all the time."

Chloe paused, contemplating what she had said before cracking a smile. "… My advice, keep your soul safe," she said as she put a hand on Sophie's shoulder, "and don't let them destroy you." Then she vanished, leaving Sophie to ponder her warning before walking over to her desk to sit down.

"What a charming look," Alan complimented Sophie's new wardrobe as she turned in her chair and looked over at him. She was wearing a white collared shirt tucked into black dress pants and black leather gloves. She had a red and white ribbon tied around her neck in a bow and tucked under her collar. She had a brown vest buttoned up with her leather belt tied around her waist holding her two black guns. She had replaced her black cowboy boots, which had been falling apart over years of wearing them, to long black and buckled boots that were hidden under her dress pant legs. She had her long, tattered black trench coat that had a tie around the waist, which she set down on the back of her chair and placed her black cowboy hat on her desk. Her hair was tied back with a black ribbon, keeping her hair up so she could see her work. Lastly, and the thing that caught Alan's eyes in the first place, was the small silver jeweled skull pin attached in the knot of her ribbon and a larger silver jeweled skull belt buckle keeping her belt hanging loosely around her waist.

Sophie smiled, chuckling as she fiddled with a lock of her auburn hair. "Yeah… well this is a nice look for me, yes? Actually it was about time I retired my old wardrobe, but I think this is a nice new look to my previous one," she shrugged. "Since I'm not out running around in the desert anymore I don't have to care about my clothes getting dirty and dusty," she paused, "So… how are the pills?"

"Okay," Alan grinned happily. "They're a great help."

Sophie nodded, staring at him sternly as she thought to herself, "How many do you take a day?"

"I take one every five days," he smiled, "and Ben takes them every six."

"Ah!" Sophie grinned happily. "So I'm getting better! Well that's great. I'm trying to get it to a point of one per week, but of course these pills won't stop the sickness, only hinder from continuing," she shrugged.

"I understand," Alan nodded. "… I feel like a burden for depending on you for pills."

"Don't you depend on a doctor to make you well?" she questioned him. "Besides," she shrugged, "It's not like I started these because I was bored. There were beings in trouble and I'm slowly growing knowledge on how to help. Also I was taught by a medicine man to create human remedies and he helped with my own problems… so yeah."

"Ah," he smiled, "well… as long as this isn't a problem."

"No problem at all!" she chuckled. Then the two of them got quiet, noticing Eric walking up the stairs. "We can talk later if you wish," she smiled, swinging around in her hair and looking back to her desk to begin her tedious work of signing papers.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie whistled to herself, walking casually out of the cafeteria with a cup of tea in one hand and sweets in the other. It was annoying that almost everyone in the building was out reaping or doing something that caused them to be confined to their offices, but she didn't mind as she walked through the halls. She hummed a light tune to herself, suddenly freezing as she felt a pair of eyes watching her. Her eyes darted around the hallway, only seeing white, white, and more white. "Hmmm…" she thought to herself, shrugging it off as she continued down the hallway.

Sophie gave a wave to Margaret as they went their separate ways, Margaret heading over to the cafeteria for her own lunch. Then Sophie paused again, still feeling small glaring eyes on her. She grumbled, setting her cup down on a counter and looking around. "Alright… I know you're here **somewhere**," she sighed as she continued to look around. "Come on now, come out, come –"

"Eh?" Fiona raised an eyebrow, noticing Sophie on her knees looking under a couch. "Are you looking for something Miss Serbus?"

"Ah no!" Sophie chuckled nervously and scratched the back of her head. "I'm alright! Just… I was just looking for something I dropped."

"Would you like me to help?" Fiona asked, tilting her head to the side as Sophie shook her head.

"No! I'm alright," Sophie chuckled again, a completely fake grin planted on her face.

"_Oh too bad~_" Fiona sighed, "I thought it was something interesting... I'll talk to you later."

"Bye," Sophie waved, her smile fading away once Fiona turned around a corner and disappeared. "Okay where are you?" she snarled. Pausing and glancing around the vacant place, Sophie let out another sighed and closed her eyes, scratching the back of her head.

Then she flinched, hearing a growl from behind her before she was pounced in the back and face planted into the floor. "Hey now!" she growled, snarling back at the creature as it tried to stay on top of her back. "Get off!" They rolled around on the floor for a while, Sophie's growls turning into quiet giggles as her face was being licked by a seven foot panther refusing to get off of her stomach. "Alright, alright! You win alright?" she continued to giggle, trying to cover her face from the beast's slobber.

The panther purred in triumph, jumping off of her stomach and tilting her head to the side. Then the panther suddenly turned into a small black kitten and Sophie paused at the transformation. The kitten purred, Sophie's mouth starting to quiver at the sight of her big sapphire and golden eyes. "Aw… I missed you too Ahelie," Sophie giggled, picking up the tiny cat with both hands gently and scratching the back of her ears. Ahelie continued to purr, leaning into her hand and letting her scratch the unreachable places on her back. "Gosh, how did you get all the way here from America?"

The kitten sat contently down in her hands and meowed, tilting her head to the side before licking her paw and combing out stray hairs from her fur. "I see…" Sophie grinned, "Well, Ahe I'm going to have to take you out." Ahelie jumped up and shook her head, her eyes growing as she looked up at Sophie and meowed in a depressed way. Sophie blinked, trying to keep a stern demeanor, before letting out a tired sigh and completely melting. "Alright, fine… I will let you stay **if** you be a _good~ little kitty_." Ahelie's eyes lit up and her tail wagged wildly, causing Sophie to giggle again before she set the kitten down in a hidden trench coat pocket and tied the coat closed. "Now be good and don't fuss," Sophie told the kitten, Ahelie nodding before purring again and looking around excitedly, till someone came by and Sophie hid the kitten from view with her arm.

)(*&^%$#!

The black kitten on Sophie's lap purred contently as Sophie wrote on paper, sighing with satisfaction as she noticed that no one was around. "Now sit," she ordered, setting Ahelie down on the top of her desk and setting out a bowl of milk for her. The kitten jumped up excitedly, slurping up the milk as if it was her first meal for weeks. "Oh Ahe…" Sophie sighed as she brushed a hand through the kitten's fur, "Where have you been? You disappeared a week before I left. Was there something you had to do?... I wish you could tell me." Then she chuckled, "Look at me, I'm talking to a cat! It's not like I can understand what you say, but do know that I'm happy you're back. Oh! You'll have to meet my mentor! You know the Grell Sutcliff I talked about? Well he works here! And Mr. Tyrant too! And also Daddy Undertaker… and a human woman I haven't met in forever named Madame Red, aka Anne. Anne! Oh gosh, now I'm interested in where everyone else went… did you know she has a nephew? Apparently her older sister married that _Phantomhive~_ kid and they had a child together. Ciel I think? And get this, my undercover is that I'm married to the Undertaker. Is that just weird or what?"

Sophie couldn't help but crack a smile, noticing as Ahelie finished her bowl and yawned. "_Awww~_… you must be tired? I understand. I would be tired if I traveled around the world. How Mistress Chloe manages it I have **no** clue." She chuckled, having the bowl disappear into her black haze as she picked up the kitten and wiped the stray milk from her lips with her sleeve. "Oh don't be so dirty! I know it's fun, but around here they don't like it if you get dirt all over the white walls," Sophie explained. Ahelie meowed and licked Sophie's hand before jumping out of Sophie's hand and onto the floor. The kitten purred again, curling up into a little ball in the corner of the cubical under her desk and hidden behind her messenger bag.

"Oh you kitty," Sophie chuckled, "you know **just** want I was thinking, huh? Have pleasant dreams." The kitten yawned and closed her eyes, listening to the sound Sophie was making with her pen as she wrote on another sheet of paper and set it off to the side of her desk.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Hah! A jealous father and a pet kitten! Oh I love kitties. I wished I had one =3 I think I'll explain more of the transforming black cat later. If you still have questions after the next chapter then comment me about it X3 And yes, I was planning on having a kitten in this story. I just love cats! =D I HOPE YOU ENJOYED THIS! Sorry that I'm still being slow. I'm trying to take the time to review my chapters now. Comment if you have questions and concerns. **


	43. The Scarlet Banquet

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: BAM! More office work scenes! Maybe we'll get along in the story a little more XD Well I WOULD be taking a walk right now, but instead I'm inside my room drinking a soda because my little brother is being a douche. Oh well ^^; I'll go for a walk next week (I just don't feel like it right now anyways). ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Boss!" Lewis yelled, dashing down the halls and almost slamming into her chair.

"Yes?" Sophie asked, not raising her head up from her work and grumbled under her breath.

"Jericho has a few forms for you," Lewis said as he set down a stack of papers in his hand onto Sophie's desk, "and Alex has a few also," he finished, setting the rest of the papers on her desk.

"_Great~~_" Sophie rolled her eyes sarcastically, grabbing a hold of Lewis' shirt before he took off again. "Since you're running errands, could you do a few for me?"

"Sure Boss," Lewis shrugged, "whatever you want."

Sophie nodded, grabbing a large stack of papers from her pile of finished paperwork and shoved them to Lewis' hands. "Give this to Jericho," she said as she set another large stack down, "that to Alex," and then one last stack, "and this one for Mrs. Obki, alright?"

"G-got it!" he yelped, staggering a little as she set the last stack of papers in his hands.

Sophie smirked, "_Good~_… run along now." Lewis nodded and dashed away, careful to not lose any of the papers in his haste for fear that his head would be lopped off. She sighed, sitting back down and going back to looking at her work.

"Sooooophieeee!" Ronald yelled, rushing as fast as he could up the stairs and running towards his desk. "Wasn't expecting to see you here in the middle of the day!"

"Yeah?" Sophie shrugged, "Hello Ronald. Need anything?"

"Nope," he grinned, "just done with a **large** job. Fifteen souls in less than five minutes, and then twenty five in two? Mr. Spears is working us to the bone!"

"Oh really?" Sophie nodded, "We're just busy Ronald. There are _some~_ things we have to get done; it's our job to take souls after all."

"I know," he sighed, "but –"

"Hey guys," Alan waved, setting his papers down on his desk and looking over at them. "What's up?"

"Another big run!" Ronald complained. "You're lucky Alan! Mr. Spears gives you _easy~_ work."

"I have my reasons Ronald," Alan shook his head as he sat down at his desk and began to work on paperwork, "and it's not like I ask for them. He gives me easy work without asking me. I can work perfectly fine like anyone else around here."

"Oh?" Sophie asked as she continued to write, "Why?"

"Why? I don't know," Alan sighed, a knowing look on Sophie and Alan's faces as they exchanged glances before going back to their work. "It's not like he **knows** anything… I don't think. Besides, Ronald, you're young. You **need** to be given hard jobs. Call it… experience."

"You're mean Mr. Humphries!" Ronald huffed and stuck his tongue out at Alan.

"Are you causing trouble Mr. Knox?" William said from behind him, walking past Ronald as he walked into his office.

"No sir!" Ronald yelped, giving him a mock salute before grinning. "Just joking around! Right Alan?"

" You could say that," Alan shrugged, deciding it was best to not look at Ronald and instead work diligently on his paperwork.

William shook his head, walking into his office and closing the door behind him. "_Ah Sophie~!_" came the giggling voice of Grell, walking over to her desk and leaning against the wall of her cubical. "I was wondering if you were going to come over tonight?"

"… I wasn't planning on it unless I'm being forced to," Sophie shrugged as she signed a piece of paper and set it aside. "Why? Need my help with something?"

"_Yes~~_" Grell giggled, "We need extra help for a dinner party tonight. I hired extra cooks and butlers and maids for the night, but it would be nice to have you around to help!"

" Okay I'll think about it," Sophie looked over and gave him a smile.

Then they heard a now hiss coming from under Sophie's desk, making Grell cringe back in fright. "What the hell?" Grell yelped as a sharp claw scratched the bottom of his shoes. "I just got these!" he cried, growling at the shadow under Sophie's desk.

"_**Ahe**_…" Sophie grumbled, grabbing the kitten by her black leather collar and glaring into her sapphire and golden eyes. Ahelie yelped and tried to avert her eyes, unable to keep away from Sophie's daunting gaze. "**What** did I say about having you at the office?" The kitten let out a low mew as if she was grumbling to herself. "_And~?_" Sophie demanded more as if she understood what Ahelie was saying. The kitten mewed some more, getting a satisfied smirk out of Sophie as she roughly set Ahelie back down on the ground. "Now apologize." The kitten walked up to Grell's shoes and licked them, looking up at Grell with an apologetic look on her face.

Grell's eyes sparkled, her excitement unable to be contained as she picked up the little kitten in the palm of his hands and giggled. "Who is this?"

"Ahelie Orb or that's what her tag said. See?" Sophie said, turning a thin metal collar around the kitten's neck. "That's all I could make out because the rest of the words faded away around the collar. It's pretty old." Then she placed a gentle palm on the kitten's head, getting a purr from Ahelie as she petted the top of her head. "Ahe meet Grell Sutcliff. Be nice to him now."

Ahelie's eyes lit up and she stood up, cuddling up into Grell's arm as he giggled unexpectedly. "Oh gosh! An affectionate little kitten aren't you!"

"Yeah…" Sophie shrugged as she watched Ahelie purring contently, "but she's only this way around me and anyone I tell her can be trusted. That's all –"

"When did Ahelie show up?" came a voice from behind them, Sophie looking up with a sweet smile forming on her face.

"Hey Jay. Just a few hours ago," Sophie explained, "Why?"

"Wondering, that's all," Jericho chuckled as he walked over and scratched behind the kitten's ears. "I figured this little demon cat would show up sooner rather than later."

"Oh," Sophie huffed, "and how do you assume **that**?"

"No reason," Jericho shrugged, "just figured. So when will you send Noco back?"

" When the situation is settled," Sophie smirked, grabbing Ahelie from Grell's hands and set her on the top of her desk, "so I can alert Rob. Duh! Now is there something you can down here for or what?"

"… Nope," Jericho shrugged, his eyes looking away from them, "I needed a break I decided to check up on you."

"_Ahhhh~_" Sophie smirked. "Got it. Now that you know I'm alive you can be on your way."

Jericho paused, "That's it?"

"Yep," Sophie grinned, shooing him away. "Go back to work. _Are you slacking off again~?_"

"No," he huffed, "but I'll j-just go then," he answered as he went back up the stairs.

Sophie grinned till she turned back to her desk, noticing that Ronald and Alan were commenting on Ahelie as Grell scratched her neck. Then Eric came up the stairs, raising an eyebrow as the shinigamis were gathered around Sophie's desk. "What's going on – **little** Sophia has a **little** kitty cat?" he chuckled, reaching his hand out to pet her.

Ahelie hissed at him and swat at his hand, causing Eric to frown and take back his hand. "It's alright," Alan explained, "she does that to all of us."

"Oh boy," Sophie sighed, sitting on her desk and setting Ahelie on her lap. "She doesn't like crowds. Ahe this is Ronald Knox, Alan Humphries, and Eric Slingby. They're my coworkers, alright?"

The kitten just huffed, curling up on Sophie's lap to go back to sleep. "Doesn't like us?" Ronald frowned.

"Nope," Sophie shrugged, "because you probably woke her up. No matter. She'll like you guys later. I just need to keep her here for now till I get off of work… that's all."

"Ah," Grell nodded, "will you be coming over?"

"Yes!" Sophie huffed, "and Ahelie will probably show up too."

"Show up?" Grell raised an eyebrow. "Don't you mean you'll bring her?"

"Not at all," Sophie shook her head, "because she tends to show up and leave whenever she wants. Why Ahelie hasn't left yet is beyond my knowledge, but whatever. Now get back to work y'all. I have to get paperwork done before I leave."

"Turning into William eh?" Eric chuckled, sitting back at his seat as the others reluctantly walked to their own desks.

"_**Noooo**_…" Sophie growled at him, "I am not. I don't want to be distracted today."

"Whatever you say," Eric shrugged, going back to his work and snickering to himself. Sophie rolled her eyes and sat down in her chair, rubbing Ahelie's ears as she mewed for affection.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… **This** is who we have working for us today?" Sophie huffed, her black hair slicked back into a pony tail as she stared at all the workers she would have to put up with for the night.

"Y-yeah," Grell said in a meek voice, almost too quiet for her to even hear. "I found them around the bend. Madame Red's party is late notice so it was hard to find –"

"Okay I get it," Sophie sighed. "Who am I in charge of?"

Grell smiled, jumping over to a few of the woman and pushed them forward. "The maids, waiters, and cooks. I have to keep everything organized such as entertaining and etcetera, but you'll be in charge of the _behind~ the scenes~_ and keeping everything in good, working order."

"… _Great~_" Sophie said sarcastically as she let out a tired sigh. "Okay, but if something happens can I pull you from the party to help?"

"Of course!" Grell smiled, "It's what a butler, like me, does."

"Okay," Sophie nodded, taking a few steps forward to look at the group. "Okay everyone," she spoke loudly to get everyone's attention, "If you have not already heard, my name is Athena Ernest. Thank you for coming here to help us with the festivities for tonight. Sorry this is short notice, but what can you do?" she shrugged. "I am going to split you off into groups. Each group with have manager who will come talk to, instead of myself, if anything goes wrong. If something extremely bad happens, like the kitchen burning to the ground, come find me as soon as possible and I will get everything done. If I am not available then go to Mr. Sutcliff… any questions?"

"Yes," a woman coughed as she stood forward and combed her hair from her eyes. "I heard that you are the wife of a noble. Is this true?"

"… Doesn't anyone have any **relevant** questions?" Sophie glared, the woman taking a few steps back in sudden terror as Sophie's eyes glared crystal blue and shinigami green for a few split seconds till it faded away and she smiled to them. "No? Good. You girl," Sophie pointed to a maid.

"Y-yes me?" she chuckled sheepishly and pointed to herself confused.

"Yes you," Sophie growled, getting slightly irritated with the slow responses. "Name?"

"Stefanie Dorte –"

"Mrs. Dorte you will be in charge of the maids," Sophie said roughly. "If anyone of them does not do their jobs or bad mouths your authority bring her to me. Understood?"

"Y-yes, but –"

"Good," Sophie smirked, "and meet me after this meeting. You boy," she huffed at a man quickly stiffening at her presence before him. "Name?"

"Owen Gwilym –"

"Mr. Gwilym will be in charge of the waiters, understood?" Once he gave her a nod she smiled. "Meet me after the meeting. What's your name?" Sophie asked again, standing before a man who had his dark gray hairs slicked back.

"My name is Francis Pascal, madam –"

"Good," she smiled, causing him to stop slightly as he began to bow. "Mr. Pascal will be in charge of the butlers around the mansion. Come to me after the meeting so we can discuss your role. You, what's your name?" she pointed to the end of the group, a man looking over at her and scratching the back of his head.

"Carlos Bernardo –"

"Okay," she nodded, "Mr. Bernardo will be in charge of the cooks. Come see me after the meeting." Then Sophie looked over at Grell who looked stunned with her performance, but she could tell that he had a hint of pride hidden behind his plain green eyes. Sophie grinned before looking back to the group, her eyes glaring and fixating on anyone who may have fallen asleep. "I will tell you right off of the bat that I can be kind and nice, but get on my bad side and you'll be kicked out without your pay before you can think of an excuse. That being said, if you come to me with legitimate reasons then I will have no reason to hold it against you, correct?" Sophie frowned noticing their gazes, "_**Correct?**_?"

"Correct!" Francis said, the rest of the workers repeating him right after they noticed her demeanor.

"Thank you Mr. Pascal," Sophie smiled, giving him a nod before looking at the rest of the group and glaring at them. "As I said, tick me off and you'll be kicked out. Now you're dismissed. Spend your time looking around the mansion and being accustomed to everything. Mr. Sutcliff will show you around."

"W-what about the madam's –"

"I'll attend to her lunch," Sophie reassured Grell with a smile, "now **git**." She shooed him away, the group following Grell till only five people remained in the servant's quarters. "Okay," she smiled to them. "I can see that you're worried? Don't worry. From your credentials I saw that each one of you have been working for at least ten years in the industries you were hired for. So I don't see a problem, do you?"

"N-no miss," Owen sighed, "but I don't think I can handle this."

"Why?" Sophie frowned, "You are simply in charge of the waiters that will come in and out of the kitchen to retrieve food. Have some place food on the table while others will walk around with trays. Does this sound difficult?"

"… No miss," Owen shrugged as he looked at the ground.

"Hey," Sophie huffed, mysteriously appearing right in front of him and startling him as she tilted his head up so she could see him face to face. "If you are going to be working here then you need confidence in yourself and confidence in your subordinates.** Is that clear?**"

"Yes miss," Owen told her, standing up tall as Sophie let go of his chin and continued walking down the line. "Okay so this is what we need to get done," Sophie sighed. "Stephanie, you are in charge of… I guess every female staff member we have," she shrugged, "except for two, who will be cooks. Before two o'clock make sure every maid is wearing their uniform, and every room is cleaned from top to bottom and checked to the last detail. Have a few in the ballroom hanging up décor around the room, which the supplies will be found in RM 2-G, located on the second floor and to the left of the stairs. Alright?"

" O-okay Mrs. Ernest," Stefanie nodded with a slight smile.

"Good," Sophie grinned back, "Now you are dismissed." Stefanie curtsied and took off, going off in the direction where the group had fled off to. "Owen, you, of course, will be in charge of the waiters. Before one o'clock you need to have tables set up in the ballroom… about six along the east side of the room and three along the north side. Tables will be found in RM 1-N, which is located on the first floor and next to the closet by the kitchen. Since that job will go by quickly, have your subordinates help Stephanie with setting the place up. Correspond with Carlos about how the food will be set out before and during the party. Have approximately ten waiters at a time roaming the ballroom, five on food and five on drinks. By make sure every waiter has their uniform on by two o'clock. Understood?"

"Understood Mrs. Ernest," he bowed deeply.

Sophie chuckled slightly, still noticing how nervous he still was. "Don't worry Owen. You'll do great! Now you are dismissed." Owen bowed again and quickly left, Sophie letting out a tired sigh as she looked at the other two. "Okay Francis, you are in charge of the butlers. Have every butler situate themselves around the mansion because they will be opening and closing the doors for everyone who comes in and out. Every guest will have an invitation with the name of the house and the name 'Scarlet Banquet' on the invitation. If they do not then ask them to politely leave. Keep everything under control during the party. In the meantime have the butlers help clean the place up. If I need one of them for something I will ask. You will mostly be working under Grell because he is the head butler around here, but first come to me if you have any problems. If you go to him I won't mind… but I want respect," she glared. "By two o'clock have every butler in their uniforms. Any questions?"

"… No Mrs. Ernest," he smiled. "I understand completely."

"Good," she smiled, "Now you are dismissed." Francis gave her a bow and took off, his head high as he opened the door and left the room. "Okay now it's down to you Carlos," Sophie sighed. "So you are in charge of the cooks. I want you to go over the inventory and make sure we have all the food and drink we need for the night. We are expecting one hundred to six hundred nobles by the end of the night. The party will start at about five o'clock, and at that time have little horderves out and pastries for the guests to snack on. At eight o'clock you can start serving better food, setting out roasted ham, pig, and etcetera. At ten o'clock you can set out the deserts, the puddings and everything else. The order for the wine will be the 1860 year old wine first, but by seven have the good and expensive wine… about dating back to 1820 I think," Sophie shrugged, "out and served. Use the cheaper wines by the end of the party or if you run out completely. You can talk to me if you run into problems. The cooks don't need a uniform, but have them wearing **something** for the kitchen by two o'clock. Any questions?"

"None," Carlos shook his head, "but I would like to thank you for giving me this opportunity."

"Hey no problem," Sophie chuckled, "but don't blow it," she huffed glaring him down. Then she crack another smile, "Okay you are dismissed –"

"Wait," he said holding up his hand. "Do you need help with Madame Red's lunch –"

That's alright," Sophie grinned. "Mr. Sutcliff and I have been working here alone for eons now. Plus I know how to cook, so I can manage."

"Okay," Carlos nodded, "just wondering."

"That's alright and thanks for asking," she clicked her teeth and winked her eye, walking towards the door and to the kitchen. "Now get going. You only have two more hours till everything needs to be set up and the food getting prepared."

"Yes ma'am!" he saluted, running out the door and down the hallway. Sophie chuckled to herself, walking into the kitchen and finishing Madame Red and Grell's meal for them.

)(*&^%$#!

"Here you go Madame Red," Sophie smiled, setting down a tray and uncovering the morsel of food under the silver cover.

"Soup?" Anne asked as she grabbed a spoon and began to dip into the food.

"Yeah," Sophie chuckled, "I didn't really have time to come up with anything so I made you a beef stew that Dora taught me to make. It's Germanic, may taste funny because it's a much newer style then it is today, but I think you'll like it."

Anne cooled down her spoon and slurped up the stew, her eyes lighting up at the new acquired taste. "Sophie this is delicious!" Anne gasped, "Even for soup!"

"Thank you madam," Sophie smiled, pouring out earl gray tea into a cup and setting it down on the table. "I also have a German style cake for you. Would you like me to set it now or wait till later?"

"Now is fine dear," Anne smiled, "I know Grell and you are running around trying to get the mansion in working order. Tell me, how is it going?"

"Great… I guess," Sophie sighed. "I haven't checked on everything yet, but with Grell in charge of decorating I don't think he'll let anyone mess the place up," she smiled. "Thing is I need to leave around now to go reaping. I'm taking over Grell's field work so he can stay here and set everything up."

"And when will you be back?" Anne asked as she slowly sipped her tea.

"Two o'clock ma'am," Sophie smiled, "and I hope that will be fine?"

"Indeed," Anne nodded, "it's only two hours. I will see you when you come back. Now run along."

"Alright – Oh wait! I should warn you…" Sophie quickly realized.

"Warn me about **what**?" Anne raised an eyebrow.

"I have a little black kitten following me around, so if you see her don't freak out," Sophie tried to explain. "She must have followed me back from America… but I know she's hiding around here waiting to pounce on me."

"Oh really?" Anne smirked, "You have a cat? Well that's funny. She won't damage anything correct?"

"Nope," Sophie shook her head. "She's well behaved unless provoked. As long as no one is poking her or pinning her into a corner she'll be fine."

"It's perfectly fine for the kitten to hang around my mansion," Anne nodded. "**Now** you may go."

"Thank you ma'am," Sophie bowed before taking off back inside to look at the ballroom. When she came in Sophie couldn't help but smirk, noticing as Grell yelled to the servants running around to get the place decorated. "Can I interrupt your important speech _Mr. Sutcliff~?_" she grinned as she swooped in from behind and poked his side.

"Ah! – Oh Sophie hello," Grell grinned, his teeth normal but showing off its pointy luster for a quick second before converting back to being flat and dull. "Need anything?"

"Only informing you that your lunch is ready," Sophie smiled, "and I was going to have mine right now before I left."

"I see! Let me just finish a few things before I meet you," Grell explained as he talked to a few of the waiters and told them were to set the tables around the room.

Sophie nodded and left him to his work, walking into the kitchen and pouring herself a bowl of stew. She cut herself a piece of bread and dipped it into the stew, slurping up the liquid in the bread before double-dipping into the bowl again. She knew it wasn't ladylike for her to do this, but it was only a force of habit now and she was in a rush. Just as she finished her bread and most of her stew Grell came in letting out a tired grunt. "Frustrating right?" she chuckled as she bit into the beef and carrots she had on her spoon.

"_Yess~~~_" Grell groaned as he grabbed his own bowl and served himself. "This is why I'm **not** in corporate management."

Sophie laughed, "Ah… I'll go off and do your field work. Should be back… around two I hope. In the meantime try to not burn the place down. I know you're putting up an act, but I'd rather not have more on my plate then I already have."

"Got it!" Grell grinned, "And I'll make sure everything is in tip-top shape by the time you come back. Do you plan on changing out of your uniform? I'm sorry for dragging you and not letting you change, but there was no time –"

"Depends on what happens," Sophie smiled, "I have to not only get _**your~**_ work done, but my own as well. Plus I need to clock you out once I'm finished… so yeah."

"Alright," Grell smiled, "thank you for helping me."

"Hey no problem," Sophie chuckled as she finished the last of her stew and slurped up the liquid in the bowl. "Happy to help. Now I **really** have to go," she explained as she set her bowl and spoon into a sink and waved to him as she ran out the back door.

"Bye!" Grell waved. "And have_ fun~~_" he winked before tending back to his bowl of food so he could get back to work.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Good, fifteen minutes to spare," Sophie smirked to herself as she put her pocket watch back into her pocket and trudged through the snow. She pulled her hat down on her head and her coat tighter around her body, feeling a fearful wind crawling down her back.

As she made her way through the snow she noticed tracks, bear tracks. Narrowing her eyes she made her way into the forest, making her way to a small village in the middle of nowhere where she could get the help of the local shinigamis there. Then she heard a growl, a large brown bear standing on his hind legs and growling at her, striking at her and causing Sophie to suddenly dash. "Serbus!" it cried, pawing at the snow and running after her.

Sophie narrowed her eyes and pulled out her two guns, firing them at the bear and penetrating skin. "Hello Otso Horsetooth," Sophie smirked, "I **knew** you would be waiting for me. What? You didn't want me to meet with Patrick McClelland, why?..."

"_Blood~_" Otso growled, glaring his red eyes at her. "_Delicious __**blood~**_" She frowned, firing a few more rounds till she took off again. The bear growled and swatted at his face, taking off once he noticed Sophie had left. She kept running till the snow got too deep and climbed up a tree to escape the bear. The tree hanged over a cliff that was several miles away from the village. Otso was stirring her away from her course and she had to think fast, closing her eyes as she thought.

The bear grabbed the tree trunk and tried knocking the tree down, unable to get Sophie to come down. "That can't stop me!" the bear roared, beginning to climb up the tall evergreen tree. She let out a sigh, concentrating till an idea hit her. Then her eyes shot open, beaming with yellow swirls trailing around in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes, and she summoned her black haze. She jumped, missing the bear's claw and falling from the high tree. She began to descend down the steep cliff, her black haze summoning a shield under her feet as she grabbed hold of it with one hand and hit the snow. Snow flew behind her, leaving the bear up the tree and crying to her. "They'll get you Serbus!" Otso roared at her. "You're only a pawn to them!"

Sophie took out a bow and arrow from her black haze and pulled hard on the string, letting go and sending the arrow flying towards the bear. Otso cried out in pain as the arrow penetrated him in the heart, the bear falling out of the tall tree and hitting the snow **dead**. She smirked to herself and released her bow back into the black haze. "Geeze…" Sophie sighed, "What's up with the threats today?" she sighed, using the shield as a sled as she slid down the snow and eventually coming to the village she was looking for. Once she got to the village Sophie sent the shield back into the black haze, letting the black haze fade away in her fingertips and disappear into the snow.

Then she walked around the village looking at the directions in her hand, eventually coming across a small cabin on the edge of the village. Taking one last glance at the note in her hand she knocked on the door, the wooden door opening to find a man only a few inches taller than her with white hair, as white as the snow, and shinigami green eyes piercing into her own eyes. "… Is this the McClelland residence?" she asked with a bow.

"Yes miss," he smiled, "and you **must** be Serbus. Do come in." Sophie nodded and followed the man inside, looking around the small building as he ushered her to sit down on a couch. "I'm sorry that this place is small, but I have to stay in hiding from the outside world," he explained as he walked into his kitchen. "Would Serbus like some vodka?"

"I'm trying to hold back on the alcohol content, but I'll take a small glass," Sophie told him politely, a smile coming to the man's face as he sat poured out two glasses and handed Sophie a glass, setting the bottle down on the table as he sipped his own.

"You are polite for only being around for a few decades," he commented. "Does the English lady know any Russian?"

"Да," Sophie smirked, "я делаю."

"So the lady does," Patrick chuckled. "как?"

"Well…" Sophie thought as she set her glass down and thought to herself, "English is my first language, Greek and Latin my second and third… and the rest came after that. Only from experience and that I I don't want to hire a translator for fear he could be a spy. Did you originally come from Russia sir?"

"Yes miss," he smiled. "My family did years ago. Russian is my fifth language, but English is my second and Scottish my first. If you haven't noticed, I have been around for a **long** time," he grinned. "How is the world now?"

"At war as it always is," Sophie sighed, "and I don't know the movements of my enemies. That's why I'm here… I heard you know something about Earthborn? Is this true?"

"You would be correct," he grinned happily. "I used to work for him. I was one of his supporters."

"What happened?" Sophie asked as she picked up the glass again and drank down half of the glass.

"I didn't agree with his ideals," Patrick shrugged. "He had his way of thinking and I had my own. I may be a God of Death, but I liked the idea of centralizing our activities. It would make things easier in the long run, since the world was getting bigger and bigger… but his approach was unorthodox," he sighed. "The man wouldn't agree with anyone else's ideas. Only his own… and when he killed so many with his hands… I can't bear to stay working for him."

"Let me get this straight," Sophie said to herself, "Earthborn is a shinigami, a man who had died and became a grim reaper. He is one of the men in the council **in London**. He used to have great ideas, but had hidden agendas behind them. Currently he is sending a bunch of his subordinates into Europe and specifically England. Would this be correct?"

"You tell me," he shrugged, "I don't know about his movements anymore; only the things I hear from other people. England hmmm… how large?"

"Ten thousand demons, three hundred angels, and several other beings in between. The grand total is about… eleven thousand?" Sophie shrugged.

"Then he must be gathering his army for a frontal assault," Patrick told her. "Listen to me, Serbus, because of your predecessor's death he **must** be planning on trying to take over again. You can't let him do this… you just can't. The deaths will be tremendous and so many lives lost. Can you promise me you'll keep everything under control… servant of darkness and God of Death?" he asked her.

"Да," Sophie nodded, "I promise. Now I have one last question, did you hear from the demon, Viktor Czernobog?"

"Count Czernobog ?" Patrick asked her. "… The last I heard of him was last spring. He disappeared after that… and so has his minions."

"Thank you," Sophie smiled, standing up and setting her vodka glass down. Then she popped open her pocket watch and looked at the time before putting her watch away. "Now I must take my leave McClelland. Thank you for letting me into your home."

"No worries Serbus," he smiled, "and good luck with everything."

"Thanks," she grinned, summoning a portal with her black haze and walking through it.

Patrick's smile turned into a frown and he sighed, finishing his glass and glugging down the vodka bottle. "_My my~ Undertaker_," he chuckled quietly to himself as he swished the bottle around in his hand. "No wonder you keep her close. She's like your old lover yes? You can see that same fire in her eyes…" he said to no one in particular, finishing the bottle and walking back to his kitchen.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"What's with the snow?" Grell huffed once Sophie jumped down from a tree on the edge of Anne's property and brushed the snow from her hair.

"Snow? Oh! I was somewhere cold," Sophie chuckled, untying her coat slightly with the wave of heat that went through her body. "God it's hot here! How much time do I have?"

"… About five minutes," he said as he glanced at his watch.

"Oh good!" Sophie sighed. "I'm going to go change into a uniform. Something more… _formal~_ I guess?" she shrugged.

"A dress?" Grell gasped excitedly.

"нет," Sophie huffed as she walked up to the steps leading into the mansion. "A suit and tie, or something similar to your uniform I suppose. I'll add the red and white tie… but not that vestment. You know what; I'm just going to take off a few layers. I feel hot right now," she gasped as she rushed into the mansion, keeping a grim demeanor as she trudged through the hallway and ran a glove through her wet and cold hair. "Mr. Pascal!" She called into a room, "Have the servants gather in the main servant room. I'll be there in… five minutes?" she shrugged as she continued down the hall and to her designated room in the mansion.

)(*&^%$#!

"Ugh! Ahe you're all wet!" Sophie huffed as she wrapped the little black kitten in a towel to keep her nice and warm. "Now I have to get going, but I'll be back in a few minutes." Then she took off out of the room and down the hallway, not noticing the kitten walking out of the open door and creeping behind her. As she passed by servants she ordered them into the main servant room, passing by them as she continued along. Eventually she made it back and walked up to Grell, who was looking behind her with an eyebrow raised. "What?" she huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest and glared at him.

"Someone is following you," he smiled sweetly, Sophie raising an eyebrow and turning around.

She noticed a group of servants behind her following the kitten into the room and trying to pet her, but Ahelie just evaded their hands and growled at them. "_Ahe~_…" she frowned. The kitten just meowed with a grin and jumped from a bed to a ledge, out of the reach of the hands that were trying to grab her. Sophie sighed, rubbing her forehead in frustration. "Anyways… how did everything go?"

"Tip top shape," Grell smiled, "The ballroom is decorated and the food is being prepared."

"… You didn't make the tea, did you?" Sophie frowned.

"Oh no!" he chuckled, "Well… no. I want this party to be _perfect~~_"

Sophie gave him a nod and looked at the servants, who lined themselves up in order and were awaiting further instructions. She glided through them as quiet as a mouse, inspecting their uniforms and intimidating them with her glare. "Tuck in your shirt… Pin your hair up… for god's sake polish those shoes! We need a form of elegance and decency tonight. Madame Red's party is to start the noble's annual season and we need to show them our best. Will you do that?"

"Yes," half of them said loudly, while the other half answered her meekly.

"I said… WILL YOU DO THAT?"

"Yes Mrs. Ernest!" they all yelled, causing her to grin.

"Great!" she giggled slightly. "Now go back out there and show them your best! The guests will be arriving around five o'clock, but be ready by four if anyone arrives early. Everyone is dismissed," she nodded to them, the group trailing off to their individual duties.

Once they left Sophie let out a tired sigh, leaving her stance and walking over to the ledge where Ahelie was sitting. "How was everything?" Grell asked.

"Your job was easy," Sophie grinned, "but the job I had to do was difficult. Ran into a demon as I made my way to someone's house for information… Oh well. From the looks of it I think Ahe followed me there. I bet you this kitty is chilled to the bone."

"Where did you go?" Grell frowned, "and why were you covered in snow?"

"Oh," she shrugged, snapping her hands to try to get Ahelie's attention, "nothing, just some business. I can't tell you details Grell," she smiled. Then she gave a sharp whistle and the kitten shot up her head, jumping down from the ledge and falling into Sophie's arms.

"What was that?" Grell asked as Sophie held Ahelie as if she was a small doll or a baby.

"A bird call," Sophie shrugged. "I learned it how back in the Americas. It saves up on time and energy when calling on orders." She giggled slightly as she held Ahelie, covering her back up in a small blanket and cradling her in her arms. "You little stinker! Did you eat that soul back there?" she asked the kitten, Ahelie meowed happily before yawning and curling up into a ball. "Good girl!" she chuckled as she rubbed Ahelie's belly, making the kitten purr and wag her long, thin tail.

Sophie sat down on a nearby bed and continued to keep her attention on Ahelie, while Grell sat down next to her and watched as she played with the kitten. "What is she **really**?" Grell decided to ask.

"A demon cat," Sophie shrugged, "or a devourer if you want to get technical. Ahelie here has three different forms: a small black kitten, a black panther, and a large demon cat about the size of this house." Then she sighed, "She can breathe… well breathe black smoke made of the same consistency as my black haze. So I'm not sure if she was made by my soul or a different demon all together."

"Demon?" Grell gasped. "Does the department know?"

"Obviously **not**," Sophie shrugged. "She's too sneaky to alert any triggers. Plus she just shows up… I don't know how to explain it. Oh! And if you're afraid that she'll eat the souls in the library then don't worry. Ahelie doesn't eat good souls, only bad. Right Ahe?" she asked as she scratched behind the kitten's ear, causing Ahelie to purr louder with content.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Go to Mr. Sutcliff and tell him everything is going by smoothly," Sophie told one of the waiters who took off to the ballroom. Sophie sighed and sat down in a chair, her stomach grumbling as she yawned. The ball had been going great so far, but she wasn't allowed to leave the servant rooms because she was in charge of keeping everything in order behind the scenes. It's probably a good thing too because if she went out there then one of the nobles may recognize she's not really _Athena Ernest_.

Suddenly she sensed that something was amiss, or rather Ahelie found someone amiss. Sophie looked up, knowing in the back of her mind that she had to stop this intruder. "Oh Mrs. Dorte," she said as she stood up and brushed some dust from her outfit, "I need suddenly need to go urgently. Can you tell Mr. Sutcliff to come down here and cover for me?"

"Ummm… yes Mrs. Ernest," she curtsied, taking off to call upon Grell.

Then Sophie let out a sighed, leaving her post and walking out the back door. As she walked she hid herself behind a bush, emerging with her shinigami outfit on and pulled her black hat down on her face. Looking around she spotted the creature she was looking for and noticed Ahelie leering at the creature as she sat in a tree and stared at him. "Aww…" the creature grinned, "Serbus here to stop me?"

"What business do you have here demon?" she growled. "You are **not** a guest, but yet you see a reason to be here?"

"Actually…" he paused looking at his knuckles, "I was looking for **you**!" Then he lunged at her, his nails turning long and sharp and his teeth barring at her. Sophie jumped back and stopped him with her long black scythe, her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes glaring into his red glowing demon eyes.

She growled, pushing him off of her scythe and lunging back at him. He let out a yelp as he was pinned to the ground, her scythe embedding itself into his shoulder. "Why would a lowlife be after me?" she hissed, twisting the scythe in his shoulder as he screamed out in pain.

"I was sent by him!" he yelled in pain. "_You_…" he suddenly chuckled, his eyes looking back up at her as he grinned demonically, "he told me I wouldn't live and he was right… he has a message for you."

"What?" she narrowed her eyes.

"You will die on the tenth when the clock chimes three times at midday," he grinned, "and this will be the end for you, _fy forwyn bach_."

Then he let out a yelp as Sophie stabbed deeper into his shoulder and loomed over him. "Who are you sent by?"

"Earthborn of course!" he crackled.

Sophie narrowed her eyes and ripped her scythe from him harshly and gripping his neck tightly. "You mule," she growled at him. "There's no saving a blackened soul like yours…" The demon shuddered as the black haze suddenly circled around him and gobbled him up. He screamed out in pain and grabbed for her, his hands barely reaching her as his body disappeared into the black haze. Sophie stood up and staggered around a little, propping herself up with her scythe. Then a large black panther showed up next to her side, a sigh escaping Sophie's lips as she ran a hand through her auburn hair. "T-take the soul already," she said as she held her hand to her forehead. "I'm getting dizzy."

The panther nodded and leaned into the black haze, Sophie closing her eyes tightly as she heard gobbling and ripping sounds. "Thanks Ahe," she smiled slightly, opening her eyes and letting the black haze disappear on the ground, "I don't think I could stand his soul in me." Ahelie purred and rubbed up Sophie's leg, trying to get Sophie to scratch her back. "Tell you what, after this I'll feed you some sweets, alright?" Ahelie grinned and purred some more before turning back into a small kitten and disappearing back into the house.

Sophie shook her hand and thought to herself, her head still discombobulated. Then she whistled loudly, looking around at the sky for a few moments before whistling again. "Come on Noco…" she growled under her breath, letting out a sigh of defeat once she noticed he was nowhere to be found. Then she pulled out a flute, a long plains flute that had two strings attached to the end with feathers handing down the ends. One of the feathers was a long crimson red feather, which was one of the first feathers she had ever been given. Bringing the instrument up to her lips she blew a long sound that echoed all around her and into the sky. Just then Ahelie came back purring with curiosity and Sophie took the flute out from her mouth and shook her head. "Ahe go back inside. I'm not calling for you right now." Ahelie huffed and turned back to the mansion, jumping in the bushes as she waited for Sophie to be done. She blew back into the flute and waited, waiting for Noco to hear the sound and came flying. Grumbling to herself she decided on a different alternative, blowing into the flute and playing a long tune. Ahelie sat there tall against the wall like a statue and purred, enjoying the sound the flute was making.

She kept playing for several minutes, letting the wind blow past her head and causing her hair to blow carelessly in the wind. She kept her eyes closed, letting the wind tell her what she should play as she continued to follow along with the rhythm of the wind. Then her eyes opened up, hearing the beat of a large hawk wings as Noco swooped down and landed on a tree branch. "There you are," she chuckled, a caw coming from Noco's beak as she grinned. She coughed, pulling out a pen and paper and scribbling something down on the paper. "Go to Jericho with this message," she told him as she walked over to the tree and grabbed Noco's talon. "This is urgent," she continued to say, tying the paper on his foot and then scratching his neck. "Thank you so much Noco," she chuckled, getting a coo from the hawk before he took off back into the sky.

Then she gasped, running into the bushes were Ahelie was as a few guests opened the doors leading out onto the balcony and looking out into the garden. "Didn't you hear that? Wasn't that music?"

"I think," another person said, "but it seems they have stopped playing. Oh well," the person shrugged and walked back inside.

Sophie let out a sigh and scrambled back to the servant's door, her outfit back to the servant outfit she was wearing as she slinked back inside. "Sophie!" she yelped when her name was being called. "Why did you call me down?" Grell huffed as he had his arms crossed over his chest.

"I ummm…" she chuckled nervously, "had to take care of something okay? Sorry, but you can go back now. I got **everything** under control."

"… I'm going to expect an explanation from you tonight," he huffed, leaving the room and letting Sophie stand there before she let out a tired sigh. She walked back into the kitchen and looked around; making sure everything was in working order before stealing some food off of a tray and gobbling it down.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: WOOT A PARTY! I love parties don't you? XD Well what do you think? Think I portrayed shy little Grell Sutcliff well? I hope you guys liked this chapter. I know I had fun writing it ^^ And I'm glad that I got two chapters out in one day. I needed to do that! I have so many chapters already written up that it is ridiculous =O**

_Да_ – Russian – _yes_

_я делаю_– Russian –_ I do_

_как_ – Russian – _how_

Viktor – Slavic – conqueror

Czernobog – Russian – black god

_нет_ – Russian – _no_

_fy forwyn bach_ – Welsh – _my little maiden_


	44. The Great Bell

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Yep! Another chapter! Since I had a lot of spare time today I decided to look over this last chapter. I think you'll be disappointed where this chapter ends, but whatever XP I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. I can see a lot of you guys don't like Jericho XD Don't worry about it! It's all part of the story =3 I HOPE YOU ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Thank you… thank you… thank you very much," Sophie continued to say as she shook the servant's hands as they left the mansion and towards their homes.

"No thank **you**," Francis smiled. "You were civil about everything. Do tell me though; do you know what that music was outside in the garden?"

"Music?" Sophie asked, pausing for a while before answering. "No I did not hear it. I'm sorry."

"That's quite alright," he chuckled, "I was wondering if it was part of the festivities. Thank you for a lovely evening."

"You're welcome," she smiled, shaking his hand and waiting till everyone left. Then she let out a tired grunt and loosened her collared shirt, walking back inside and taking off her jacket.

Once she walked into the ballroom Sophie smiled, watching as Grell and Anne danced around the room together and laughing along in their own little world. "What a wonderful time!" Anne laughed. "We showed everyone right my love?"

"_Right malady_," Grell grinned, suddenly noticing Sophie and waltzing over to her. "Thank you for the help tonight," he said to her as they slowly stopped dancing.

"Yes thank you!" Anne giggled as Grell tilted her into a dip and lifted her back up.

"You're welcome," Sophie shrugged and then yawned. "It was nothing really… well I should get to bed so–"

"Wait! I want to talk to you about something," Grell told her as he continued to waltz around the room with Anne in his arms, "but that will be later," he grinned.

Sophie nodded and yawned again, giving them a last wave till she disappeared from the ballroom and up the stairs. The banquet was a short party, not one that wasn't extravagant but not something that only took a day of planning either. It was hard work for Grell and Anne to put everything together and Sophie figured they should enjoy themselves for the time being and not have them worry about her own affairs. She walked in the dark of the hallways till she got to her room, lighting a few candles before deciding to change out of her clothes and into her pajamas.

There was something on her mind and it was what the demon had told her before she destroyed him. "Tomorrow at three I will die… this can't be good," she sighed as she took off her clothes and set them to the side. She walked over to the dresser and took out her red pajamas, deciding to go to sleep since her body felt ghastly. "I hope Jericho got my message… we need to plan for their assault now. With everything coming together I think I know who is behind this… but then again I can't be sure. He will reveal himself tomorrow… that much I'm certain… oh god," she sighed as she fell onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling, "oh god… I can't die yet… that demon couldn't have been sure though. It was just a message right? No need to worry… no need…" Feeling both exhausted and extremely tense she closed her eyes, her hands set on top of her chest as she listened to herself breathing. "No need…"

By the time Grell came to Sophie's room she had fallen sleep due to exhaustion. It seemed to be the only way she fell asleep anyhow was through utter exhaustion. "Oh Sophie –" he paused, noticing she had fallen asleep on top of the bed and didn't crawl into bed yet. He chuckled, closing the door gently behind him and walking into the dark room. Blowing out all but one candle he set himself down next to her body, noticing that she shifted and groaned to the added weight on the bed. "Anne had gone to sleep already and I'm about to do the same… would you like some company?"

Sophie rolled to her side and rubbed her eyes, looking up at Grell and then noticing she must have fallen asleep. "Ummm…" she yawned, "I-I don't know… I guess not," she shrugged. She crawled up the bed and buried herself into the sheets, deciding it was best to fall asleep in comfort instead of hurting her neck on the edge of the bed.

Grell chuckled, scooting up the bed till he was back in Sophie's face again. "I don't believe you dear," he grinned, lifting the blankets and pulling them over his body.

"Whatever," she simply grumbled, her body telling her to go to sleep and ignore Grell.

"… Sophie," he decided to ask after a few moments. "… What happened that had you leave suddenly?"

"There was something I had to take care of," she yawned, "and there was an uninvited demon luring around. Why?"

"No reason," he shrugged as her yawning abruptly made him yawn too. "… You seem troubled. Care to tell me what's going on?"

"… Not really," Sophie huffed as she pulled the sheets closer to her body. "If you **must** know…" she sighed keeping her back to Grell, "If you must… a demon said I was going to die tomorrow."

Grell blinked, "Wait what?"

"That demon was sent by this horrible guy to kill me tonight and it didn't happen. Now, if my suspicions are correct, he will send his army in to attack tomorrow… just so you're aware I guess," she shrugged as if the whole ordeal was nothing, "and… he said I'm going to die." Grell looked at her with concern as she laid there thinking to herself and speaking as if everything was alright and not out of the ordinary. In reality it wasn't; Sophie felt a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she was going to die tomorrow and she didn't know if she could let Death take her. All she could do is wait for everything to happen. "Grell I'm just tired... Can we get to sleep?" she sighed as she buried her head into the pillow.

"… Of course," he sighed, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her tighter to his chest, "but don't think you can die off so easily. I will never let you!" He grinned before yawning again and closing his eyes to go to sleep.

"I'll keep that in mind," Sophie chuckled, yawning also and grabbing his arms with her hands tightly. "… Good night Grell. Thank you."

"No… problem," he yawned again, burying his head into Sophie's hair and quickly going to sleep. Sophie chuckled and buried her head in the pillows, quickly getting back to sleep before the sun began to rise in the sky.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Wait. Is my name on the list or not?" Sophie huffed as she had her hands crossed over her chest and was glaring at Jericho from behind his desk.

"Yes… but I don't know why," Jericho frowned as he was glancing at the papers on his desk trying to find the information. "The Earthborn is going to send is army today?"

"That's what I'm assuming," Sophie shrugged, "and he sent an assassin to kill me last night. Today when Big Ben chimes three will my life will end. What I'm wondering is if he means my life on this earth or if I'll be destroyed all together… I need to know."

"Why are you always thinking like that?" Jericho sighed tiredly. "You assume they're correct, but what if they're wrong? What if this information is false?"

"That's what I thought at first, but," she sighed sadly, "I have a feeling… an unnerving feeling that this will happen. The air feels dense today as if something horrible will happen. They tried to kill me so they could complete their advance. They must know that whatever happens today could be stopped if I help… or something along those lines. I just need to know what is happening Jericho!"

"Calm down!" he held up his hands as he stood up quickly and walked over to her. "I know you're scared about all of this, but so am I. Do you think I **want** you to die?... That's why I can't let you think that you **will** die. I won't let it happen to you, alright?"

"… You promise?" she asked with uncertainty in her voice.

"I promise," he smiled, "that whatever happens today I **won't** let you die. Now get going. We have souls we have to collect today."

"Alright," Sophie sighed, giving him a quick parting kiss on the lips before walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.

Jericho sighed and sat back down, working on more paperwork till someone else walked in. "You called sir?" the man asked as he walked in.

"Yes Mr. Sandor," Jericho said as he handed him a folder of forms. "Go to Mrs. Obki and give her these forms. This is restricted so don't look under punishment of death. Now go," he huffed, letting the man leave the room and leaving Jericho thinking to himself as the clock on his desk tolled eight.

)(*&^%$#!

"… Lewis could you go do something else instead of stare at me all day?" Sophie grumbled under her breath again at the shinigami's presence next to her desk.

"Hey! Alex and Jericho told me to watch you **intently**. So I'm watching you, **intently**," he smirked.

"Then look at me from over there or something!" she growled and pointed to a corner several cubical away. "Your starting is giving me a headache. I need to concentrate right now and the sooner I get this paperwork done the better."

"Okay sorry!" Lewis held his hands up in defense, "Only following orders!... Hey why do I have to watch you anyways?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Ask them, **not me** –"

"Sophia Serbus I need to talk to you privately," said someone from behind them, Sophie turning around to see Fiona, "about a matter concerning these… recent events."

"Got it," Sophie sighed, leaving Lewis at her desk and walking to a vacant room.

Fiona locked the door behind her, flipping on a switch and sitting down in a chair. Sophie followed her and grabbed a chair, sitting across from her as Fiona let out a tired sigh. "What… what is going on here?" She sighed with frustration, "I get a folder from Jericho about his daily reports and… what is this about you on the soul list?"

"Okay let me explain," Sophie grumbled as she tipped her hat up to look Fiona squarely in the eyes. "I know about this _Earthborn_ shinigami Fiona. What I **don't** know is who he is and why he is manipulating other beings. I am always confronted by assassins that say I will die, but this time was different. You know that feeling in the pit of your stomach that something bad will happen? Well I feel it Fiona… it's like there's a dark cloud over me that's telling me that the time of rapture in near. Do you know why I feel this way?... or an I just some pawn for your enjoyment?"

Fiona could only sigh, running a hand through her dark brunette hair. "Serbus… you are a God of Death. As such this is to be expected correct? There… there _is_ something that will happen today. How I know this, well I was told this morning. I was told to keep every shinigami here before noon under penalty of treason. This punishment sounds harsh, but if this group is going to come in… Sophia you will be in danger if you leave this realm. Whatever is happening, the council wants to keep everyone trapped inside. You see how your supervisor was being hesitant and everyone is on their toes?... It's because of this. There is a past we want to keep away from Sophia, but your father kept prying at the dark and trying to expose its evil to the world. Now this evil is back for vengeance and you're next. If you go out there then… then I can't be sure that your name can be taken off of the soul list," she sighed.

Sophie frowned, slowly nodding as she listened to Fiona's speech. "I _**know**_ there is a past no one wants to tell their children about and educate, but I **need** to know. I need to know what will happen to me… I need to be there to stop this from happening… whatever this is. You can keep the facility safe, but I have to go help as the God of Death I am. Now if you'll excuse me," she sighed, standing up and heading for the door.

"Sophia… don't do this," Fiona told her. "Fine," she huffed standing up, "You want to know why? There is a creature they are summoning from the depths of hell to come and devour us. **You** Sophie… it wants to devour **you**. That's why your name is on the list."

Sophie paused, her hand on the doorknob as she thought. "… I cannot turn back now. I can only run forward… even if it means I die. I'm sorry Fiona, but this is something I have to go and do. Please don't hate me for this."

"Just like your father," Fiona chuckled lightly before her face turned stern and she patted Sophie on the shoulder. "Be safe," Fiona told her.

Sophie smiled and nodded, opening the door and letting Fiona walk out first. Fiona quickly left, the two of them speaking nothing to each other as one walked up the stairs and the other wandered back to her cubical. "So what was that all about?" Lewis asked.

Sophie only sighed, writing again on a piece of paper and ignoring his question. "… Go give Jericho this message," she said and handed him a letter.

Lewis paused, unable to read the ancient writing and scratched his head. "Alright… are you sure you'll be okay?"

"Yeah," Sophie nodded, "now shoo!" she huffed, getting Lewis to leave her desk and walk up the stairs. Then she looked at her clock, watching as the time ticked by and her demise coming closer and closer by every passing second.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Do you know what's going on?" Ronald asked Sophie as she sat at her desk since everyone else was gathered around other desks talking among themselves.

"Do you think I would be there if I knew?" Grell huffed. "Anyways, did you see that new girl in accounting! What an outfit!"

"Mr. Sutcliff," Ronald laughed, "yes I did and she was at my apartment the other day."

"Ronald!" Grell yelped, the rest of the shinigamis laughing at his comment.

Sophie only sat at her desk with a monotone look on her face, staring blankly as the time ticked by on her pocket watch. Geeze. She was going to make sure that her death is a secret next time. Knowing the time of your own death was very infuriating and boring. Just then her head lifted, hearing a scratch at one of the windows. With none of the shinigamis noticing her absence, she walked over to the window and opened it. "Noco!" she gasped, grabbing him as he stumbled to the ground and panted. "You poor thing…" she frowned, noticing the blood and long gashes on his body. Sophie quickly grabbed the piece of paper and read it, frowning at the news. "Noco, I know this is difficult for you but go give this note to Jericho instead," she told him. Noco only laid there till Sophie tied the note back on his leg, taking off as fast as he could up the stairs with blood trailing on the floor.

Grell was the only one that noticed this disturbance, watching as Sophie wiped the blood on her pants and calmly walked down the stairs. Then William came out of his office, noticing the cluster of shinigamis talking among themselves. Grell raised an eyebrow as William looked around the room, not bothered by the fact that no one was doing their work for the day. "Where's Mrs. Serbus?" he said and lifted his glasses higher on his nose.

"Probably using the bathroom boss!" Ronald laughed, resuming his conversation.

That's when Eric also noticed that something was amiss; seeing that Sophie had left her coat on her chair but had ran down the stairs. "Sir why **do** we need to stay here all day?" Eric asked William, "Because won't souls need to be taken every day of every minute of every second?"

"My supervisor told me that it's unimportant right now," William told Eric, his eyes still looking around the room for Sophie. "Mr. Sutcliff go and find Mrs. Serbus," he ordered.

"_Why Will~iam?_" Grell grinned, sitting up and jumping off of the table he was sitting on.

"That's none of your business," he huffed and fidgeted with his glasses again.

Grell knew that look, William was as equally worried about Sophie as he was. "Alright," he shrugged, deciding to follow in the direction Sophie fled. "_Be back love~_" he giggled, hustling down the stairs just as a group of shinigamis came running down the stairs from the higher levels.

"Just what is going on here?" Ronald huffed, jumping to his feet as he watched the shinigamis running down the stairs.

"… I don't know, but I'm worried," Alan said. "Should we go investigate Eric? –"

"If one of you leaves without an order then you will be terminated from our division," William told them, their eyes widening as he went back for his office. "It is not an order from me, but from the supervisors. What is going on is none of our concern… **back to work**."

!#$%^&*()

"Serbus!" someone called from high up in the sky.

Sophie looking up as she walked out the doors to see an angel flying down and coughing up blood. Turner!" she gasped and ran to his aid. "What's going on?"

"Harold Zerachiel Hariel told me to come and find you," he coughed as he tried to stand back up, but could only manage to kneel on one knee. "Jamal… Jamal –" Turner coughed again and held his hand to his chest as his body almost fell back to the ground.

"Hush now," Sophie said quietly, not bothered by the blood being spewed onto her clothes and face as she held him upright. "What about Jamal?"

"Jamal Kafziel Janiel is running amuck Serbus," he coughed, "and the troops we were worried about are now killing souls. We need your help –"

"Now there," she said as she patted him on the back, "Thank you."

Then she stood up, putting her sights on London and an eerie red, orange, and purple glow coming from the city. She sighed; knowing that is was time and began to walk towards the city. "If you leave this realm then you will be punished," said a voice from behind.

Sophie kept her back turned, her eyes on the city as it burned. "I don't care about the consequences," she turned to him glaring her crystal blue, shinigami green, and bright yellow eyes at him, "because my vow as a servant of darkness and a God of Death comes first. _Besides~_ it's my job as a Director of Paranormal Operations in the British Isles to investigate any abnormal activities, _right~ Mr. Lorelei?_" she grinned at him. Without listening to his response she turned around and walked towards the city, her shinigami clothes turning into a white robe with a black cloak shielding her piercing, angry eyes.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie walked past a group of injured beings, making her way to the warfront that was decimating the area. To the eyes of humans they would see nothing, but to anyone else among them they were running for their lives and trying to get away from the monsters. Sophie walked past them as they ran behind her for safely; making sure her sword was secure around her waist before letting out a huff. She looked around, trying to find the source of the chaos and confusion. Then she paused, hearing a crackling angel hovering in front of her. "Finally come for the party Serbus?" he laughed.

"Jamal, or should I say _Janiel_? I should have known you were behind this," she growled at him, gripping the handle of her sword and narrowing her glowing eyes at him.

"I am only a mere pawn in this game!" he laughed, "and so are you! You are a pawn too! To think a sniveling being of death and destruction is considered a pawn in this game. You don't even deserve the high status you're given!"

"That's what you think," she responded simply as she pulled out her sword and stood up straight. "Even if I am a pawn I will continue to go forward. Even if I bring death I will continue to bring life. Even if I bring destruction I will continue to bring resurrection… you hear me!"

"Hah!" he laughed, "Like your father. I guess the two of you are two peas in a pod."

"Don't refer me to that man," Sophie snarled. "I am different than him in more ways than one. I am my **own** person, and unlike a pawn I don't take orders lightly… not like you obviously. Working for that **Earthborn** _**man~**_"

"Enough with the insults," Jamal huffed. "Now it's time to take you down." Then he grinned demonically, snapping his fingers as the fighting around them stopped and both sides looked over at the sound. Sophie paused, looking around waiting for something to happen. Then the earth began to rumble, Jamal laughing as the earth began to split open below him and a hoard of tentacles ripped out of the earth. "Did I tell you that I made a contract! This little bad boy for my soul. Isn't he a beaut?"

Sophie narrowed her eyes, readying her sword as a bright light came forth from the creature's eyes. "Leviathan," she growled, "you are **not** taking me back."

"Oh is that so?" they heard from the creature, a deep chuckle escaping deep in its throat as he rose up to strike her. "That's what you say Death, but I am here to bring you back to the Hell."

"Never," she growled again, her voice much deeper then it usually is. There was a deep anger hidden deep in her eyes that was being produced by the yellow haze in her eyes, her body creating the black haze as her sword began to glow. "I'm _**never**_ going back to the underworld, you hear me?" Then she let out a battle cry and brought up her sword, jumping at the larger creature and slashing at it. Tentacles fell to the ground and the Leviathan screeched in pain, but it kept going and continued to strike her. Jamal laughed, flying away from the madness. "Jamal!" she yelled, the tentacles taking her by surprise and gripping around her shoulders. She was thrown several miles away, her body rolling on the ground and her sword flying away from her. Sophie gasped; trying to get back to her senses and ran for her sword before the Leviathan could strike her again.

"Watch out!" she heard a voice, Sophie looking at the sound instead of at the Leviathan as it grabbed her again and flung her in the opposite direction of her weapon.

A groan escaped her lips as she summoned her black haze from her hands. The haze blinded the creature, which gave her enough time to pull out a bow and arrows and shoot the Leviathan multiple times in the eyes. She jumped up and yelled, giving a swift kick in the Leviathan in the face and causing it to fall back into the hole it had created in the earth. Sophie pulled out her long black scythe and slashed at its tentacles with one long swoop, the Leviathan falling back into the underworld and crying out in pain. She looked back to the sound, noticing that the voice was Harold and he was being held captive by his own men. "Harold!" she called to him, suddenly letting out staggered coughs and noticing the deep cut in her arm.

"Give up Serbus," Jamal said as he flew in the sky, "you **can't** win."

"Even if I die I won't give up!" she growled back, gripping her scythe tightly as she looked up at him.

"Then you better keep watch over the hole in the ground. I can always summon the Leviathan back," he laughed, flying away from her. The rumbling came back and the tentacles flew back up, grabbing hold of Sophie's leg and tried to drag her towards him. Sophie yelled and used her black haze to rip apart the tentacles, sending the Leviathan back into the hole. She let out a tired pant and looked towards the rip in the ground, noticing that demons were either falling in or being thrown in by their own kind. "Oh now, look at that," Jamal chuckled, "what pitiful beings."

Sophie glared at him, but suddenly noticed someone she knew about to be thrown in. "Hey!" she yelled, running as fast as she could to the hole and pushed the demons aside with her scythe. "You stay back or I'll kill you!" she hissed, the yellow almost completely taking over the blue and green colors in her eyes.

"Serbus?" the child gasped, yelping as he gripped the edge of the ground and tried to get out of the hole he was being cast into. "Help me!"

"Paul hang on!" Sophie called to him, using the blade of her scythe as an anchor and began to trudge down to where he was hanging. "Grab my hand little Raimondas."

He tried grabbing for her hand, but was too far in. Sophie growled, trying to figure out what to do. "Either you save the boy or kill me!" Jamal chuckled.

"Go to hell you sniveling maggot!" Sophie yelled at him, getting a growl out of Jamal as she ruined his fun. She inched closer, almost close enough to grab hold of the boy.

Paul kept reaching for her, his tiny hands unable to reach hers. Suddenly Sophie's face went pale and he quickly noticed, looking at her confused and he gulped. "S-serbus –"

"Shit!" Sophie yelled, seeing the tentacles come back out of the depths of hell and the Leviathan reaching up for Paul. Paul began to scream as he tried to get out, a tentacle wrapping around his leg. Then her scythe lost its hold on the dirt and she fell in, grabbing hold of the small boy as he began to cry. She brought him to her chest, pushing his head into her chest and refusing to let him see the creature below them. "It's okay," she said calmly as she brushed one hand through his hair. "I'll get you out of here…" She gripped her scythe tightly and let out a battle cry, striking the Leviathan as they disappeared into the darkness below.

The earth then closed up around the hole, Harold stopping his struggle as he looked at the spot where Sophie disappeared. "N-no…" he gasped stunned, then narrowing his eyes and looking up at Jamal. "You bastard! You outright bastard! You don't deserve to be an angel –"

Harold gasped as the restraint around his neck tightening while Jamal swooped down and pulled him up by the collar, pushing the beings that held him down to the side. "You clipped bird," Jamal chuckled lowly as he picked him up from the ground by his neck and kept an iron grip on him. "You poor defenseless little birdie. What should I do next to you, wring your little neck till your head pops off?"

"You psychopath! You monster!" Harold spat in his face, gasping for air and grabbing hold of Jamal's arm as the air was being ringed from his neck.

"You sorry excuse for a guardian angel," Jamal narrowed his eyes and used all his strength to strangle the other angel. Harold continued to claw and try to get himself free, but it was no use. He resorted to going limp in Jamal's hand, a small tear falling down his face as he noticed his bloody wings behind his back. Jamal chuckled loudly at the way the angel was giving up, deciding to finish off his misery for him. Then a hole in the earth was formed and black smog flamed from its depths, causing Jamal to let go of Harold. Harold tried to flap his bloody white wings, but they were too distorted for him to fly off of the ground. He closed his eyes and condemned himself to his fate, falling into the gaping mouth of hell. Suddenly he was startled and his eyes shot open, looking over and noticing a bloody hand had pushed back on his body and brought him up into the sky. Harold turned to see Sophie holding onto Paul tightly, who was refusing to look out into the sunlight. Harold was thrown away from the fighting, falling into a grouping of trees and feel to the ground with several more cuts and bruises. He looked up and gasped, watching as Sophie swung her death scythe at the whole in the ground and sealed the underworld yet again. Then she swooped down and landed on her feet, stumbling slightly as she did.

That's when Paul opened his eyes and looked at his savior, who was having a hard time keeping a firm hold on him. Her face was cut up and she had deep ringed wounds along her raw arms, legs, and back. Her black cloak had been torn at the ends and her white garment was covered in blood, mostly her own but some of it was the Leviathan's. Sophie set him down gently and wiped the blood from her face, a deep cut along her cheek as she wiped the blood away from her eyes. "Y-you leave this place Paul…" she said quietly, stumbling slightly as she tried to turn around.

"Sophia wait –"

"That's a direct order!" she growled at him, her yellow eyes showing from behind her crimson stained black hood and wet bloody auburn hair. "You do **not** go against my orders you tainted soul!"

"Y-yes!" Paul yelped, stumbling backwards confused and running away as fast as he could.

Sophie then rubbed her head in confusion, those words not her own but something else from the pit of her stomach was using her own body to communicate. She rubbed her eyes and coughed up blood, the yellow in her eyes receding slightly to show her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. She looked up, glaring at Jamal who seemed to be shivering slightly. "The only fallen angel is you!" she growled at him, black haze quickly trailing up from the ground and grabbing up to the heavens for him. "You pitiful blackened soul!"

Her black wings opened up behind her and Sophie flew up in the air, swinging back her scythe and slashing at him. Jamal let out a screech as she cut into his chest, a gash of blood flying into her face. "You demon!" he yelled at her as she tried to push him into the black haze that was closing in behind him. "You devourer!" Then his voice changed and he began to laugh deeply, "You pitiful excuse of an angel! **A pawn**. We are _**all~**_ pawns here!" he laughed, but was quickly silenced as Sophie wrapped a hand around his neck.

"No, **you** are the pawn; a pitiful excuse of an angel and demon, a disgusting pile of dung. You don't deserve to live," she narrowed her eyes at him and strangled him, pulling back her scythe to strike him. "This is for trying to kill Harold!" she cried out, her scythe embedding itself into his back as he spat out blood in her face and his breath left his body. Then she let him go, his body falling to the ground and landing with a _**'thump'**_. The bickering then stopped and the battle quickly ceased, seeing their leader had fallen by the hands of the God of Death. They scattered away, both disappearing and running as the black haze streamed throughout the land to grab hold of them.

Sophie gasped and looked down at her chest, seeing a fresh stab wound imbedded where her heart was. She cringed at the sudden pain, her scythe dropping to the ground as her wings gave out when she tried to fly off. She glided down to the ground and coughed in pain, almost falling off of a cliff that led into the Thames River. She looked up and groaned, looking over at the body of Jamal as it lay lifeless on the ground. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust," she sighed, closing her eyes for a few moments and collecting herself, "_Jamal Kafziel Janiel is condemned to destruction by consumption_." She looked up and noticed Ahelie, who had jumped out of a hiding spot to devour Jamal. The panther looked up at her and smiled, soon soaking its mouth in the fresh meat.

Sophie sat on her knees in pain, gasping as her chest continued to bleed. Her body was still trying to fight off the pain as she tried to stand back up, her feet quickly collapsing underneath her as she stumbled back to the ground. Eventually she stopped trying to get up, converting to lying on the ground and watching as Ahelie finished her meal. The crystal blue and shinigami green in her eyes quickly took over the yellow that was trying to surpass her, a relieved sigh escaping Sophie's lips. She looked up and smiled, noticing Jericho as he finally made his way here with a bunch of shinigamis. "Always late," she chuckled quietly to herself, still clutching to her waist as the pain encompassed her body.

Then her eyes widened as she heard Big Ben ring in the distance. The earth began to crumble under the weight of her body and Ahelie turning around and yelled as the others turned and noticed Sophie's body falling to the water. "Sophia!" Jericho yelled, dropping any sense of sanity and running for the cliff. Sophie only looked up as she fell and noticed Jericho as he leaned over the side and was about to fall in, a smile gracing her face as she fell into the deep river.

"Mr. Shezmu wait!" a shinigami called to him and grabbed his hand, the other shinigamis stopping him before he fell into the water.

"Let me go!" he growled at them, being pulled back before he could jump. "Let me go!"

"We will get her in a moment," one of them said calmly, "but right now we need to rationally think th –"

"That's **all** you talk about!" Jericho hissed at them, pushing the man aside and rubbing his head. "Oh gods," he said quietly, noticing a stream of bubbles where she had fallen forming into a growing gyre. He looked around for anything or anyone to help, but he didn't know what to do. Jericho jumped into the water and tried to swim down, only having to swim away from the whirlpool as it continued to grow.

"Did I miss the party?" came a voice from the cliff, Jericho looking up to see Chloe standing and waving down at him.

"Mrs. Chloe!" he gasped. "You need to help me! Sophie fell into the water!"

"Right," she nodded, summoning a long three-pronged fork made of iron colored in dark blues and black. The trident glowed and the waters began to move, Jericho unable to stay still and moved with the current. Then a large minke whale appeared beside Jericho and he jumped aboard as it road him down into the river. "Good luck!" she waved and giggled, watching as Jericho's head disappeared into the murky waters.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie gasped in pain as her body refused to obey her as she sank into the sea. She eventually lost her air as tentacles wrapped around her body, pulling her deeper and deeper into the water. She looked down and coughed up blood, seeing the Leviathan as a bright eye stared up at her. Soon she stopped struggling, her breath almost gone as her body continued to bleed in the water. Then she closed her eyes, accepting the fate that she was going to die.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Okay NOW I know you guys hate me *holds up large school book over my face as I get pummeled by rocks* This is where I'll end the story now, with a cliffhanger (DUM DUM DUMMM!) Does Sophie get out? Does she die? Harold is a guardian angel? Wha? XD Well I'll leave you guys to comment me now. I probably won't post up another chapter this weekend. I want to get to writing the next chapter I was thinking about all day ^^**


	45. The Start of Six

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys. Been waiting long enough for this chapter yet? ^^ Anyways I finally have my Microsoft office documents working again so I'll be able to work on these stories more frequently. I'll try the best I can to post a bunch of chapters this weekend, but I won't make it a guarantee because I have midterms to study for and I CAN'T fail them . So I hope you enjoy this chapter! We're going to get into UndertakerxOC lovey dovey stuff towards the end (and BTW there will be more at the end). I've noticed some of you guys don't agree with my method of transitioning this pair. I'll just say this, how would you do it if you were in my situation? ^^' Starting off with her beings his daughter and either cutting the story short or continuing it for 40 more chapters?… there you go =3 Plus Undertaker is… undertaker. I love seeing him as a sadistic lunatic XD So… yeah. I'm done ranting now. GO READ! =D**

!#$%^&*()

The shinigamis waited with anticipation for the two Gods of Death to emerge from the water, the wide smile of Chloe's lips waning. She could feel the waters, feel that the Leviathan had emerged from the bottom of the river and pulling them into Hell, but couldn't tell if the two of them were still alive anymore. Before she could decide whether to jump in after them, Harold stumbled towards them with Paul standing next to him and trying to keep the bleeding angel upright and steady. "Thank you Raimondas," Harold coughed up blood, a slight smile on his face as he stumbled over to the crowd. "Obki, w-where's Sophia?"

"Down there," she glared, "no thanks to you."

"M-me?" he coughed, "B-but –"

"Hariel you disappoint me," Chloe sighed, "I thought that you would be protecting her. I thought you would… since you're her guardian angel correct? Sent down from heaven to take care of her human soul? Now look at her, batted and broken… and her soul may be in the netherworld no thanks to you." Then she chuckled, "Oh god, I'm turning into my sister," she shook her head in frustration.

"M-miss Obki," Paul decided to speak, noticing that Harold was too tired to argue. "You… it wasn't his fault! It was Janiel's fault! I saw everything… and his troops turned on him and tied Hariel up. Don't blame him miss. He really **did** try! He sent messengers and everything –"

"Thank you for that insight boy," she grumbled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest, "but that's in the past. Now we need to look towards the impending events. If those two don't emerge from the waters in fifteen more minutes then they will be presumed dead –" Then she paused, the group looking over and seeing bubbling from the river.

Jericho emerged from the water keeping a tight grip around Sophie, the whale vanishing once he began to swim back to shore. He coughed up water as his hands touched the mud, throwing Sophie's body onto the land and climbing his body over her own. He cuffed her face, tears streaming down his face as he looked upon her battered and bruised state. Jericho hadn't emerge without a few scratches himself. He had a long jagged gash reaching from the side of his left ear and wrapping down across his chest and around his body, where he had ripped himself away from the Leviathan with Sophie in his arms. "Sophie… Sophie please," he began to cry, cupping her face tightly and looking into her closed eyes. "No! You can't die on me!" Jericho tear up, shaking her body as she lay limp in his hands.

"Sophie! Sophie! Don't die too!" he cried as he shook her body violently. Then he slammed her body back on the ground, holding her still bleeding chest with his hand. "I won't let you die," Jericho growled lowly, a glow coming from his hand and moving into her body. "I won't let you –"

"Get off of her!" Chloe cried out, grabbing hold of his shoulders and pulling Jericho off of Sophie's lifeless body. She slapped him hard, her hand getting coated in blood from his cut. "Don't you have any respect for the dead?" she growled at him. "She's dead! Accept that!"

"No!" Jericho growled back and shoved her off of him. "No I will not! No one has **ever** understood me like she had and if she dies then I will too –" They paused as they heard violent coughing from the body, Sophie's hand twitching as she coughed out a heavy amount of blood. "Sophie!" Jericho gasped, sliding back down to the ground and grabbing hold of her hand. She tried to pull away from him, holding her side as she turned her body and sat on her side. "S-sophie?"

"You can't just let a being die huh?" Chloe knelt down next to her and helped hold Sophie's side for her. "How inconsiderate…"

"W-we have to get her medical attention!" Jericho decided, standing up and stumbling back down to the ground in pain.

"Don't stress yourself," Chloe said coldly. Then she paused, noticing the white feather appearing in Sophie's hand as she clutched it to her painful chest. "How…" she looked questionably at it, hesitating to touch it.

"W-what? –" The two of them were viciously blown away from her body, an angel from above coming down and wrapping his hands around her body. "What the hell?" Jericho yelled, jumping up to his feet and pushing the pains all over his body off to the side of his mind.

"Jericho wait –"

"You let go of her!" he cried out, summoning his death scythe and slashing it at the angel. The angel only stood there, his body not in any way cut by the attack. "W-wha –"

"You need to know your place God of Death," the angel responded calmly, looking down at Sophie in a comforting way and brushed a hand through her dirty auburn hair. "You should have let her die, but instead this soul will go through the rigorous trials of recovery." The angel pressed his hand into Sophie's chest, a painful groan escaping her lips as he forced her to let go of her wound. Then the angel grabbed Sophie's body and took off into the sky, Chloe watching on in awe as the angel's body glowed in white as Jericho kept throwing curses at him. "I need to go over her –"

"Take care of **yourself** first Jericho," Chloe sighed, shaking her head as she decided to begin helping the wounded around them. "If Sophie wakes up to see that you have died then she wouldn't be able to forgive herself." Jericho narrowed his eyes, but obeyed his elder and followed her back to the group waiting for them.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Jenna grumbled under her breath, rushing through the halls as she tried to attend to every patient that was coming in. Out of nowhere supernatural beings had been coming in battered and bleeding and she refused to deny any of them the medical attention they needed. In her haste she paused, feeling a powerful presence walking down the hallway and casually walking past her. "Can I help you sir?" she asked, noticing the weird tan clothes he was wearing.

"I need a room," he said casually, a small being against his chest laying lifeless in his arms.

"O-of course," she chuckled nervously, pointing the man to a room at the far end of the building. "Who are you –"

"That is none of your concern who I am," he told her in a monotone voice, Jenna blinking in confusion at the tone in his voice. "I figured this creature would like to recover in a place she is accustomed to," he continued, "and I hope you will keep her alive here."

"Okay," Jenna answered with bewilderment still on her face. "Go to RM P67 at the end of the hallway. I need to tend to the other patients."

"Of course," he gave her a slight bow. "I don't want to keep you." Jenna nodded, passing into another room to a man who was lying on the bed crying out in pain. The man looked up as he heard a loud noise coming from the room, the bed stricken man screaming as his limb was being cut off. "How primitive," the man sighed, walking into the room he was assigned and closing the door behind him. He set the body down on the white bed and closed the blinds, the lights all turned off in the room.

"Let's see the damage," he said to himself, looking over the pale body as she held her hand to her bleeding chest. "The blood has to be stopped first," he said in a monotone voice, his hand still placed against her chest and coating his hand with her fresh blood. A white glow came from his hands as he began to heal her, the woman stirring her head as she began to regain consciousness again. "Now you need more blood flowing through your veins," he told himself, his hand turning from a white glow to red as he pressed it into her chest.

The woman groaned and slowly opened her eyes to reveal pure crystal blue shining from her eyes, looking up to see an angel standing over her body and healing her. "R-raphael?" she gasped, her mouth quickly being silenced as he pressed a finger against her lips.

"Hush Serbus," he said calmly, "Save your strength." Sophie nodded and closed her eyes, a groan escaping her lips as she tried to ignore the pain still surging through her body. "Why Death couldn't just come here and do this himself I don't know –"

"Because she called on you," said a voice from behind, appearing from behind him and walking to the other side of the bed, "archangel, and I would have preferred that she had died then ended up here."

"Yes… I know," Raphael shrugged as he continued to heal her, "but that was not up for you to decide. You can thank that subordinate of yours –"

"Jericho Shezmu only made things more interesting for me," Death shrugged, "and I don't mind that Sophia Serbus is still alive… Only I know she does **not** want to stay alive. I was only trying to let her end up in the eternal sleep as she wanted, but now she will have to suffer for a while longer."

"I guess so," Raphael nodded with understanding. He watched as Death disappeared, leaving him in the room with the bleeding body on the white bed. Then he smiled, his hand letting go of her as Sophie opened her eyes and looked up at him. "Might I say that your eyes are stunning."

"T-thank you…" Sophie smiled tiredly, a groan escaping her lips as she tried to sit up. Raphael pushed her back down, refusing to let her get up yet. B-but –"

"You need to rest –"

"B-but what about the city?" Sophie frowned. "I can't keep it in destruction. I need to fix it –"

"You can do that later –"

"No!" Sophie gasped, pushing aside his hand and lifting herself up. "I need to put everything back in order! That's my job! –"

She paused, listening to his startling laughter. "My dear God of Death, how hilarious you are!" Raphael laughed, wiping away a tear and chuckling to himself as he saw the angry look on her face. "Oh…" he sighed, "you surely are a gem among the rocks. I will take you back, but once you're done you're back to recovering, got that Serbus?"

"… Yes sir," she nodded, letting him grab her body and open up the window. Then Raphael flew off into the sky, his giant white wings pulling them along as they looked down to the destruction below. "You… why am I alive?"

"You called me see?" he said, holding up her hand that tightly held the white feather. "It was your soul that called me, telling me to come and save you."

"Oh?" she raised an eyebrow, still rattled up by the current events. "How?"

"That's the power of the divine," Raphael chuckled. "Plus you do it yourself correct? You hand out those black feathers to those you care about and they can call upon your aid if they need it."

"I guess…" Sophie sighed, "I'm confused…"

"That's alright," he chuckled, "I wasn't expecting you to call anyways." Sophie nodded as Raphael swooped down, landing in the middle of the destruction and letting Sophie stagger away by herself. "You'll be okay?"

Sophie gave him a weak nod, looking around to see that almost everyone had left. "But first I need to find Paul Raimondas."

"That little God of Death?" Raphael asked. "Why?"

"I yelled at him and said some things I didn't mean," Sophie sighed, "if he was here in the middle of the chaos then his father must have condemned him to death. I'm **not** going to let that child die… I need to go and help him." Raphael followed behind her as she searched around for him, walking to the edge of the city and eventually coming to a cluster of demons. "Raimondas?" she called for him, the head of the family coming out from the group and walking over to her.

"Who – Serbus how are you? And who's your friend behind you?" he grinned happily.

"None of your business," Sophie growled at him. "Where is your son Paul? I need to talk to him."

"W-why he died in the destruction miss –"

"Don't give me that bull crap," she narrowed her crystal blue eyes at him and took several intimidating steps to him. "I need him to come here this instant. Unless you want your family to be thrown to hell you will do as I say."

The man glared back at her and coughed, Raphael raising an eyebrow at the strong sternness in her voice. "Paul!" he yelled, the little boy walking up to his father. Sophie frowned, nothing the bruises from a recent beating on his face. "Now –"

"Paul," Sophie said gently as she crouched down to Paul's height. "Would you like to leave your family?"

"W-what?" his father said grabbing for his son. "I will not let your take my son away from me!"

"Perhaps you shouldn't beat him up and send him to his death when all he did was stand up for himself," Sophie huffed, pulling Paul away from his father as he grabbed for him. "So Paul, the decision is yours."

Paul looked up at his father and cringed slightly, looking over at Sophie and nodded. "W-will I get to sleep in a warm bed?"

"With hot tea every morning when you wake up," Sophie chuckled. "The only request is that you become a shinigami and get an education. I can send you to school, change your name, and make it so you can be separated from your family forever… or never. You can see them if you want. It's up to you."

Paul opened his mouth to answer when a woman ran up, pushing his father aside and running to the scene. "What is going on Paul –" she paused, noticing who he was talking to. "Serbus… what are you doing with my son?"

"I wish to take and tutor him under my training," Sophie said standing up and putting a comforting hand against Paul's back.

"W-why can't you take one of our other sons?" She asked confused, "They are **far** more experienced and knowledgeable then Paul –"

"I am not looking for a mate miss," Sophie said simply, "I am looking for an apprentice. Paul here is a dear friend of mine. I will not accept the torture and abuse he is given at home. That is **no** way to raise a child as talented as he." His mother blinked in confusion, Paul looking up at Sophie as she continued to speak, "but this is Paul's decision. If he wishes to stay here he can and I will not force him, but I wish that you all accept the decision the young boy makes for himself."

"Of course –"

"No!" his father stepped forward. "You cannot give a huge decision for a dumb boy like him –"

"Are you saying that a child that is eight years old can't decide of themselves if they should continue to live with their abusive family instead of a trusting being who is willing to take care of them?" she questioned him.

"Yes! –"

"Then we do **not** see eye to eye Raimondas, for I made **my** life decision at the age of eight when my mother died and I was abandoned," she glared at him. He flinched back, a growl escaping his throat when he narrowed her eyes at her. "I was much younger then Paul when I decided to live with a being that raised me as his own. I think Paul can do the same thing, don't you?"

"… Yes," he said in defeat, pulling Paul's mother away as he walked back to the group. "If you go with the woman Paul… then I cannot stop you," he said sadly, leaving the scene.

Paul stood there stunned, puzzled at what happened. "Paul," Sophie smiled, "what's your decision?"

"Yes," he said, "I want to go with you."

"Great," she smiled happily. "I will need to take you to a trusted home first. Once the chaos dies down I'll create transcripts for you to come to the academy. Is that alright?"

"Alright," Paul nodded, grabbing Sophie's hand as she pulled him away from the demons. "Where are we going?"

"Oh?" Sophie said, winking at Raphael as she walked past him, "A trusted friend of mine. I'm her cook you see."

"Really?" Paul gasped.

"Yeah!" she laughed. "It was an undercover job, but now I'm only doing it for fun… when I can."

"Okay," Paul smiled; looking up in awe as the archangel stood next to Sophie and made sure she was walking straight and taking her time.

"That was very nice of you to do Serbus," Raphael chuckled. "I never see that anymore."

"Yeah well," Sophie shrugged, "one being at a time right?" The three of them left, leaving behind the demons as they made their way across town.

)(*&^%$#!

"… so if it's not too much to ask can you watch over Paul until I'm well enough to do it myself?" Sophie asked, rubbing the back of her neck as she chuckled lightly.

"Of course!" The woman dressed in red laughed, "but thank you for telling me what happened! I don't know if Grell would be able to show up after everything you've encountered… what happened exactly?"

"For the last time I cannot tell you," Sophie chuckled, "but I will when I'm well enough or maybe Grell will. I don't know."

"Alright," Anne sighed. "Paul you may come in when you want," she told him and disappeared through the mansion doors.

"Here take this," Sophie offered, holding out a black feather to him that was attached to a string.

"Your feather?" Paul gasped, "But I a lowlife like myself surely can't –"

"Take it," she put it into his hands, a grin appearing on her face as she rustled up his short and messy almond hair. "Alert me if any problems come up."

"Okay," he smiled, giving her one last look before vanishing into the mansion and closing the door behind him.

Sophie let out a sigh and walked down the steps leading out to the road where Raphael had been waiting for her. "Are you ready?"

"Yes," let out a tired sigh as she brushed a hand through her tangled and dirty hair.

Raphael helped her along the road as they walked back to the city, remnants of her black haze still floating around the city. Sophie let out another tired sigh and closed her eyes, her black haze suddenly springing back to life and surrounding the city. "You know you'll be bed stricken for weeks if you do this," he told her.

"I know," Sophie said as she held up her hands.

"And you know that you won't be able to protect yourself –"

"Yes I know all that," she sighed with an irritated tone in her voice.

"Then why –"

"Because I, Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, made a pledge that I will give or take away the breath of life, even if it means I must destroy myself. I cannot go back on that pledge even if I don't like its rules Mr. Raphael," she then chuckled under her breath. "It is why I am here right? Then let me do my job please."

Raphael shook his head, taking a few steps back from her as she began her work. Sophie coughed in her hand, her black haze completely consuming the damaged areas of the city. Then her eyes opened and the black turned into a white glow, the city quickly becoming healed and the ground going back to the way it was. Raphael's eyes widened, watching as the bodies ripped from in the cemetery and began to spring to life. "Serbus… Serbus!" he gasped, grabbing hold of her tightly in an attempt to stop her.

Sophie let out a gasp and fell backwards into his arms, the white glow disappearing in a glimmer of light and the bodies falling inanimate on the ground. "W-wha… the m-matter…"

"You're going back and resting now young one," he chuckled, grabbing her body and lifting her up into his arms. "Your job is done."

"W-what did…" Sophie groaned, holding a hand up to her head and rubbing her head.

"The demonic soul in you was trying to take you over… that's all," Raphael shrugged, his wings spanning forth and taking off into the sky. "Didn't know you could bring the dead back to live after being dead for so long… huh…"

"What are you talking about?" she growled at him.

"Hush," he chuckled, "only talking to myself." Sophie just shook her head and closed her eyes, instantly falling into a deep slumber in his arms.

)(*&^%$#!

Raphael hummed to himself as he set Sophie back onto the white bedding, which had been changed since the other sheets had crimson red all over them. Then he smirked to himself and grabbed the white with blood coated feather into his hand, the feather disappearing as Sophie looked up at him in a tired state. "R-raphael I –"

"That's enough out of you," he huffed, pressing a finger to her lips before she could say another word. "I need to warn you that you are now down to six feathers. This is a bad number Serbus. Bad things will happen to you until you use another one of my feathers."

"Alright," she frowned, letting out a yawn and pulling the blanket over her body. "I'll take your word for it… Raphael before you go could you do one more thing?"

"Of course," he said opening the window and about to spread his wings.

"Could you… wait here till someone I trust comes by to see me?" Sophie asked. Raphael's wings drooping as he sighed and closed the window. "I don't want to be killed –"

"I will do as you ask," he smiled to her, grabbing a chair and sitting down. "Now go to sleep. You need to rest." Sophie nodded and closed her eyes, sleep taking over her in a matter of seconds as her body gave out on her. Raphael let out a sigh and grabbed a nearby book, flipping through the pages as he waited for someone to come by. Once the sky grew dark a shinigami appeared into the room, a smirk coming to Raphael's face as he looked at the visitor. "I figured you would be the one to show up," Raphael smirked as he set the book down and walked over to Sophie's bedside.

"Of course I would," the black robed shinigami said roughly, "I am her father after all."

"Good," Raphael smiled, "I can leave then?"

"You may," the Undertaker said, wrapping his hands around her body and about to pick her up.

"Now hold it," Raphael said roughly, setting the Undertaker's hands down and putting Sophie back into the bed. "You can't take her. She may die if she leaves this facility."

"She **will** die if she stays here," the Undertaker said in a mutual voice, "you know that."

Raphael shook his head, opening the window before leaning against the wall. "Some beings don't change huh?" he smirked, letting a sigh escape his lips as he thought. "The facility here can give her blood transfusions and clean her wounds every day. If you want to make sure she survives you will need to heal her body once a day… if not her injuries will take months to heal instead of days because of her human genetics. Blood that holds energy works the best, but even a small amount will help… whatever you plan on doing. Give her plenty of bed rest and give her time off… that's all I have to say." He opened up his wings and stared out the window, a smirk appearing on his face before he left. "I know she's your property, but don't taint her soul. She's a kind soul after all and seems to bring a bright light around this damp world of ours."

"Trust me angel," the Undertaker grinned, looking down and brushing a long nail through Sophie's dirty auburn hair, "I know how my little maiden thinks. No need to worry." Raphael nodded and took off, leaving the Undertaker in the room as Sophie rested. He sighed and noticed the wounds, humming a tune to himself as he looked over her wounds over as if she was one of his departed guests.

)(*&^%$#!

"What do you mean you don't know?" Jericho yelled at the top of his lungs and grabbed the young man he was talking to, dressed in a white doctor's coat, by the collar of his shirt and growled at him.

"A Sophia Serbus never came in –"

"Then where in gods' names is she?" Jericho threw him down, slamming his own hand into the nearby wall out of anger.

"Hey boy!" Chloe yelled at him, slapping him roughly across the head and making him cringe back annoyed. "Stop roughhousing! Look they probably didn't see her sneak in like she usually does so –" She paused, noticing a small black kitten walking on the other side of the hallway and sniffing around the room. "Come," she told him, following the kitten and leaving Jericho behind.

He groaned, quickly apologizing to the shinigami before running after Chloe. "Chloe I don't understan –"

"Look you idiot," she growled and pointed to the kitten. "Ahelie is obviously looking for her master. Now let's just follow behind _slowly_, _calmly_, _carefully~_…"

"Geeze," Jericho grumbled to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest and followed.

"Idiot," she chuckled, following till Ahelie stopped at a door at the end of the hallway and started to scratch at the door. "Here you go Ahe," Chloe smiled, slowly opening the door for the kitten. Ahelie didn't thank her as she walked into the room, Undertaker glancing over with a widening grin on his face when the kitten jumped onto the white bed and sat between Sophie's feet.

"You're back?" the Undertaker chuckled, scratching underneath the kitten's neck. Ahelie purred happily, settling down once long nail left her chin and went back to Sophie's chest. Ahelie curled up in a ball and closed her eyes, refusing to leave Sophie's bedside. "I was wondering when you would show up young Shezmu," he chuckled as he pulled on a piece of string and cut it with scissors.

"I'll leave you two alone," Chloe said, giving a nod to the Undertaker before closing the door behind her.

Jericho gulped, slowly making his way to Sophie's bedside and cautiously seated himself on the other side of the bed. "You don't look great Mr. Jericho," the Undertaker grinned, poking the blood on his face and licking his finger. "Perhaps you want me to patch you up too?"

"No thank you Mr. Undertaker," he held up his hand, his eyes still down on Sophie. "I… I just…"

"I'm very disappointed with you Jericho Shezmu," Undertaker said in a mutual voice, dabbing the wound on Sophie's chest before wrapping a white patient scrub over her body and covered her up. "I trusted you with my most precious being and she gets injured and almost died. You need to explain why I should let this relationship between you and my daughter continue. So," he smiled again and sat back in the chair he was sitting on, "explain."

Jericho let out a sigh, moving a hand through his shaggy dark lavender gray and black hair as he thought. "I made a mistake," he confessed as he looked over at a white wall and away from the piercing green gaze behind the Undertaker's bangs. "I had Lewis watching Sophia instead of having someone who was capable of avoiding her trickery to watch her. Perhaps I should have forced her to stay in my office, but I knew she would want to work and talk among her coworkers instead of spending her time in a stuffy, small room." He shook his head and chuckled lightly, "My gods… I don't see why she loves me," he sighed. "I will be honest, I loved her once I set my eyes on her… but I don't see what she sees in a fool like me. A God of Death whose father won't even let him become the head of his family. A man who can't stand up for himself… I don't see it."

"Then you're not looking hard enough," the Undertaker said casually, causing Jericho to look over at him startled. "Sophia Serbus, a pretty name don't you think?" he grinned over at him before looking back down at Sophie and moving a hand through her dirty hair. "I've known her the day she was born and have treated her as my niece and then daughter ever since… Did you ever stop to think, Jericho Shezmu, **why** she wants to be with you?"

"Excuse me?" Jericho asked.

"You don't understand," he laughed heartedly before chuckling lightly and then sighing to himself. "You know her, don't you? You lost almost everyone in your family and she has lost everyone in hers. I'm guessing you saved her at one point? Of course," he grinned, noticing the startled look on Jericho's face, "I assumed she was enthusiastic when she heard you were a God of Death?"

"… How do you –"

"I have my ways," he giggled, the smile on his face decreasing as he looked at Jericho squarely in the eyes. "And you are powerful yes? Did you know that her family is forcing her to marry a God of Death?"

"Yes, but –"

"It can't be you correct? Because you're still in the parting stage?" the Undertaker chuckled. "You see Jericho, despite all these things Sophia wants to stay with you. Why you wonder? Think about it. You touched her heart and now she doesn't want you to go. She's the type of woman who will leave everything behind to be with the person she loves even if it breaks her," he grinned, "She takes after her parents correct? Especially her mother." Then he sighed, standing up and causing Ahelie to lift her head curiously and look up at him. "Do come by the mortuary sometime, but not in this condition you're in. I don't want my little maiden to feel bad about being brought back to life."

"W-what," Jericho responded. "Y-you're taking Sophie away?"

"Yes," Undertaker answered him casually, grinning as he leaned over and poked Jericho in the nose, then narrowing his eyes at him. "I don't trust her here and I can take care of her myself. If you want an example, I will act protectively, like your father, when it comes to keeping my children in the care of others." The Undertaker patted Ahelie on the head, the kitten purring happily at the attention before jumping off of the bed and sitting on the floor waiting for him. The Undertaker picked Sophie's body up and she groaned with the sudden movement, instinctively wrapping her hands around his neck and burying her head into his chest. He chuckled, noticing the frown on Jericho's face as he summoned a portal back to the human realm. "I find this relationship between my little maiden and you captivating, but if you hurt her I won't take it lightly," he grinned, a shudder going down Jericho's spine until the Undertaker let out a huff. "We do like company young Shezmu. Do come by to say_ hi~_" he told him, disappearing into his portal with Sophie in his arms and leaving Jericho and Ahelie in the room.

"Y-yes sir," Jericho said quietly before the portal completely closed, and then looking down at the kitten once it disappeared. "Well kitten, I guess I'm going to have to heal up huh?" he chuckled, opening the door for Ahelie as she took off down the hall. Jericho let out a tired sigh, closing the door behind him and deciding to find a doctor so he could be given medical treatment.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie slowly opened her eyes, stretching her body and careful to not upset her healing wounds. She yawned before rubbing her eyes, looking at her surroundings to find herself in a coffin. "Dad?... Undertaker?" she knocked on the top of the lid, the lid slowly opening to reveal a grinning mortician looking down at her. "Hi…" she smiled in a tired state, lifting her body up and sitting up in the coffin.

"Hello little maiden," the Undertaker chuckled; setting the lid down on the wall, and then going over to the body he was working on to finishing him up. "You should go back to sleep –"

"Oh don't say that," Sophie huffed as she stretched again and yawned. "It's not healthy to be asleep all the time… unless you're dead I guess," she shrugged, trying to get herself out of the coffin but had to do it slowly and carefully.

The Undertaker noticed this and set his work down again, walking back over to Sophie and picking her up out of the coffin. "Let me_ help~ you_ little maiden," he chuckled, Sophie grumbling under her breath as he helped her out. Then he gently set her feet on the ground, not letting go of Sophie till he knew she could stand on her own.

Sophie set her feet down gently on the ground and steadied her hands in the Undertaker's arms, slowly pushing them away as she took a few steps forward. "Shit!" she cried out, the Undertaker grabbing her body before she fell to the ground. "God damn it!" she groaned, coughing and cursing at the pain curving through her body. "Why me?" she growled, gripping the Undertaker's arm again and trying to hold back sobs. "I can't even walk now?" she grumbled with frustration as she grits her teeth.

"It's alright little maiden," the Undertaker said holding her body close and running a comforting hand along the back of her head. "It's alright…"

"I'm sorry," she coughed, a tear rolling down her face as her unstable emotions was taking her over. "Just… Hell and… the Leviathan trying to eat me? I never had that happen… I just want to walk over to the bathroom and get this grime off of me. Is that too much to ask?" she growled at herself.

"Calm down," he chuckled, lifting her chin up and wiping away her tear. "I'll help you. That's why you're here right?"

Sophie nodded before let out an irritated sigh, letting the Undertaker carry her body down the hallway and to the bathroom. He set her down on a stool and turned on the water, letting the hot water run and gradually fill up the tub. "I haven't been **this** helpless since I had to leave England," she grumbled under her breath.

"_Everyone~_ needs help once in a while," he chuckled, Sophie still grumbling as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as the water streamed into the tub.

"… Dad," Sophie said after a while, the Undertaker turning off the hot water and then turning on the cold water to fill up the rest of the tub with lukewarm water. "Can… I want to talk to you about everything that happened. Can I?"

"Of course you can," he chuckled, turning off the water and checking the temperature, before walking over to Sophie and putting his hands on her shoulders, "but first let's get you in the tub." Sophie nodded and let the Undertaker help her out of her clothes, which was only the white patient scrub he had put on her in the hospital. Her black cloak and bloody white robe had disappeared while Sophie was in the hospital, going back into her black haze once the Undertaker had found her something to wear.

She let the Undertaker set her down into the tub, Sophie clinging to his neck tightly and refusing to let go till she was all the way in the tub. She finally let out a relieved sigh, letting the water soak into her skin and slowly clean her wounds. "This is nice," she smiled, closing her eyes and letting her body soak for a while. The Undertaker chuckled and sat down on the stool, sitting and watching as Sophie soaked in the tub. "… Oh I should have known it was Jamal," Sophie sighed as she opened her eyes and looked up at the cobweb infested ceiling. She couldn't help but stare up at the uncleanness, a smile coming to her face as the familiarity of the building overcame her. "That darn angel… I had my suspicions too," she chuckled shaking her head and looking over at the Undertaker. "I should have known."

"Well at least it's over," the Undertaker grinned; glad to see that his little maiden was smiling again.

"No," Sophie sighed, "It's never over is it?"

"You're right," he chuckled lightly before sighing. "I can't lie about that."

"That's alright," she nodded, setting her head on the back of the tub and moving her hands through the water. "I think I have some explaining to do, don't I?"

"Probably," he giggled, smirking as he noticed that Sophie didn't try to prolong the enviable questions he had for her.

"Okay," she smiled, closing her eyes again. "Let's see… my undercover job is at Angelina Durless' house. I'm there because Grell is suspected for killing souls that aren't on the list… which he **is**," she chuckled.

"Oh?" the Undertaker chuckled also. "About time he broke the rules again."

"Yep," Sophie smiled. "I took the job because… well obviously because of Grell. Plus it's nicer then the other jobs I've had to do… capturing bandits and putting myself in danger 24/7. It's a nice change of pace to be a cook and butler instead of being in charge all the time," she chuckled, letting out a sigh as she felt the water soak more into her decaying skin. "Those two… I think the reason Grell is helping Angelina with the murders is because they're both barren. Grell obviously can't have children and Angelina lost the ability to have children… so they're just bitter. Though I doubt Grell will change his mind on his decision. I gave him the opportunity but," she sighed, "I know him **too** well."

"What will happen to him then?" the Undertaker asked, though the grin on his face as if he knew what she was going to say.

"I actually don't know," she shrugged, "but I'm going to make sure he doesn't die. Perhaps he may lose his previous title, whatever that was, but not demoted to the point he can't function or is unable to work anymore. Besides the shinigamis need as many workers as they can right now… I don't think he'll have it bad."

"How do you feel about this?" he asked, Sophie opening her eyes and looking over at him.

"I don't know," she shrugged. "I could really care less. The thing is shinigamis see themselves as divine, but they're not. They're humans… have human souls and can have choices like any other human soul has. They don't have to obey orders **at all**… that's why they fascinate me," she chuckled, her voice slightly out of character before she coughed and sighed. "Whatever. Grell can do what he wants… he has his reasoning behind it. It's more out of spite than anything else. If only he would tell me more … dang, I feel that I missed so much around here."

"I see," he chuckled, standing up and crouching down next to the tub and treading the mucky water with the palms of his hands. "It seems you're not as harsh as your father?"

"I guess," she shrugged. "I don't like being compared to him. **I'm not him**. It's just that simple," she sighed in a tired way, "but no one sees that… Oh you want to know something?" Sophie said trying to change the subject, "Paul Raimondas."

"_Hmmm~?_" Undertaker asked.

"Yeah, little Paul," she chuckled. "That kid… I plan on sending him to the shinigami academy and training him on the side."

"Why?" he chuckled.

"He has nothing for him at home," Sophie told him, sitting up in the tub, "and he's so sweet. Intelligent too. I see a lot of promise in him, but the problem is that he's the youngest of thirteen children."

"Ah!" Undertaker nodded. "Understandable. Those Gods of Death," he chuckled, "they never see great promise right under their noses."

"Yep," Sophie grinned, "so I'm going to tutor him now or at least get him an education. Help him out a little, you know?... He… how to say it?" She thought to herself as she sat up in the tub, deciding to start cleaning her body and hair after sitting in the tub for so long. "Well," she sighed as she rubbed her body with soap, "he was the reason I fell into the Leviathan."

The Undertaker frowned, scooting over to her back and helping with getting the grim off of her back. "Did he now?" he said in a stern tone. "How?"

"He fell in," Sophie answered simply as she scooted away from the edge of the tub so he could get to her back. "It was probably his father's order. Paul could have run away, but instead he was standing right where the hole in the earth opened. It was maddening. I took the leap in and grabbed him as he fell in, getting the both of us out of there before we were swallowed up into the underworld."

He nodded in understanding, a smile coming back to his face as he finished scrubbing her back and handing her back the soap. "How horrid," he tusked, "but you shouldn't have fallen in."

"Huh?" she paused, frowning as she stopped scrubbing one of her sore legs. "You saying that falling into the abyss, which I never wanted to do in the first place, was bad because I was saving a clean soul from becoming blackened?"

"No," he chuckled, noticing the mistake he had made as she glared at him, "but the fact that you put yourself in danger… Can't a father be worried?"

Sophie blinked, a nervous chuckle escaping her lips as she looked back to her legs and cleaned them. "I forget you're my father," she sighed. "I'm used to only having myself to be worried about my welfare and safety, I guess…"

"Of course," he grinned, wrapping protective hands around her back and breathing into her ear, "but you can be yourself around me, right?"

"Yes," she giggled happily, grabbing his face with one hand and turning around to kiss his lips. He smiled, happy to see Sophie with a smile on her face as she grabbed the shampoo and cleaned her hair. "Ugh! The grime… _my poor hair~_" she frowned, giggling after a while as she washed the shampoo out of her hair. "_Ah~_ Better! All clean!" she giggled happily before suddenly groaning, "I guess we'll talk later."

"Is that_ so~?_" he chuckled, pulling her out of the water and causing her to yelp.

"Undertaker!" she yelled, grabbing hold of his neck for dear life as he held her against his chest. "You're getting wet!"

"You think I would care?" He nuzzled his nose into her neck, Sophie giggling and squirming around in his arms. He walked her into the bedroom, setting her down on the bed as he went over to the closet and threw a towel and white shirt at her.

Sophie smiled and wiped her body and hair dry first before getting into the oversized shirt, her hair still dripping a bit as she chuckled at him. She grabbed a comb and combed through her hair, straightening it out before letting out a yawn. "Okay," she sighed, "so where am I sleeping?"

"Here I'm assuming," he said as he grabbed the towel and set it down on a nearby chair.

"Hey I'm not sleeping **anywhere** till I know where you will be," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her eyes at him.

The Undertaker giggled at her, the look on her face made her look like a whimpering puppy. "Well I wasn't going to sleep for another few hours," he thought to himself. "Hmm… I haven't slept in the bed for the longest time –"

"Well where are you sleeping?" she sighed, trying to stand up from the bed and walk over to him.

He ran over to her side, but Sophie shooed him away, walking on her own and chuckling triumphantly. "Okay, okay," he chuckled, wrapping his hands around her neck and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be sleeping here. Now go into that bed and sleep already."

"Oh fine," she huffed, walking back over to the bed and crawling under the sheets.

She sighed again as she wrapped the blankets around her body, a smile coming to her face when the Undertaker tucked her in and kissed her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams little maiden," he whispered to her, blowing out the candle and setting it down on the dresser. Then he walked out the door, leaving Sophie alone in the room.

Sophie grumbled under her breath and closed her eyes, her eyes quickly opening again after a few minutes. "Oh great," she sighed with irritation on her lips, rolling over in the bed and looking up at the ceiling. She could never sleeps peacefully anymore, but she could just wait till Undertaker came back – She paused, looking over at the bed and noticing sapphire/golden eyes staring at her. "Ahe," she giggled, a smile coming to her face when the kitten turned into a panther and growled. "Come up on the bed please… I can't sleep," she told her, the panther meowing to her and jumping onto the bed. Ahelie wrapped her body around Sophie's and a purr escaped her lips as Sophie placed a hand on the panther's back and combed through her black fur. "Oh geeze," she sighed, unable to keep her eyes open and closed them again. "I…I –" she yawned and then chuckled, "I think I need to sleep." Ahelie purred in content, the sound of the beast's heartbeat soothing Sophie to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

"_Because I could not stop for Death~__  
><em>_He kindly stopped for me__  
><em>_The Carriage held but just Ourselves__  
><em>_And Immortality._"

The Undertaker hummed to himself, noticing that the light from a small crack in the wall had finished moving across the floor and vanished from sight. He giggled to himself, poking the body he had finished working with on the nose and closed the lid. Then he grabbed his supplies and set them in their proper places, still humming as he finished up his work.

"_We slowly drove~… He knew no haste__  
><em>_And I had put away__  
><em>_My labor and my leisure too,__  
><em>_For His Civility_"

Once Undertaker was done putting his supplies away he walked to his desk and pulled out a couple of papers, slipping on his thin, black glasses so he could read the forms. He chuckled. If anyone had come in and saw him looking over paperwork like he used to he would surely be gawked at or be given praise. He took out a pen and began to write, checking items off of lists and calculating his inventory for the past month as he continued to talk to himself.

"_We passed the School, where Children strove__  
><em>_At Recess~ in the Ring~~__  
><em>_We passed the Fields of Gazing Grain~__  
><em>_We passed the Setting Sun~_"

Then he sighed, cranking his hand as he set the last paper aside on the pile. He may be retired, but it was still hard work to keep everything properly organized, or in his own sense of _properly organized_. He set a third of the papers into a briefcase and the other stack in a drawer, deciding it would be best to come back to the forms at a later date. Then the Undertaker walked around to each room and blew out the candles, only leaving one in his hand as he made his way down the hallway as his giggled echoed down the uncanny halls.

"_Or rather~ He passed us~~__  
><em>_The Dews drew quivering and chill~__  
><em>_For only Gossamer, my Gown~__  
><em>_My Tippet~ only Tulle~~_"

He walked into the bedroom, noticing a black tail curl over the side of the bed. He chuckled, poking the panther on the nose to awake her. Ahelie growled at being awakened so suddenly, narrowing her eyes as she glared at the hand responsible. The Undertaker grinned and rubbed her head, pressing Ahelie's head down slightly so he could look over at the body next to the devilish panther. He smiled, watching as Sophie slept peacefully without taking a breath. He blew into her ear softly and Sophie shuddered in her sleep, getting a chuckle out of the old shinigami as he tucked her in tightly and kissed her clean hair.

"_We paused before a House that seemed__  
><em>_A Swelling of the Ground~__  
><em>_The Roof was scarcely visible~__  
><em>_The Cornice~ in the Ground~~_"

As he spoke, the Undertaker left the little maiden in bed, went outside, and grabbed a shovel from his decaying shed. There were several bodies he needed to place in the ground before his day was done and no one would be able to do the job except **he**.

"_Since then~ 'tis Centuries~ and yet__  
><em>_Feels shorter than the Day__  
><em>_I first surmised the Horses' Heads __  
><em>_Were toward Eternity~_"

Once he was done speaking he hummed the playful tune over in his head as he patted the churned soil back where it belonged. If anyone looked up from the street, past the gates, and up the hill they would see a man dressed in black, twirling around the gravestones with glee and giggling happily as he did. The voice echoed through the dead of the night, not a sound being peeped as he laughed. After he found approval with his work, the man made the short trip back to the morgue where he knew his little maiden was waiting for him in her eternal slumber.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: You know I don't know what compelled me to write that poem in, but I just love it so much! Plus I didn't know when I could put it into the story, so now (I guess) would be the time XD I bet there will be Undertaker and Sophie fluff next chapter, so look out for that! If you have any comments you are always welcomed to talk. TILL NEXT TIME! =3**

Zerachiel – In the Book of Enoch, this is the name of one of the archangels, meaning "God's command" in Hebrew. He is an angel of healing, the sun, and children. He holds dominion over the earth, and his main duty is to lead souls to judgment

Hariel – the archangel who rules over December, the dawn and Capricorn; also the angel of tame animals and ruler of science and the arts

Kafziel – Hebrew name meaning "speedy one of God." In Jewish legend, this is the name of an angel. Unlike most of the other angels, Kafziel is a watcher, rather than a doer. He is called the angel of solitude and tears, and presides over the deaths of kings. Kafziel is associated with the Seventh Heaven, the planet Saturn, and has been worshiped by Satanists. He is also known by the Latin name Cassiel.

Janiel – angel ruling Tuesday and the east wind

Leviathan – "twisted, coiled"; sea monster referred to in the Bible. In Demonology, the Leviathan is one of the seven princes of Hell and its gatekeeper, Hellmouth. The word has become synonymous with any large sea monster or creature. In literature it refers to great whales.

Raphael – Greek form of Hebrew Rephael, meaning "healed of God" or "whom God has healed." In the bible, this is the name of a son of Shemaiah and grandson of Obed-edom. In the books of Enoch and Tobit, this is the name of an archangel.

"_Because I could not stop for Death"_ by Emily Dickinson (I could not stop myself. This is one of my favorite poems of all time! It doesn't completely fit into context, but whatever. I'm just happy I finally got the poem into the story =3)


	46. The Nourishment

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Here comes more fluffiness XD I do hope you guys are enjoying this story. I STILL feel like this story will be VERY long… it's hard to think that. Can't work on anything else =O Oh well. ENJOY THIS NEXT CHAPTER! =3**

!#$%^&*()

A small crystal blue eye opened followed by the other. Sophie let out a tired yawn, noticing her body was stuck because of tight arms wrapped around her body. She sighed, turning her body around so she could look into the Undertaker's face as he slept. She had never slept this great in years. It had always been that she was half asleep and alert for danger or was able to asleep, but soon had a nightmare. She didn't even trust Jericho and Grell when she was stuck at their places, but she always felt safe and secure in the Undertaker's arms. Sophie never understood why, but she didn't need a valid reason for it. He was protecting… comforting… safe… She brushed his bangs away from his face and stared at his white eyelashes with sudden interest. She was going to make sure she saw his eyes when he woke up, refusing to take no for an answer.

As the Undertaker opened his eyes Sophie smiled, watching as the yellow in his green eyes sparkled at her. The somber tone on his lips curled into a smile, a low chuckle escaping his mouth as he noticed the thrilled sparkle in Sophie's blue eyes. "Good morning little maiden," he grinned.

"Good afternoon _daddy~_" she chuckled back. "I think you've been asleep all day."

"Hmmm?" he answered, grabbing a watch out of a drawer and looking at the time. He grinned, "A minute after noon. You're good little maiden."

"Thank you," she smiled, a sigh escaping her lips as she brushed past his bangs again in a playful way. "I slept the best I have in years… but I'm still _**so~**_ tired," she groaned.

He frowned slightly, shifting his body so he was sitting up in the bed. "Why do you think that is?"

"Oh probably because of yesterday," Sophie explained as her eyes went to her arms. She frowned, noticing the large wounds she had conflicted from the Leviathan. "I… I used too much of my energy, I suppose. Plus, if it hadn't been for Raphael… do you think I was supposed to have died?" she asked in a curious tone.

"Perhaps," he said simply, "but you're not dead now right?"

"N-no… I guess not," she sighed, "but I'm still frustrated I can't get out of bed."

"I'll go and make us some breakfast," he chuckled, setting out of bed and putting the large black coat he had discarded on a chair back on his shoulders. "Would you like that?"

"Sure," Sophie said excitedly and sat up in bed, "but don't you mean lunch?"

"So you want to skip the most important meal of the day little maiden?" he grinned.

"We already did," she huffed, "and if I eat that much food every day while I'm stuck in bed I'll get fat."

"Oh will you?" he chuckled as he poked her belly and made Sophie flinch and curl up.

"_Daaaa~d_!" she huffed; narrowing her eyes at him as he giggled at her and left the room. Once she knew he was gone Sophie let out a tired sigh, sitting back into bed and sniffling to herself.

!#$%^&*()

The Undertaker skipped happily back into the bedroom, a cheerful smile on his face as he went over to set the tray of down on a counter. "Sorry for being late, but a new guest came in –" he stopped, noticing Sophie's head was hanging off of the bed as she held her body tightly. "Little maiden, are you okay?" he frowned, walking over to the side of the bed as she groaned.

Sophie coughed harshly, her body going limp as the Undertaker grabbed her head and placed her head back on a pillow. "I-I don't think so…" she groaned again. "T-this never happened before… uuugh…" she kept saying to herself as the Undertaker sat down on the side of the bed and brushed a hand through her hair. "… What?" she huffed and narrowed her eyes at him.

"Nothing," he shrugged, "but… hmmm…" he thought to himself, setting his hat down and running a hand through his hair. Sophie blinked for a few moments in confusion, only seeing this solemn side to him either when he's angry or when he's thinking very deeply about his important thoughts.

"U-undertaker?" she called to him, his eyes looking over at her with concern as he thought. "W-what's the m-atter? Do you want to t-alk about it?" she asked him.

"No," he said roughly, Sophie letting out a startled yelp as he uncovered his arm and used on of his nails to penetrate into his skin.

"Dad what are you doing?" she gasped, frowning when he looked back at her with sad green eyes.

Then he leaned over to her body and forced her head up, holding out his arm to her. "Drink this."

"Wait your blood?" she pushed his arm away, whimpering when he kept her head in place as she tried to struggle away from his grip. "Why? Tell me!" she growled, glaring her tired crystal blue eyes at him.

"There is no reason to –"

"I am your wife!" Sophie huffed, the Undertaker's eyes going wide in shock at what she had said. "Right? Isn't that what you said?"

A grin graced his lips and he chuckled lightly, "_Aw~ yes~~_, I guess you're right… Raphael told me that I need to give you blood every day and give you energy so you'll be well sooner rather than later… and I can see why," he admitted to her. Sophie blinked bewildered, her mouth speechless as he looked back at his arm. She cringed as he cut into himself again. "Now be a dear and drink before my skin closes up again," he chuckled to her, "it'll get painful."

Sophie smiled when she saw the smile back on his face, a sigh escaping her lips as she grabbed his arm and stared at the blood with disfavor. "You… I don't see – UUMPH!" she yelped, the Undertaker pushing his arm into her mouth and holding her head in place. Her eyes went wide as blood dripped into her mouth, her eyes flickering from the shock as she tried to stay conscious. Oddly enough, she thought the blood tasted good, holding a sweet iron taste to it. Wait. What is she saying!

She mumbled, trying to push his arm away from her mouth. "Sophia… take it," he said sternly, a relieved sigh escaping his lips when Sophie slowly stopped rejecting his blood and soon grabbed his arm to steady it against her mouth. He grinned, watching as she closed her eyes and sucked on his arm as if she was a baby drinking from a bottle for the first time. "_Good~_…" he chuckled. The Undertaker shifted on the bed so he could sit comfortably, Sophie refusing to let go of his arm and continue to lick his blood.

She licked his arm till it was fully healed itself, finishing the last drips of crimson on his arm and letting out a cough. "Oh god…" she continued to cough into her hand, the Undertaker patting gently on her back as she spat some of the blood back up. "D-don't… don't shove that down my throat," she growled.

"Sorry little maiden," he grinned, Sophie grumbling under her breath and coughing again. Then she watched as he took out his other arm and used his nail to cut into his skin, leaning his arm back over to Sophie as she eyed the crimson red forming on porcelain white skin. "I wouldn't have to _shove that down your throat _if you only_** cooperated~**_" he chuckled.

Sophie sighed in defeat and grabbed his arm again, sucking on his cut and drinking up all the blood she could. He rubbed her back gently in an attempt to smooth the blood that graced her throat and to comfort his own rattling nerves. The Undertaker giggled, watching as Sophie got slower and slower and her eyes began to flicker due to weariness. He let her finish, setting her head back down on the pillow and wiping a stray drop of blood on her lips and licking his own blood on his tongue. "E-ewww…" she frowned as she felt disgusted with what she was made to do. "Rosa won't like me after I tell her this," Sophie sighed as she curled back up into a ball and tried to get back to sleep.

"I don't know this _Rosa~_ personally," he admitted, tucking her into the sheets in a fatherly way, "but I think she'll understand if you tell her what happened." Then the Undertaker kissed her lips, a saccharine sensation surge through his body, and he quickly held back a groan. Giving her a smile he moved a nail through her hair as she sat in bed panting from nausea. "I'll take your lunch back, but when you wake up I want you to have plenty of food and water, alright?"

"O-okay," Sophie sighed, her eyes already closed as the Undertaker chuckled to himself. He sat up and grabbed the tray, leaving her in the bed and watching as a small black kitten jumped onto the bed and curled up in Sophie's arms.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie let out a groan, pushing into Undertaker's chest and sucking up the hot crimson blood flowing from his chest. He was amused at how forceful she was with this now, pushing down on her bottom as she licked her tongue back and forth over a deep cut that had almost healed on his chest. "Sophia," he chuckled to himself, causing her to stop and listen to him, "you seem to be compliant now, aren't you?"

"Oh," she shrugged once she noticed he was talking to himself again and went back to finish licking up his blood.

"Are you feeling better now?" he asked when he noticed Sophie had finished.

Sophie crossed her arms on his chest and looked up at him, a smirk on her face. "It's only been two days dad," she lightly sighed. "I still can't move my legs and get out of bed. What do _**you~**_ think?"

He just chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her back and pulled her higher up on his body, closer to his face so he could see her better. "Nihil?" he grinned.

"Yeah," she agreed with him, letting out a tired sigh and setting her head on the crick of his neck. "W-when can I leave?" she asked, subconsciously breathing down his neck as she spoke.

"You want to leave?" he pouted.

"Sic," she nodded, "because I don't like being cooped up with nothing to do."

"But then you'll stop seeing me, won't you?" he whimpered, Sophie rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I have to. My job is to be undercover remember? Besides – whEEP!" she squeaked, being thrown off of him and roughly shoved back onto the bed.

She whimpered under him, holding her arms up above her face and shutting her eyes tightly. "_Little maiden~_" he growled at her, leaning his head into her face and breathing over her ear. "You'll need to have some energy source while you're still recovering."

"I-I know," she whimpered, "but –"

"Even if you plan on staying back at Madame Red's house," he explained, pressing his body onto her and grinning from ear to ear, "you can only have **my** energy. Understand?"

"U-understood," she nodded, letting out a sigh of relief as he chuckled and kissed her on the cheek.

"Good," he smirked, "because tu mihi, right _my~ little maiden~?_"

"Right," she smirked back.

Then he sat up and set Sophie up on his legs, sitting cross legged as she sat in his lap and leaning into his chest. "Now, muşca," he grinned.

"Great," she huffed, "You're turning me into a blood sucking demon aren't you?"

"_Poate~~_" he chuckled and nibbled on her ear. She yelped, pushing his head away from her and grumbling under her breath. His eyes softened as he watched her lean into his shoulder and bit down as hard as she could, drawing blood as he gripped her back and pulled her into him tightly. "_Good~_" he groaned into her ear, his grip around her tightening as she sucked harder on his skin.

Suddenly they heard the doorbell open, the Undertaker lifting up his head and letting out an irritated sigh. "A visitor this late at night? – Sophia stop that," he chuckled as he lifted up her head and poked her on the nose. She let out an irritated squeak, grumbling as she climbed off of his lap and plopped lazily onto the bed. "I'll be back in a moment little maiden," he kissed her lips, licking some of the blood that was on the crevice of her lips into his mouth before grabbing his coat and throwing it over his body. He secured everything by the time he walked into the main room, a grin on his face once he saw the man who was waiting for him. "Now what do I call this _untimely~_ pleasure, Jericho Shezmu?" he grinned, holding back a snarl that was close to surfacing on his lips.

"Undertaker," Jericho said, as he took off his hat and let the rain drip off of his clothes and onto the floor, "I'm here to see Sophia."

He chuckled to himself and sat down on a coffin, but not gesturing to Jericho that he could come in. "_That so~?_" the Undertaker snickered, "and why should I let you do that?"

"Because…" Jericho let out a tired sigh and ran a hand through his damped hair. "Because… because I want to apologize for my stupidity the other day. I want to apologize to Sophia **and** to you. I should have been smarter about the events that transpired and I feel horrible for putting Sophie into danger."

"I see…" he hummed lowly, gesturing to the boy to come inside and sit down on a coffin. Jericho did as he was told, closing the door behind him and sitting on the coffin the Undertaker had pointed to. "… From what I can see young God of Death, you love my little maiden don't you?"

"Yes I do," Jericho nodded as he set his hat down next to him on the coffin and sighed. "I really do…"

"You sure?" he huffed, leaning back and grinning at him. "I know who she is young Shezmu. I have been following the news around here," he chuckled, "_Black Blood~_. How did you come across to getting that _lovely~~_ name?"

"… Ummm… that's really none of your business," Jericho frowned at the mention of his nickname.

"I think it is," the Undertaker grinned deviously, "because if you are going to go around with my little maiden around your arm, I need to know **everything** about you."

Jericho flinched slightly as he heard the menacing tone in the Undertaker's voice, even if it was only for a split second. "Ummm… yes sir," he gulped, letting out a tired sigh when he sat back and thought. "What do you want to know?"

"Everything," Undertaker chuckled to break the tension, "everything and anything that has to do with the famous Black Blood, or Jericho Serkan I see you're also called."

"That is correct sir," Jericho said, looking over to the wall as he began to think. "… I was born during the time of Alexander the Great… about 338 BC," he told him, "in the Parthian Empire, or modern Ottoman Empire today." Then he let out a heavy sigh, running a hand though his hair again as he thought. "At the time I was the youngest child with nine older siblings. To my father I was just another child, so he never took any heed of me," Jericho shrugged. "Still I trained myself over and over to be a God of Death, even though I knew that I would have to serve my eldest brother and see my sisters leave us and go live with different people. I was sad about this, growing up and seeing my elder sister leave and then my youngest sister. It was heartbreaking, but it was something to do with the time I suppose," he sighed. "To jump forward, my father never knew I was training in secret. You know the shinigami council right? Well I told my father I was going to join them since there was nothing for me at home, but he refused. Over time he excommunicated me and I never saw my family again… until my eldest brother show up to work as a shinigami. It astonished me and astonished my father, but it was my eldest brother that stood up for me. My father never really liked me after that… but I still tried. It was the time of the Crusades that the eldest brother of my family died. Everyone was sad … but the responsibility only continued on to the next son. Then the next… then the next… until it fell onto my own shoulders, but by that time my father refused to hand over his title to any of his sons anymore. So here I am, stuck in between a limbo of being the eldest but not getting the title as Shezmu."

"I gained the name Black Blood around the time of the Black Death. I was one of the Gods of Death who were powerful enough to survive the attacks, both abroad and at home. I had a gruesome way of treating anyone who got in my way as my father before me, so I got the name _Blood_. Then over time I was named _Black Blood_ for there was another shinigami who was given the name Blood, but he died before the Black Death was done. Don't remember what his name was, but that's not important. The name stuck with me ever since with the Gods of Death," Jericho shrugged, "but not with the shinigamis. Years after the disaster they continued to call me Jericho instead of Black Blood."

"It was because of my father I left home," Jericho sighed, "and changed my last name to Serkan. I didn't want anyone to trace me back to the man and find out I was really a God of Death… then the shinigami council moved me to the Americas because there was an increase of souls that needed to be harvested. I have been there for many years now… until Sophia showed up I suppose. At the beginning she was just some shinigami that the council had thrown into the wasteland again, until she saved my ass." Jericho chuckled and shook his head in embarrassment, "My gods… what a woman. Reminded me of my first mentor from years back; the way she carries herself in a place full of shinigamis, demons, and even angels, but still has a soft side to her that she only shows to those closest to her… my gods." Then he looked over at the Undertaker, trying to give him a sincere smile. "I love her for who she is, not for who she is pretending to be. Strict, livid, grim, I know Sophie isn't really like this in reality. She is a kindhearted young soul… a pure soul that has lived in the darkness for so long. You want to know the best feature I love about her?"

Jericho paused, waiting for an answer but not receiving anything. "Her laugh, but not just any laugh. Sophia's laugh when she's **truly** happy. When she is done with experimenting and has blood all over her body with a bounce in her step. When, after many months of working, has time off and enjoys laughing and making jokes with her friends. When she beams with pride when a young being she had been tutoring finally understands what she is saying and can move on in their lives… that's why I love her so." He looked at the Undertaker with a somber look on his face. "**That** is why I love her Undertaker. That is why I **refuse** to let her go… but I understand," he sighed to himself, "That I must become the head of my household in order to be with Sophia… I know. I know I need her father's blessing and my own father's blessing to continue on with our relationship, but it is difficult. Our positions in society are different and no one will let us be together. I know her she will give up her positions in power to stay in our relationship… but I can't have that. I need to be the man and take responsibility by gaining my father's title or getting a title elsewhere. That way I can stay with Sophia… so she can stop worrying about me."

"I am sorry for dishonoring her," Jericho sighed, "It was irresponsible for me to not take care of her, both here and in America. I defiled her name and my own, sleeping around with another woman who I wasn't in a relationship in. I can make all the excuses I know of… but the bottom line is that I am truly sorry." He paused, "If you want me to leave then I will leave. If you want me to stay with her then I will. I know what I've done cannot be forgotten, but I am trying to mend the broken pieces of her heart that I smashed and defiled. I ask for your sincerest apology, but I understand if you will never give it to me… I am only trying to make things right between us. Even if we only end up acquaintances or enemies I will understand." Then Jericho stopped talking, waiting for an answer from the Undertaker. "So sir?... Is there anything else you want me to say?"

"No," the Undertaker told him, poking the bottom of his chin with his nail as he thought, "not at all… My boy I can see that you're being sincere, but I think you can understand why I am protective of my little maiden, correct?"

"Yes I do," Jericho nodded.

"She loves you boy; I can see it from miles away. She talks about you often," he chuckled to himself, his laughter dying down once he got Jericho's attention. "… I want to give you my blessing."

"Thank you sir – Wait what?" Jericho jumped back startled.

"I want to give you my blessing," the Undertaker repeated himself in a harsher tone. "I find this game of cat and mouse in these societies of ours rather… _amusing~_" he chuckled, "and I know my little maiden. She will take you with or without a blessing, but I should still give it right?"

"My… sir," Jericho looked at him stunned, his confidence completely shaken.

"Call me Undertaker," he chuckled, "and I like you, boy. You're taking extensive odds to prove to those dimwitted fools that you can take care of Sophia. I like that. No other young man who holds a title has the same love for her as you… I don't see why your father can't see it."

"I can't either," Jericho sighed, "I ca –… but thank you sir – Undertaker." He held out his hand to him, "and I will treat your daughter as the proper lady she is. I promise you that."

"I know you will," Undertaker shook his hand, then letting go of his hand and standing up. "Do understand that she is still my little maiden and my only daughter. Until she makes her decision and you take vows together, she is **mihi**. Understand?"

"Understood," Jericho nodded, standing up and putting his hat back on to leave.

"Oh_ leaving so soon~?_" the Undertaker chuckled.

"But I thought –"

"I thought you wanted to see your _sweet~_" the Undertaker grinned, walking back over to Jericho and tipping up his chin, "or am I wrong?"

"No you're right!" Jericho flinched back. "I am sorry."

The Undertaker only grinned deviously at him, letting go of his chin and moving the curtain away. "Now hurry up. I was just about to go to sleep."

"Oh," Jericho chuckled nervously, following the Undertaker down the hallway to the bedroom.

Then Undertaker stopped him, holding a finger to his mouth as he grinned widely. "Hush now. Little maiden has fallen asleep."

Jericho nodded, walking behind the Undertaker as they walked into the room. Jericho walked around the Undertaker to the other side of the bed where Sophie was sound asleep. His eyes widened, noticing dried crimson blood lining her mouth. "How… why? –"

"Do you know of the archangel Raphael?" the Undertaker asked, sitting down on his side of the bed and trailing a few fingers through Sophie's hair.

"I heard about him," Jericho admitted, "but –"

"He is an angel of healing Jericho. He took Sophie away after the battle with the Leviathan to heal her at the infirmary," the Undertaker told him. Jericho blinked in confusion, suddenly realizing who the angel was who took Sophie away from him. "You could say Raphael was summoned by Sophia," he continued, "but you know we don't **summon** angels. Raphael gave Sophia a few of his feathers as a way to call upon him in dire emergencies if she was dying and close to death."

"That's why she did that," Jericho suddenly realized, "but –"

"Raphael said that she will heal faster if she consumes energy," the Undertaker chuckled as if he was answering what was on Jericho's mind, "and I'm **not** going to keep her in that bloody hospital any longer. You see where this is going?"

"… Are you saying that Sophia needs to sustain on blood?" Jericho frowned.

"Not necessary," he chuckled, "… don't you know that the Serbus family comes from a devourer spirit?"

"I actually told her," Jericho said sadly, "when…"

"So you understand," he nodded with a grin plastered on his face. "Whatever little maiden consumes she absorbs their energy. Her job is sometimes to consume evil souls, so her energy slowly turns evil with every soul she has to devour. It can make her angry, frustrated… I should just say not herself. I know because I knew her father," he chuckled. Suddenly the Undertaker paused, brushing a finger across her cheek and across the dried blood on her face. "If she is given good souls then her energy will stay good. In terms of healing, she **needs** good energy. I know she won't go out killing innocent souls of nourishment. Also she is still suffering from blood loss, so this is the only option," he chuckled again.

"Then… then I need to –"

"No **you** don't," the Undertaker looked over at him in a serious tone. "Only **I**. You are not her mate yet; therefore you do not need to worry with these things." Then he gave him a wide Cheshire cat grin, "I am only keeping you informed. I don't have to tell you a thing, but since my little maiden will come back to you it's better to tell you then have you mess her up and find out later."

"I see…" Jericho frowned, looking back down at Sophie and running a hand through her hair. Sophie shifted and smiled, causing Jericho to slowly smile also. "I will inform Mrs. Obki where Sophia is. She will have time to recover… but I would like to come back and see her again."

"Do so when she has more time to rest," the Undertaker told him as he took his hand off of Sophie's head. "Knowing little maiden she will want to go to the shinigami realm even though she won't be fully rested. Will you make her work if she does?"

"No," Jericho shook his head, "I will not. It's better to have an employee leave work for longer and work at their full capacity later then having them come into work while they're still healing and have them work only half as well for a longer period of time."

"Good boy," the Undertaker chuckled amusingly.

"Y-yeah…" Jericho chuckled nervously. "Now I should be off. I have been keeping you up for far longer than I had hoped."

"Of course," the Undertaker nodded, watching as Jericho left the room and disappear down the hallway. The Undertaker stood up and walked to the main room as Jericho left, locking the door behind him and then walking back to the bedroom.

He brushed a comforting hand through Sophie's cheek again, licking his finger and wiping the stray blood from her face. "D-dad-dy?" Sophie blinked in confusion, waking up from the pressure on her cheek. "Who was that?"

"No one little maiden," he chuckled, "now are you going to go back to sleep?"

"Only if you want to," she sighed, "but I'm still **so** tired. I was waiting –"

"_Shush~_"he grinned, holding a finger to her lips and leaning his head to her face. "Beg."

"B-beg?" she asked him, rising from the bed and rubbing her eyes. Then Sophie climbed onto his lap, slowly unbuttoning his coat in a half-awoken state. "U-undertaker…" she said as she pressed a hand into his chest and rubbed her body up against him. "U-_undertaker~_" she breathed into his ear. "I _need~_ you," she sighed as she let a moan escape her lips.

"_Mmmm~_" he breathed into her neck, causing Sophie to shudder. "_Submissive aren't you~?_"

"_D~aaad~_" Sophie grumbled into his ear. "_I'm __**tired**_…"

"Alright," he chuckled, letting his coat fall back down to the ground, and then wrapped a hand around her head. The Undertaker gently set her head down back on his shoulder on dry coat of blood, where Sophie had bit down earlier. "Now go ahead."

Sophie opened her mouth and sank her teeth back into his shoulder, causing the Undertaker to flinch back slightly. "Am I hurting you?" she cringed backed as she looked up at the Undertaker with worried look in her eyes.

"Not at all," he chuckled, "now hurry up or else I'll have to _punish~_ you." Without giving him an answer Sophie sucked her teeth back into his skin, wrapping her hands around his armpit and up around his neck so she could have a better hold on him. He wrapped his hands around her back and pressed her against his chest, letting out a rough groan as she pressed her lips on him roughly. She took her tongue and licked up the rest of the cut, the skin healing up and the scar quickly vanishing away. Sophie lifted her head up and licked her thumb, trying to get the dry blood off of her face. "Here let me help," he chuckled, tilting her head up and pressing his lips against her own. The Undertaker licked over her mouth, wiping up the blood with his tongue before sticking his tongue into her mouth. Sophie mumbled in surprise, groaning into the kiss and closing her eyes. Undertaker moaned as he tasted his own blood in her mouth and causing his hands to tremble along her back.

After a few moments he let go, letting out a tired pant. Sophie panted along with him and set her head on his chest, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she grabbed him tightly. "_Now~ now~_" the Undertaker chuckled as he brought their bodies down onto the bed and set Sophie's head on her pillow. "Go to sleep little maiden." Sophie mumbled and scooted into his chest, the Undertaker chuckling as he pulled her tighter to his chest and got comfortable on the bed. "Good night," he giggled, knowing Sophie was barely keeping her body awake now.

"Good night," Sophie yawned, giving him a kiss on his chest before curling up and falling asleep. The Undertaker chuckled and ran a finger through her hair, giving her a kiss on the top of the head before falling right to sleep with Sophie tightly in his arms.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie yawned and stretched, looking around to not find the Undertaker anywhere. She stretched her legs and placed her feet on the ground, staggering a little but able to finally walk on her own two feet. She walked into the kitchen where the Undertaker was cooking, leaning against the door and giving him a smile. "Hey guess what."

"What?" he asked as he flipped pancakes.

"I can walk again!" Sophie cheered happily.

"I can see that," he chuckled, abandoning his post next to the stove and walking over to her, "but _my dear~_ you need to be careful when you walk. You're still not healed."

"I know," she nodded to him. "I'm just happy," she giggled. He smiled and poked her on the nose, walking back to the stove and setting pancakes down on a plate. "… hmmm…" she thought to herself.

"What is it?" he asked with a monotone voice, adding the rest of the batter he had in a bowl and cooking the rest of the pancakes.

"I want to go outside," she sighed as she looked down the unlit hall. "I haven't gone out in a while…"

"I could take you out today," he chuckled.

"Nah that's not what I meant," Sophie shook her head. "Today looks like it will be a good morning, so I wanted to go out and play my flute for a while… maybe just walk around the city too, but that's all."

"Oh!" the Undertaker giggled as he flipped the pancakes. "How about you have some breakfast **first** and _**then~**_ you can go out and play."

"God you make it sound like I'm a child again," Sophie grumbled under her breath as she walked next to him and poured out the tea for them. "Well… I guess I can eat first. Not used to eating so early in the morning," she sighed.

Undertaker chuckled, setting the pancakes down on a plate and handing them to her. "Go ahead and set up in the main room. I'll join you in a minute." Sophie nodded and grabbed the pancakes with two plates and silverware in her hands, leaving the Undertaker in the kitchen as he turned off the stove and gathered the tea.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Let me guess, you guys are going to ask about the blood stuff *le sighs* Well… I always think that the soul is also connected with the blood. The blood also a source of energy. So yeah there you go XD I WILL admit I love vampires, but not the Dracula/Twilight versions you see them as. Probably… Hellsing version of vampires (if you want an idea what I'm thinking of when I say vampires and any other monster that has been fluffed up over the years). I'm a fanatic when it comes to stories like Brothers Grimm, so yeah (and hey I just realized I could put those stories in mine… *chuckles happily*) Anyways I hope you're not getting bored with this story… are you? Just thought I'd ask ^^**

_nihil_ – Latin – _no_

_sic_ – Latin – _yes_

_muşca_ – Romanian – _bite_

_poate_ – Romanian – _maybe_


	47. The Melody

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Meh I was bored. Here's one more chapter ^^ Besides I should get as many chapters out anyways. I'm suffering from writer's block (sort of… not really. I know where the story is going, but I don't know how to make it exciting and when I get to writing it I'll just write it with a blindfold on XD) So… ENJOY! =3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed to herself, walking outside the morgue and up the cemetery hill; wearing a long patterned skirt with a white collared shirt, her long black trench coat, and her long black, buckled boots. She had combed through her hair, but this time decided to not put her black hat on for the day. With her messenger bag slung over her shoulder she made her way to the top where the tree was, leaning against the bark and letting out a sigh. She took her flute out of her bag and set her bag down on the ground, watching as the sun began to rise over the horizon. Oh gosh it was beautiful! The blackness of the night sky receding as colors of purples and reds began to shine over the hills. When colors of orange began to appear, Sophie brought the flute up to her lips as she watched in splendor. Then at last yellow and the morning sun rose and Sophie began to play a song, a tune with beautiful highs and lows, which traveled along in the wind and out into the awakening city of London.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Alex let out a yawn, rubbing his eyes and slowly got out of bed. Then he noticed something, a soft melody being played from far away outside the window. "Birds?" he thought to himself as he opened up his window and looked out, the music increasing as he listened intently. Alex shook his head and chuckled, pulling a coat on and random shoes as he opened up his small room to investigate. As he opened his door he almost ran into Lewis and Ben, who were running down the hallway to investigate the sound. "You hear it too?"

"Yeah," Lewis chuckled. "That Boss of ours huh? We were just about to wake you up!"

"Well let's get going then," Alex smirked, running down the hallway with the brothers trailing behind him as they made their way out the building and soon out of the shinigami realm.

Alex stopped them before they got to the top of the hill, the three of them sitting down against a tree and listening to the music. "Oh wow," Ben smiled, humming along to the tune in his head as Sophie continued to play. "It's always nice to wake up to this in the morning."

"Yeah…" Alex sighed, closing his eyes and listening to the tune.

Then the music suddenly stopped, the three of them looking up the hill to find Sophie giggling intently. "Jay stop!" she giggled, the man standing behind her as he tickled her sides.

"Now _why~_ would I do that?" he beamed, spinning her around and planting a kiss on your lips. "Sorry for interrupting, but when I heard you playing I decided to come over. Are you feeling alright?"

"Could be better," she chuckled, poking Jericho on the nose, "but I wasn't done yet."

"Of course," Jericho smiled, leaning against the tree and watching as Sophie collected herself and began to play again. He smiled at the music, listening to Sophie play making his heart flutter. Sophie closed her eyes as she listened to her own melody, hearing songbirds off in the distance whistling along to the music she made. Slowly the song died down, once the sun was shining brightly in the sky and on their faces. Jericho straightened up and wrapped his hands around her waist, getting a giggle out of Sophie as she wrapped her hands around his arms. "Any plans for the day?"

"Absolutely none," she chuckled, turning around in his grasp and looking up to him. Jericho's eyes softened as he looked into Sophie's eyes, only holding a bright crystal blue in her eyes. "Why? Did you want me to work? Because I could… but I'm still tired –"

"No that's alright," he chuckled. "Actually I am off of work for another day. We can go to the library and read since you never have time… or perhaps go out and do something else."

"Hmmm…" she thought, suddenly noticing the scar on his left ear and wrapping itself across his neck and down into his shirt. Sophie frowned and pressed a finger into his scar, causing him to flinch at her touch. "You… Jericho…" she said sadly.

"Sophie it doesn't even hurt anymore," he chuckled as he took her hands off of his face and held them tightly in his hands. "Besides I am proud to wear this scar… I'm happy to as long as you're safe."

Sophie smiled and gave him a kiss on the lips, parting before looking back at the scar with fuss. "You know… you can barely see the scar unless you look for it," she chuckled as she touched it again. "Hey I know!" she realized and grasped his hands, "Let's just hang out. I don't care where, but I need to take it easy for the moment. My legs still feel like jelly. Anywhere you want to go?"

"Let's go over there," Jericho pointed at the three shinigamis hiding in the woods.

Their eyes widened as Jericho spotted them and they took off, causing Sophie to giggle. "Oh geeze," she laughed heartedly, "Okay! Let's go to the shinigami realm then. I haven't been to the library in a while, and perhaps there'll be some beings that are lazing about and I can yell at. I think Miss Grell wants to know if I'm okay and –"

"Alright, alright," he chuckled to himself, "You don't have to explain." He let go of Sophie's waist so she could grab her messenger bag and swing it over her shoulder. Then they walked off together, taking their time and enjoying each other's company as they made it back to the realm.

)(*&^%$#!

"Wait Chloe left?" Sophie frowned as she walked up the stairs with Jericho stepping behind her.

"Yeah sorry," he chuckled, "but she didn't want to disturb you. Oh!" Jericho smiled as he poked her in the side and she let out a startled shriek and jumped away. "She also told me to tell you she was _'Going to tell her'_… whatever that means," Jericho shrugged.

"Okay cool!" Sophie smiled, running up the flight of stairs to escape the other God of Death on the stairs. Jericho shook his head, chuckling to himself as he followed her to the top. "Question," Sophie asked as she waited from him at the top and had her hands over her chest, "How's the demon problem now? Can we rest easy yet?"

"I guess…" Jericho sighed, "But this has been going on for **eons** Sophie. It's never over."

"Never. Over." She frowned, "I don't like the sound of **that**. Well? What's going to happen?"

"Fine," Jericho shook his head and stood up next to her. "The demons will always be there Sophie; there's no getting around that, but things will die down for a while. Don't worry about it! Just live in the moment, you know?"

"Alright," she smiled, grabbing his hand and pulling him along, "but now what?"

"Now… **what**?" he shrugged.

"Here Gray Jay," Sophie chuckled and pointed to the ground, "our _**jobs~?**_"

"Oh that!" Jericho laughed. "Sorry _mon~ __ne m'oubliez pas_," he chuckled poked her in the nose. "You know just basic forms for medical care and etcetera. Mrs. Obki told me to have you wait till you're all healed up before resuming your position. In the meantime just relax for a bit. Take some time off! You haven't had time to yourself in a few years."

"I know right?" she chuckled, "but now I have nothing to do… I can work on some unfinished projects –"

"Oh no!" Jericho shook his head. "You **can't** do that stuff here Sophie. We could always take a random demon and –"

"Meh not the same," Sophie huffed. "Oh well. I'll research later," she chuckled, "I could go back to helping Undertaker around the shop. God it got ghastly! Oh wait! A better idea! Paul Raimondas."

"Raimondas?" Jericho gave her a questionable look. "That God of Death family that are supposed to be protectors and advisors in the East? Sophie… what did you do?"

"The kid was going to be thrown into the darkness and I saved him," Sophie shrugged, "_Besides~_ he's a good kid. The youngest in a family of thirteen children… sound familiar yet?"

"I guess so," he sighed, "but what's your plan now?"

"Oh just the simple stuff," she chuckled. Then she pressed her body against his and trailed her fingers up his chest. "Sneak him into the academy while everyone is still rattled up about the Jamal problem and then find him a place to stay. Tada! There! Done! The kid deserves better Jay. He's a smart lad who's quite witty when given the chance. The fact that his father put him into a situation that almost got him killed ticks me off," she grumbled under her breath.

"Well alright," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her and pushing her into his chest. "Is that what you'll do today?"

"Probably not," Sophie shrugged. "I have things to take care of today and the same thing tomorrow… but I may do it tomorrow." Then she chuckled, "I don't know. I'll just wait till I come to it."

"Got it," he smiled, giving her a kiss on the lips before letting her go completely. "Oh guess what? I got some red grapes from Crete the other day. Want some?"

"You know it!" she chuckled and gave him a sweet smile. "I want to see Grell though –"

"Won't he try to hurt you?" Jericho looked at her confused.

"Jay," she shook her head, "**she** is only _hugging~_ me –"

"It looks as if he's trying to squeeze your insides out," he grumbled.

"Yeah, but so does Chloe," Sophie grumbled and shook her head at him.

"But Chloe is –"

"Don't say that just because '_she's in a higher position of power'_ then you then it doesn't matter," she narrowed her eyes and pointed a finger at him. "I just see beings on an equal playing field. You know that… or maybe you **don't**," she chuckled to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Sophia…" Jericho sighed in defeat and slouched slightly.

Sophie giggled and poked him on the nose, "I'm only kidding Gray Jay," she smiled. Then she took out her pocket watch, looking at the time before closing it and putting it back away in her pocket. "Oh where **is** everyone today? Is there a meeting or something?" she huffed.

"Hey calm down," he smiled, grabbing the chair from her desk and sitting down on it. "We can wait all day. I'll pop open a bottle of wine for us," he grinned.

"Jericho…" she shook her head and sat down on his lap, "You know I'm trying to quit –"

"Ah! But did you have your rations yet?" he asked.

"No, but –"

"Then it's settled," he chuckled, pulling an old bottle of wine from his back and showing it to her. He grabbed two wine glasses from his back, grinning at her as he clanked the crystal glasses together. "Don't worry ma fleur. I'll take care of you," he smirked, setting the glasses down and popping the cork.

"… Fine," she sighed in defeat, shifting her body around on his lap so she was sitting comfortably. "I guess I could… **this once**," she smirked, eyeing the burgundy liquid that poured forth from the bottle.

)(*&^%$#!

"But _Willlll~_ —"

"For the last time **no**," William let out a tired sigh and put his fingers on his nose as he concentrated. "I can't tell you because I was told from my superiors to 'not tell a soul.' Got that?"

"Un-fair!" Grell huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "She is my apprentice! I should be told this information too!"

"Ask her yourself," William shook his head as they stepped onto the E level, quickly noticing a strong smell of fermented grapes. He paused, feeling a headache coming on as they rounded the corner to his office. "Mrs. Serbus?" he asked questionable.

"Oh there you are!" Sophie huffed and sat up in Jericho's lap. "Grell I was **hoping** you would show up early today! Oh, did you want some wine?"

"This early in the morning?" Grell thought to himself.

"It's _**red~~**_" she grinned.

"Okay!" Grell chuckled enthusiastically, grabbing a random chair from a desk and sitting in front of them. Jericho took out a wine glass and handed it to Sophie, who poured it out for Grell and handed it to him with a grin on her face.

"This is **highly** unacceptable behavior Mr. Serkan and Mrs. Serbus," William growled. "You may be my superiors, but I can report you for this."

"Wow, you're right," Jericho said to Sophie and sighed. "Go right ahead, _if you must_. We're not on duty anyways and have other things to do if we get fired. So… it's up to you. Report us or have some wine," he smirked.

"No thank you," William sighed, walking away from them and slamming his office door behind him.

"So Grell," Sophie began, shrugging her shoulders and leaning in closer to him, "how are things here? Is everyone worried about me?"

"Yes," he chuckled, leaning back and swirling the wine in his hand before taking a sip. "Alan and Ronald won't stop asking questions. It's getting fairly obnoxious now," he grinned. "What happened? No one will talk to us about it."

"… What? Wouldn't there already be gossip or something?" she sighed as she finished sipping her wine and setting the glass down on her desk.

"Actually yes!" he chuckled. "I've heard the **strangest** things. One rumor was that they were keeping us here for an experiment consisting on how long a human soul would last before it moved on by itself. Another was there was a gigantic hole in the ground and everything was falling into it! Then there are rumors about Father showing up. **Father Death!** Is there such a thing? And also there's a rumor about this demon that was grabbing shinigamis and swallowing them up."

"Oh geeze," Sophie chuckled. "That's ridiculous when you put it into **that** perspective. Death? Nonsense Grell. Father Death didn't show up. Here let me explain –"

"Sophie is **that** a good idea?" Jericho asked, "Because if you tell one person then they will go around and spread gossip –"

"Jericho," she sighed, "For one, I came here to tell Grell. Two, everyone will know soon enough so I'm just surprised the gossip around here is so obscure. Lastly, he's my mentor for Pete's sake! Plus I want to talk about it… it was scary."

"Oh and you can't talk about it with **me**?" Jericho frowned.

"You're here aren't you?" she grinned, "and you're sitting here so you can listen for all I care. Anyways, what happened is this angel I had been working under when a bit crazy in the head. There's this guy, who I will not talk about, who is controlling the huge increase in demons, angels, and the like. So this angel went crazy and contracted his soul to a demon of hell. That's what happened. The thing I want to talk about is… is about hell," she chuckled nervously.

"What?" Grell yelped. "What are you talking about?"

"When this **particular** demon came out of hell he opened up a gigantic hole in the ground. I have other jobs beside this one Grell… you know that. So I took off into London and confronted it. The demon had these long tentacles, like an octopus or a giant sea creature, and he kept grabbing hold of me and trying to tear me apart. I eventually sent it back into the hole in the ground, which, I must say, this demon couldn't be destroyed. Anyways I went after the angel, but as I did I saw earthly demons being thrown in. There was this boy that I knew… a bright light blue soul. He was thrown in and I grabbed hold of him… but then he fell so I dropped myself in… I… do you know what hell is like Grell?"

"No," Grell frowned, "and I don't particularly **want** to know."

"Oh…" Sophie frowned.

"But you can tell me!" he chuckled nervously, "I meant I don't want to end up there."

"Oh alright," she chuckled. "Anyways it… was frightening. I could hear screaming, souls wailing," she continued as she closed her eyes, "I would close my eyes but still see their shadows, their souls crying out for me to save them from its fiery depths. The demon had grabbed hold of me and wasn't letting me go, throwing me in. It took all my strength to get us out, my skin being ripped by the monster as I flew out." Then she opened her eyes, setting her hands down on her lap and sighing to herself. "I was having two distinct thoughts in my mind as I was down there: one of fear and one of hate. The fear **I** had when I was thrown down… and the hate I felt in the depths of my soul of falling back into the darkness. That soul was trying to eat me away, throwing me out so I would go unconscious, but I wouldn't let it. Eventually I defeated the demon and closed up the hole in the ground… but the monster came back out of the water and dragged me in." She grasped Jericho's arm, closing her eyes and forcing herself not to cry. "I… I… I thought I was going to die Grell… I had never been that scared in my life. Honest. This is not like just dying and your soul is being reborn somewhere else, it's my soul being swallowed up by the Leviathan and consumed and devoured. Then going into an eternal hell of torment… where I can never be freed... I couldn't bear dying like that. Heck, I may have honestly accepted it if I hadn't known I was going to die that day! Just… when Jericho woke me up I…"

"Sophie…" Jericho frowned, hugging her tightly to his chest and rocking her back and forth.

"Why did you?" she hiccupped to herself, letting a tear roll down her face. Jericho paused, looking at her in confusion as she buried her head into his arm. "You… I was going to die. I told you how I feel about that. Of course my human body will always fight back and want me to continue to live, but everything else… I don't see my worth here."

"Wait now," Jericho huffed and brought his head closer to her face, "Don't say those things. You have worth. You do! You're keeping **me** sane. That's one."

Sophie chuckled to herself, looking over at him with a smirk, "Oh right. **I'm** keeping **you** sane? Fine, one thing… I just want to die and sleep," she sighed.

"God don't do this again," Jericho grumbled to himself, brushing the tears from her eyes and giving her a smile. "Hey, I know that. It's not like you'll be here for eternity. So enjoy yourself! Geeze… sorry about this Miss Sutcliff."

"Oh what's wrong dear?" Grell frowned and tried to give Sophie a comforting hand, but she only flinched away from his touch.

"Hormone stuff," Jericho shrugged. "Happens all the time when she uses up so much energy. Her body is trying to regenerate lost cells so she's all over the place –"

"Hey I'm **just** fine!" she huffed. "God you…" she growled.

"I'm just explaining the situation," Jericho sighed. "… What did Raphael do to you?"

"Healed me up I guess," Sophie shrugged. "I didn't remember anything once I blacked out… I was **really** tired Jay."

"Jay?" Grell asked with a slight snort.

Jericho rolled his eyes when Sophie chuckled. "Came up with it myself," she smiled as she leaned in closer to Grell, "when we went on our first date. There was a Canada Jay bird whistling outside under the tree we were sitting in. So he's my little Gray Jay, right?" She grinned and pinched Jericho's cheeks.

"Oh geeze," Jericho grumbled to himself, "oui ma fleur."

Sophie smirked and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "Ce que n'aimez pas mon surnom?"

"Je n'ai pas dit que le," he chuckled, giving her a peck on the lips. "C'est gênant parfois," he sighed.

"Je crois qu'il est douce," Grell complimented, causing Jericho's face to turn red.

"Sophie you didn't tell me your mentor knew –"

"Oh yeah I didn't did I?" she giggled to herself. "Well I think that's if for today," Sophie yawned as she stood up and stretched. "I'm going to go back to bed. I'm starting to feel lightheaded."

"Already?" Grell frowned, standing up and setting the glass of wine down. "It's not even eight o'clock in the morning yet!"

"Yeah… but I still need to heal Grell," she rubbed the back of her head, "and I have some things I have to do tomorrow."

"Like what?" Jericho huffed as the glasses and wine bottle vanished by his touch.

"Well…" Sophie sighed and thought to herself. "I want to bring Paul around on my errands tomorrow so I'll have to start off my day early. I plan on meeting with Liulfr about something… then send Paul here. After that I'll probably go back to sleep… I don't think I can stand being awake for so long," she chuckled.

"I could do all that," Jericho said as he stood up and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

"Nah," she shrugged. "Besides you have to _work~_ tomorrow," she teased, poking his arm before grasping it tightly. "Oh sorry if that information wasn't well thought out Grell. I haven't been thinking about how I would tell you till just this morning."

"It's quite alright Sophie," Grell chuckled, "You go and rest. What should I tell madam?"

"I'll be seeing her tomorrow," Sophie smiled. "I have Paul resting there for now. That's not a problem is it?"

"… Who is Paul?" Grell asked raising an eyebrow.

"The boy who fell into hell and I saved him," Sophie said casually and then shrugged. "He's a sweet kid, but his father is abusing him just because he spoke his mind the first time I met him. I can't let something so insensitive slide… you know what I mean?"

"**Exactly**," Grell smirked. "Get going now," he chuckled, "if you don't you'll be caught by Ronald and be forced to answer his questions."

"Alright," Sophie chuckled, pulling on Jericho's arm and they walked down the hall.

Grell looked at them as they left, letting out a sigh of longing as Jericho summoned a portal and they walked through it hand in hand. "J'aurais aimé quelqu'un pour m'aimer autant Sophia n'a." Grell sat down at his desk and looked at William's office door, letting a huff escape his throat as he thought quietly to himself.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"_Back so soon~?_" Undertaker giggled into his sleeve, watching as Sophie brought Jericho into the morgue and she sat down on a coffin.

"I'm tired again," she sighed, letting out a groan as she flop over on the coffin lid and laid her head down. "I **hate** feeling so defenseless like this. Ugh!" she pouted.

"Don't be so angry," Jericho sighed as he sat down at the end of the coffin and put a comforting hand on her back. "Everyone needs to be helpless _sometimes_. Heck, I know I feel that every once in a while."

"Of course **you** would," Sophie chuckled, shaking her head as she curled up into a tighter ball. "I'm just glad you're okay Jay. If you died then wouldn't be able to live with myself."

"I know," he chuckled back, patting her on the back gently before standing up. He glanced over at the Undertaker, who was back to humming to himself and perfecting a body, and then back at Sophie. "I better get going," he sighed, "so you can go rest."

"Eh!" Sophie frowned, sitting up and grabbing his sleeve before he could leave out the front door. "You're not going to stay?"

"W-why…" Jericho stuttered and looked over at the Undertaker before back at Sophie. "I didn't think you wanted me to…"

"Of **course** I do, mon oiseau chanteur," she grinned happily. "Don't **you** want to?"

"Y-yes but –"

"Then what's the problem?" Sophie frowned.

"I ummm…" Jericho sighed and looked to the ground.

"Go sleep in a coffin you two," Undertaker giggled to himself, not looking up at them as he continued to work diligently on his work.

"Okay!" Sophie grinned, Jericho letting out a quiet stunned huff as Sophie opened up a few coffins and trying to find one that wasn't occupied with a dead body. "Umm… which one?"

"The one in the living room," Undertaker shook his head, chuckling to himself as he watched Sophie drag Jericho down the hallway and into the living room.

Sophie smiled, noticing that the coffin she had made for the Undertaker when she was a child was now lying in the middle of the room. She opened the lid and stepped inside, giggling as she pulled Jericho in with her. Jericho chuckled back, closing the lid as he lowered himself down and cuddling in tightly next to her. "Are you **sure** your father is alright with this?" he decided to ask her.

"Of course!" Sophie giggled and wrapped her arms around him, "He wouldn't have suggested it if he didn't like this." Then she let out a sigh and snuggled her face into Jericho's chest. "Now let's sleep," she told him as she closed her eyes.

"Alright," Jericho smiled, shifting his body so he was comfortable in the coffin and holding her close to his chest. He smirked, noticing how surprisingly soft and comfortable the inside of the coffin was against his body.

!#$%^&*()

Jericho blinked, letting out a groggy grumble as he opened his eyes to a loud whimper in his ear. He looked over and felt a body wrapping up tighter into his chest and letting out silent coughs. "Sophie?" he asked in a half-awoken state, unwrapped his arms around her and pushing the coffin lid off. He sat up and set Sophie on his lap, noticing that her eyes were shut tight but she was coughing up blood into her hands. "Sophie… Sophie wake up…" he frowned.

"_Having trouble~?_" Jericho jumped and held Sophie close to his chest, his eyes darting around the room and narrowing at the sudden sound. Then he let out a huff, grumbling to himself once he noticed the Undertaker chuckling from behind a desk.

"What do **you** think?" he kept grumbling, sighing as he let his eyes adjust to the sudden light and tried to uncurl Sophie. "Sophie," he shook her, "come on and wake up now."

"… N-noooo…" she grumbled, continuing to cough in her hand and starting to shiver.

"Here let me do it," the Undertaker sighed, setting his pen down on his desk and walking over to the coffin. Jericho raised an eyebrow, not used to seeing the man without his hat on. Undertaker knelt down next to the coffin and shifted her, rocking her back and forth as if she was in a rocking chair. "Sophia… little maiden… _wake up please~_…"

Sophie groaned, an eyelid slowly opening and looking up at the Undertaker with shinigami green and bright yellow eyes. "D-death?" she said in a deeper voice then her own.

"Oh so she's still sleeping?" the Undertaker chuckled, her eyes closing again as she curled up into his chest. He looked over to the boy with a wide grin on his face, while Jericho was only looking at Sophie with worry on his face and unsure what was going on. "Come here little maiden," he sighed, picking her up and setting her down on his lap as he flop onto the couch. "_Mihi, mihi_… _tu mihi~_" he cooed, rocking back and forth and felt as her shivering slowly stopped. "Be a dear and take my blood," he chuckled, cutting into his arm with his nail and then setting his arm close to her mouth. Sophie shuddered, licking his arm before pressing her lips into his arm and beginning to suck on his skin.

"What are you making her do?" Jericho frowned, standing up out of the coffin and sitting down next to them on the couch. "What do you mean_ 'she's still sleeping'_?" he grumbled to himself and glared at him.

"The Serbus family, her father, brother, and herself, are all linked by one soul. For Sophia," he chuckled as he looked down at her and brushed a nail through her hair, "_well~_… it likes to show up sometimes. The weaker the host soul is the stronger the confined soul is to taking over body. The other soul of hers tries to make itself known… I think it's the yellow and perhaps green tints in her eyes that you can tell if it's there or not," he smirked. Then he let out a tired sigh, wrapping his arms around Sophie tightly and pulling her closer to his chest protectively. "It can kill them. Once they reach their limits but have a will to keep going, then the soul will take over. It's not different then its host soul… but it's not the same either. An old soul that has escaped hell and is trying to make its way to heaven… rather poetic huh?"

"… I never knew it was possible," Jericho sighed, shaking his head as he ran his fingers through his hair. "That Sophia," he chuckled to himself, "You can never tell what she's thinking."

"Then why love her?" he responded sternly. "If she has so many faults then why stay with her?"

Jericho looked over and winced, noticing the Undertaker's stern face. "Why?" he sighed, "I thought I already said it… she needs help Undertaker. Look at her. You know she's only a child fighting in an old and god-forsaking war." Then he chuckled, sitting up and leaning his hands on his knees. "I love her spirit. How she goes off and fights even though she doesn't have to. How she stands up for everything she believes in and thinks about the consequences later… How she acts strong and powerful, but is as weak as the rest of them. Aren't humans interesting?" he smirked.

"Of course they are," the Undertaker chuckled back, "but this human is **different**, like a wild lion that can never be tamed… you up for the challenge boy?"

"Yes," Jericho nodded. "I've been waiting for this opportunity eons ago."

"Good," he sighed, setting Sophie's head up and letting her rest her head against his chest. "I'll need someone to take care of her anyhow," he chuckled lightly.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: And I'll just stop it here ^^ Well this is it for now. Perhaps I've left my writer's block now… I don't know. Probably not (I'm still at least 8 chapters ahead so that's no problem =3) GOOD NIGHT! And I hope you enjoyed this ^^**

ne m'oubliez pas – French – "do not forget me"; the term the French used for Forget-Me-Not flowers

_ma fleur_ – French – _my flower_

_ce que n'aimez pas mon surnom_ – French – _what you do not like my nickname_

_Je n'ai pas dit__que le_ – French – _I never said that_

_c'est gênant__parfois_ – French – _it is embarrassing sometimes_

_je crois qu'il__est douce_ – French – _I think it is sweet_

_J'aurais aimé__quelqu'un pour m'aimer__autant__Sophia n'a_ – French – _I wish I had someone to love me as much as Sophia does_

_mon__oiseau chanteur _– French – _my songbird_


	48. The Guide

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I find it fun to read all these comments you guys are sending me. Woot! I'm glad you guys haven't lost interest yet because it's still going to be a while till this is finished. I don't know, I'm starting to get discouraged that's all. If this is not finished by the end of the summer then I will DEFFINITELY cry 3X You can thank writer's block and homework for my complaining *grumbles under breath* Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! =D (I know you gusy don't want to listen to me complain anyhow so I'll be quiet ^^')**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie slowly woke up and yawned, rubbing her crystal blue eyes and shifting her weight. She smirked, noticing that Jericho was sleeping soundly next to her with his arms tightly wrapped around her waist. She took out her pocket watch and looked at the time, suddenly sighing at the time as she closed the watch shut and let it vanish in between her finger tips. "_Jay~_…" she called to him in a soft and tired voice, poking his cheek as she grinned, "_Jay~~_…"

"Not n-now," he grumbled, trying to shoo the hand away from his cheek as he sat up and bopped his head on the coffin lid. "Shit!" he yelped, rubbing his head with a grumble on his lips.

Sophie chuckled, "Jericho it's almost eight."

"Oh," he said suddenly, lifting the lid up and setting it down on the ground. Jericho sat up and rubbed his tired eyes, getting a giggle out of Sophie as she also sat up and stretched.

She smirked, wrapping her arms around his waist and squishing her head into his chest. "Did you sleep last night?" she asked him, "You seem to be tired."

"I did," he chuckled, "but I guess not enough." Then he got out of the coffin, grabbing for his things and helping Sophie out of the coffin. "I have to get going. I doubt anyone will scold me… but I can't have 'being last to work' as a permanent record in my files," he chuckled. "Will you be okay by yourself?"

"Yeah I will," she smirked, giving him a kiss on the cheek as he put his jacket on his shoulders. "I'll only be out for a few hours and then come home. Will **you** be okay?" she grinned.

"I'll be fine," he sighed, "Just work and more work today."

"Okay," Sophie chuckled, grabbing his face and giving him a long passionate kiss. Once they parted Jericho chuckled along with her, letting her go as he walked out the door. Once she heard the doorbell ring Sophie nodding to herself and stretching her arms more. "aaaaalllriiGHT!" she yawned, walking into the hallway and into the main room. She leaned over a coffin and knocked on the top, hearing a shuffle and a groan from inside. "I know you're in there," she called. Sophie heard a faint mumble, chuckling as she shook her head. "Fine, but I'm going to go out for a while. I'll be back before nightfall."

Then she took off, stopping as the curtains that separated the hallway from the main room as she heard a creak and long black nails curling around the coffin as it opened. "_Aw~ you're not going to stay~?_"

"Sorry I have some work I have to take care of." Sophie turned around and winked at him, staring at the green glow coming from the crack in the coffin. "_Don't worry~_. I'll be back before nightfall. I think this is the only things I have to do. Then I can stay here and sleep, sleep, and sleep." She turned around and waved, chuckling to herself as she heard the Undertaker giggle and the lid slowly fell back down on the coffin.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Hello – Serbus!" Paul gasped is astonishment. Sophie gave him a smile, knocking any dirt from her boots before walking into the building. "I-I thought you were –"

"Of **course** I would come back for you," she chuckled. "I'm not heartless Paul, and I told you to call me Sophia or Sophie if you prefer."

"Hmm…" he thought, following behind her as she showed herself around to where Angelina was sitting and reading a book.

"Hello Angelina," Sophie said, the other woman looking up and giving her a nod. "Sorry about keeping Paul here, but I can take him off your hands now."

"You're welcome," she shrugged, letting out a yawn and setting her book down. Angelina stared up at Sophie, who barely noticed her gaze as she sat down across from her and continued to smile gleefully. "… Grell told me that you got hurt. Are you alright?"

"For the most part," she sighed, "but I'm still recovering. I won't be able to play _butler~_ for a while, but I'm still deciding if I need to have someone else come here to watch you…"

"Not necessary," she chuckled. "Just get better." Sophie nodded and ran a hand through her own hair, turning her head over to the wall and gazed at the cleanliness of the building compared to the morgue. "… Do you need a place to stay?"

"No," Sophie shook her head, "I am living with my father. I plan on bringing Paul with me today. The confusion right now is the perfect time to sneak him into school without anyone noticing."

"School?" Angelina asked, ushering Paul over to sit down. "You have school?"

"Every shinigami is obligated to go to the academy before becoming a full-fledged grim reaper. Paul has never had a real education and I think knowledge is key to succeeding in this life. Right Paul?" she asked him with a grin.

"R-right," Paul answered, twiddling his thumbs and looking to the ground.

"… My question to you is: do you still want to be a shinigmai?" Sophie asked him, sitting back in her chair as she thought. "You don't have to. I can arrange something else for you… it's up to you."

"I still want to be a shinigami," Paul said, looking over at her, "but I mainly want to be like you."

"_Oh~?_" Sophie grinned, "Why do you say that?"

"Y-you're so cool," Paul smiled to himself shyly, "and you saved me… I know you must be busy and cannot train me, but I was hoping I could learn **something** from you if I went with you. Why did you –"

"I was interested in your talent," she smirked. "You ask, 'What is that?' Well… your family has strayed away from the entire reason they were created for this world. You know raimondas means advisor and protector right?"

"N-no actually I didn't," Paul blinked in confusion.

Sophie grinned, rustling up his hair before looking at him intrigued. "You possess an impulse to attain knowledge. You have a way with words and can process ideas in a way only an advisor **could** do. Honestly, from what I had seen from your other brothers, you hold the most promise in carrying on your family name."

"B-but I am only the youngest –"

"Doesn't matter," Sophie shrugged as she sat back in the chair. "Am I the oldest? No, but I was given my role as head of my household because of my abilities and knowledge of this world. That is what I find tragic about this society," she shook her head, "is the lack of knowledge. The fact that you don't even know the meaning of your family's name and the role you have in this world is a waste of knowledge. I think a good education at the shinigami academy can do you some good. You will have to get across the mindset of _'this is the only way'_ to do things, but I think you're up for the challenge."

"Y-you think?" Paul asked her, looking up at her in awe.

"Yes," she chuckled, "I do. Now are you ready to leave? We have a big day planned and the sooner we finish the quicker I can recover."

"O-of course!" Paul jumped to his feet. "Just let me change and I can go," he told her, rushing out of the room and leaving the two women alone in the room.

"My," Angelina grinned, "why would you take the time to help a young man you barely know?"

"Why not?" Sophie shrugged, standing up and giving her a smirk. "One, it's a fun little game I like to play. Two, I gain instant loyalty if I help. Three… look at him. The poor boy only needs encouragement to succeed. His parents aren't giving him the help he needs and I have nowhere else to place my time and energy except in teaching others. I love to teach and be taught. That's how I grew up I guess…"

"You have changed haven't you?" she smiled.

"Yes…" Sophie chuckled to herself, "I guess huh." Then she looked up at the door, sensing that Paul was almost ready to leave. "I am sorry for the inconvenience of having Paul here –"

"It was fine **and** fun!" Angelina giggled. "Just get better. **Then** we can talk about everything." Sophie nodded to her and walked out of the room, Angelina shaking her head as she chuckled and went back to reading her book.

)(*&^%$#!

"W-what are we doing here?" Paul asked, tensing up as he clung to Sophie's arm and looked at the rocky boulders before them.

"The first part of your training will start now," she told him, fixing the large black overcoat on her shoulders and the big brimmed hat on her head. "You won't be just a shinigami, but also a God of Death. Remember that Paul; you are a God of Death and no one can take that away from you. Now," she smiled to him, "just be quiet and observe. Pay attention to everyone's moments and how meetings are organized. There will be a test afterwards." Paul let out a quick whine at the sound of a test, the grin on her face making the notion unsettling in the pit of his stomach.

As she finished talking a wolf jumped down from the rocks and walked towards them, leering its bright yellow eyes at them, but mostly ignoring Paul and looking at the taller woman beside him. "Who are you?" he demanded in a rough voice.

"Serbus," she glared back at him, the bright smile on her face suddenly replaced with a cold stare and a stoic demeanor.

The wolf yelped with surprise and bowed, "I am graciously sorry for not recognizing you," he whimpered. "Master is waiting for your arrival. The boy can wait outside –"

"Thanks, but the boy is coming with me," Sophie huffed.

"O-of course," he bowed again and deciding to not ask any further questions; lifting his head and having them follow him back to their den.

Paul continued to cling to Sophie's shoulder, looking nervously at all the stares he was getting from the wolves they walked past. "If you think you will get far in life cowering to others then you will be deemed useless and destroyed before your life is officially done," she said lowly, causing Paul to flinch. "Show some confidence in yourself and stand up straight." He hesitated before letting go of her arm, noticing the she cold stare before she turned her head and looked back at the wolf. He breathed in a deep breath before letting out a deep sigh, thankful that she didn't lash out at him like his father would do.

Whenever she was giving lessons, Sophie wanted the upmost attention and discipline from her students. That's why her tone of voice was harsh, or rather had changed from her normal blissful attitude to one of stoicism and slight irritation. Why? It was how she was taught by Thomas. There were times for joy and times for sorrow, times for jokes and times for focus. This is one of those times, at least for Paul it was. He had to start off on a solid foundation if he was going to succeed, and that was what Sophie was going to provide for him before she sent him away to the academy. "Right this way Serbus," the wolf said, leaving as they walked into a small hallway at the back of the cave.

Sophie led on ahead, letting Paul decide for himself if he was going to follow or not. Once she made it to a large room she smiled, noticing Fillin sitting in a chair in his human form patiently waiting for them. "Oh Serbus," he smiled, ushering them into the room. "Who is this young boy with you?"

"Paul," she told him, "an apprentice of mine."

"Why don't you sit down and we can begin," he told them, talking to a wolf and having the rest of the wolves leave. "I am sorry that this place is improper for a god of your status but –"

"No need for apologies," she chuckled. "_My my~_… you have grown up haven't you little Fillin?"

"No thanks to you," he smiled back, watching as Sophie sat down across from him in a chair with Paul sitting down a chair a few feet away from them. "How are you Sophie?"

"Never better," she chuckled, "but running into some problems now a days. Tell me Liulfr all that you know about the increase of demons here in London. Are you alright?"

"Not really," he sighed as he sat back in his chair and thought to himself. "A few years after my father died we began to get more foreign demons than normal. We are used to traveling demons passing through the city, but never at this multitude. It began… I think… seven years after you had left. They follow a shinigami who calls himself Earthborn, but we do not know who he is or what status he has. All we know is that he must be powerful, manipulating others to bend to his will and having others of his organization to do the same. He is a vicious man, or so I've been told, who is talking about _'a new world order' _or something along those lines."

"Alright," Sophie nodded, thinking to herself as a servant came into the room and began to pour them tea. Sophie paused and waited for the servant to go, Paul noticing how careful she was with information leaking out to the general public. After a few kind gestures the servant left, leaving the three of them in the room again. "Is that all? How about his movements here? I have heard a lot of information on the mysterious shinigami, but what are his current plans now?"

"That… I am unsure," Fillin frowned, bringing the tea to his lips and drinking down the liquid. "We are puzzled ourselves. Whatever is going on I feel pushed back to the periphery of the situation. That leviathan, for instance, I think it was only the angel that contracted himself to the demon, but for all I know there could be others contracted to him –"

"No it was just that one angel," Sophie told him, bringing the tea to her lips and slowly sipping the flavored water down. "I know… I know what the Leviathan was here for. I have already handled the situation, but I need more information on Earthborn's motives. What are they?"

"I know he is retreating his troops," Fillin shrugged as he set his tea cup down. "I think… because of your disappearance or with help of others; he figured he would be able to take over in one swoop. Since you took over the situation before it escalated, I think he will work in the shadows for a while. It may be another year before he strikes again… I am sorry my information isn't any help to you."

"That's alright," she chuckled, "as long as I get **something**. Now tell me, how are you? Married? Have children yet?"

"Oh?" he chuckled back, smiling to her as he became interested in their conversation. "A mate, yes. Children, not yet. I'm still working on keeping the pack intact, you see," he smiled happily.

"Well that's good," she nodded. "At least you're married now."

"Yes…" he sighed, "but how are you? Where were you anyways?"

"America," she explained, "because the council wanted me out of their way. Though it didn't work in the long run. I built a lot of experience only in ten years and I can live up to the standard everyone puts me in." She sighed, setting her cup down and chuckling to herself, "It is only a matter of surpassing that image I suppose."

"I wish you the best of luck," Fillin smiled, standing up once Sophie did the same and shook her hand. "I look forward to working with you in the future."

"Of course," she chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

Fillin gave her a nod and looked over at Paul, who had also stood up and staring at them intently. "Why do you have this boy following you anyways?"

"Why not?" she grinned, poking his nose and causing Fillin to jump back in surprise. "Wasn't it the way, back in the world of the ancients, which a student would follow their teacher around wherever they would go? "I find challenging tasks throughout the day is more educational then any textbook," quoted from a dear mentor of mine back in America. Thus, experience in the field will last longer in a being's mind then reading about training techniques in books. Are you getting all this Paul?"

"Y-yes!" he said slightly startled, rubbing his head and trying to recall what she had just said.

"Well I should bid you a good day," she smiled as she began to walk away. "I need to heal before I can start working again."

"Sophie…" Fillin shook his head and chuckled, "You can kill yourself if you turn yourself ragged."

"And I am completely fine by that," she smirked back, giving him a wave of the hand as she left the room. Fillin watched as the younger boy followed behind her, Paul running after her once he noticed Sophie had already left.

)(*&^%$#!

Paul gulped, stopping as he stood between the border of the human realm and the shinigami realm. Sophie paused and turned her head, noticing he had stopped following her. "If you believe yourself to be a shinigami and a God of Death then you will be able to pass through the barrier without setting off any alarms," she told him, continuing her decent up a hill and further into the realm. "You will only be suspected a demon if you believe you're not a shinigami. That is the spell set here by the council. Well? Are you coming or not?"

He closed his eyes tightly and then ran past the barrier, looking around him once he ran past her and up the hill. Sophie chuckled and continued to gradually make her way up the hill, walking past a stunned Paul as she walked to a big white building. "Boss?" they heard from behind, a young student holding a suitcase running up to them to investigate the two beings emerging from the top of the hill.

"Sam how are you?" she chuckled, letting the man grab her in a hug before having him let go.

"Thank you _**soooooo**_ much for everything!" he gasped, suddenly coughing into his hand and catching himself. "I mean… I am doing well."

"Great," she grinned, glancing over at Paul before looking back at the man. "When are you graduating?"

"Actually this will be my last year," he smiled. "I doubt my family will let me back into their society, but I will do the best I can here as a shinigami."

"That's great!" Sophie chuckled, "and it's a good thing I found you."

"Oh?" Sam asked. "Why?"

"I have a boy here who wants to join the academy," she explained, ushering Paul over to stand next to her. "Samuel this is Paul. Paul this is Samuel Mimiteh."

"Ah another child you rescued from _**the depths of hell**_," he laughed.

"How right you are," she chuckled, pushing Paul closer to the older shinigami. "Sam can you be Paul's guide? This trip is actually a detour from what I was planning on doing today, but I can stay and fill out the paperwork for him for a short while."

"Of course Boss," he nodded. "Here. I don't have another class for an hour. We can fill out the forms now and have him situated in a dorm room before lunchtime."

"Great," she smiled, "thanks for the help."

"Hey no problem," Sam smiled. "I owe my life to you now. It's the least I could do for you."

"I don't own _nothing~_ Samuel," she chuckled. "Only the satisfaction that you are becoming the young God of Death I thought you would. Now come along. The sooner I am done the better." Sam nodded and walked beside her, Paul trailing behind them and listening in on their conversation.

)(*&^%$#!

"… and that about does it," Sophie sighed, sitting back in her seat and taking out a silver flask from her coat. "Welcome to the academy Paul Osmund..." she paused before she chuckled. "Why did you choose Osmund, Paul?"

"I don't know," he shrugged. "Means protector right?"

"Comes from a Anglo-Saxon term meaning _os_ meaning god and _mund_ meaning protection. So you're calling yourself a _divine protector~_" she chuckled. Paul raised an eyebrow and thought to himself, looking over at Sam as he sat close to them finishing the forms in his hands. "Hope you live up to your name and your own expectations Paul."

"I-I will Serbus –"

"Here you address me as **Mrs.** Serbus," she told him, standing up and collecting the papers shuffled around on the coffee table in front of them. "Or Boss," she smirked before letting out a tired sigh, "and Sam I told you I like to be called Sophia now. We're not in America anymore –"

"Boss don't argue," Sam snickered as he grabbed the papers from her. "I don't care if you're my superior or not, but I will call you what I like and I like the name Boss."

"Hah!" she laughed to herself before standing up and giving him a swift pat on the back. "I taught you well!" Sophie looked over at Paul and gave him a wink, then sighing to herself as she took off her black hat and ran her hands through her hair. "I should be going now."

"Rest well Boss," Sam smiled. "You're cranky when you're tired."

"Yeah no kidding," she shook her head, walking by Paul and rustling up his hair. Then she gave them one last wave as she left the lobby, setting her black hat back atop her head.

Sophie pulled her coat tighter around her body, feeling a cold draft in the air as she walked outside. It was a good, sunny day today, but for some reason she was feeling cold. Probably it was from the lack of sleep, she concluded to herself, as she walked out of the shinigami realm and back to the mortuary. She yawned as she walked into the main room, setting her coat and black hat on the coat hanger and smiling when she noticed the Undertaker working on carving out several coffins for their new guests. "Hello," she smiled to him, looking around the room before yawning again.

"Oh you're back before lunch?" he chuckled, setting down the hammer in his hand and taking the nails out of his mouth. "I didn't think you would be back so soon."

"I said I only had a few things to do today," she sighed as she walked over to him and grabbed a cookie from the opened urn next to him. "I'm tired though. You won't mind if I stay asleep for a while… right?"

"_Of course not~_ little maiden," he smiled, running his nails through her hair and cuffing her cheek. "Are you alright?"

"Tired," she repeated, rubbing her head up and down in his hand. "I don't think I'll be up for a while… Say where is Ahe?"

"I do not know," he answered, leaning his face closer to her own and grinning happily, "but if you plan on sleeping for days then go eat some food first. I don't want you waking up in the middle of your slumber because you are_ hungry~_"

"Alright dad," she smiled, leaning up and kissing his lips gently before pulling away from him swiftly, which caused him to let go of her in her haste. "I'll eat something quickly, but I want to go to bed." He nodded and watched as she took off, Sophie not bothering to notice the chuckle that escaped his throat as the Undertaker sat back down and continued to hammer pieces of wood together.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

The Undertaker looked up from his work and grinned, seeing the last rays of light enter the room before it disappeared all together. He cleaned the wood polish from his hands with a rag as he left the handmade coffins aside, deciding it was about time he went to bed. Debating either he will sleep in a coffin, like he usually did, or sleep in the dusty bed, which hadn't been slept in for years; he walked into the bathroom and washed in hands.

Once he walked into the bedroom he smirked, chuckling to himself as he walked over to the two sleeping figures tuck under the sheets. He sat on the bed and ran his hands through black fur, hearing the sleeping panther purr with delight before she woke up and stared up at him. "I'm glad you came back Ahelie," he giggled, letting the big cat lick his hand as he continued to pet her head. "You won't mind if I sleep here for now, do you?" Ahelie yawned and sat up, stretching out her body before turning into a small black kitten and jump off of the bed.

"H-huuummmm?" the other sleeping body groaned, looking up to find the Undertaker leering over her with a wide grin on his face. "W-where are you Ahe?" she frowned and ignored the Undetaker, looking around in panic as the kitten jumped back onto the bed and into her arms. "Ah hi!" Sophie giggled happily, poking Ahelie's nose and setting her back down next to her on the sheets.

Undertaker picked up Ahelie and set her down on his lap, the kitten mewing with delight as his fingers ran through her fur. "_Aw~_ you don't want to sleep with me?" he whimpered.

Sophie shook her head and chuckled, lying back down in the sheets and yawning to herself. "I do," she said, "but I have trouble sleeping and needed some company. You know that."

"I almost forgot," he giggled, setting the kitten down on the bed as he lifted up the sheets and sneaked in next to her. "You must trust Ahelie huh."

"Y-yeah…" she sighed, curling up in a tight ball. "Can you just let me sleep? I'm tired…"

"Mmmmmm not yet," he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her body up closer to his. "You haven't had your daily dose of energy." Sophie blinked and groaned, letting Undertaker shift his hand close to her face. She complied and grumbled under her breath as she bit down into his skin, sucking slowly as its iron taste lulled her to sleep. He grinned as he watched her fall asleep in her arms, curling up next to her and licking up the remnants of his blood from his hand.

"Sorry for taking your spot little kitten," he smiled, running his hand through the black kitten's fur as she jumped in between them and curled up in the middle of the two bodies. "Don't be mad with me," he cooed, closing his eyes and setting his head down on the pillow. The kitten answered with a low purr, closing her own eyes and tucked her tail under her body as she went to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Mahaa! Getting rid of some loose ends before I let little Sophie fall asleep for a while ^^ Thanks to writer's block I'm reviewing this earlier than normal, but whatever. I need to catch up with my chapters anyways ^^ At least back to 5 chapters ahead… maybe 4… I don't know =O Just something! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Comment if you'd like! =D**

Mimiteh – Blackfoot – new moon

Osmund – Old English – divine protection


	49. The Reunion

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hello again! Trying to get as many chapters as I can up! Why? Well I'm sick of seeing a bunch of chapters that haven't been posted up yet =O Also still trying to figure out how I'm going to write future chapters… and etcetera. That's it for now. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Marius hummed to himself as he jumped up a flight of stairs and passed through the two large double doors, walking up to a counter right in the front with a smile on his face. "Hello Margaret," he smiled, taking out a couple of forms and setting them down on the counter. "How are you today?"

"Never better," she smiled back, grabbing the forms from him and looking them over before she put them away in a basket. "Thank you for dinner. I didn't think you would take me to an expensive restaurant! I was expecting a bar like your sister usually goes to."

"_Aw well~_" he chuckled, sighing to himself as he set an elbow on the counter in deep thought, "I usually don't go out **ever** so I thought the occasion called for it. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."

Margaret nodded and went through a few drawers behind the counter, looking for the correct paperwork to hand over to him. "How is your sister?" she asked to continue the conversation.

"Recovering," he sighed, "and it's been a few years since she's been able to sleep the pain off. Usually Sophia is running around working by now, but I'm going to make sure she sleeps this time."

"Did you go visit her yet?" Margaret asked as she pulled out a few pieces of paper and threw them onto a table next to her.

"Nope," he shook his head. "I trust that being, Undertaker, is taking care of her… Do you think he's alright?" Marius sighed, turning his gaze over to Margaret as she continued to hum as she searched. "That Jericho guy. He's a sketchy character to me… I don't trust him."

"What I know about him is that he's a decent shinigami," Margaret told him as she grabbed more papers and threw them on the table beside her, "or at least that's the rumor. He's ranked next to Sophie in toughness between the American Directors, but she's at the top because of her unethical methods of dealing with intolerable shinigamis."

"Oh?" Marius questioned her. "Like what?"

"Rumors are that she experiments," Margaret shrugged, "and she likes to dissect things. I actually see her as a person who would have fun hacking up bodies and looking inside of them, but somehow the shinigamis she experiments on don't die… or **that's** the rumor. For all I know they've actually died and no one knows." Then she sighed, closing the drawers and collecting the discarded papers on the table into her hands. "Do you even know why she should do such a thing?"

"No," he chuckled, "but I think you can blame that Undertaker man for her behavior. I noticed Jericho does it too, has a love for killing and dissecting bodies, but maybe Sophia is the only one who talks about it? I bet she gets overexcited when she finds something new." Marius smiled at her and accepted the papers in his hand, giving her a slight bow as a thank you.

"You should talk to her then," Margaret suggested. "She works hard Marius; you know that. Maybe she's hiding a hidden hated or just likes cutting people up."

"Yes maybe," he grinned, "but I don't think she does it because she hates something. Do you know **why** we're shinigamis?"

"No you never told me," Margaret chuckled nervously, setting her elbows on the desk and setting her head down on her hands.

"It's an obligation," Marius shrugged, "and something we promised to do. It's not by choice, but of duty. You want to know my father wanted to do while he was a human? He wanted to be a philosopher and teacher." He chuckled, "And Sophia wanted to be a scientist and mortician. Father couldn't because it was his duty to be a soldier in the army, but he still tried to teach. Same with soror. She has her duty as a shinigami, but she tries to involve her other interests too. I think that's why."

"Wow," Margaret smiled. "I never knew that… Was there something or someone **you** wanted to grow up as Marius?"

"M-me?" he asked, pointing to himself before scratching the back of his head uncomfortably. "Why I-I… no not really," he shook his head, "Only an older brother for my sister. That's all."

"Hmmm…" Margaret thought to herself, setting her head up and letting out a sigh. "Well there's still time to think about it right?"

"I guess," he shrugged, putting the papers away in a cloud of black haze before smiling back at her. "Will I see you later?"

"Of course," she chuckled, waving as he began to walk away. "I'll see you the next time you come by."

"Alright," he waved back, Marius disappearing from her view as he turned a corner and walked down the white hallway. Margaret let out a dreamful sigh, her head falling to the desk dramatically as she giggled happily to herself.

!#$%^&*()

"**What** is he doing?" Marius growled, watching as Jericho stood up and grabbed his coat hanging over his office chair.

"Giving her his blood," Jericho shook his head, sighing to himself as he threw the coat over his shoulders and stared over at him. "What? You didn't know?"

"If paterfamilias doesn't inform me then she doesn't think it is relevant for me to know," Marius shrugged, "but as her older brother it is my responsibility to know about _**disgusting**_ dilemmas soror gets herself into," he sneered at him.

"Well maybe you should talk to her about the problem," Jericho shrugged as he fixed the coat on his shoulders, "and tell her how you really feel that way."

"What?" he snarled. "You don't think my sister can't just tell me herself? What are you to say about my relationship with my sister," Marius growled, throwing the door open and pausing at the open door. "I don't see why my sister even likes you. You're rude and an unfit suitor for my sister." Marius slammed the door roughly and began to walk down the hallway, cursing under his breath as he clutched his hands into fists.

"Hey Serbus!" Jericho called to him, throwing the his door open before slamming the door behind him. "You have **no** right to talk for your sister," he growled back as he walked faster to catch up with Marius' pace, "and that's why she doesn't tell you anything. I may not be as powerful as you are, but I love your sister and she loves me. Didn't you promise you would let her do as she wishes? Then leave our relationship alone. You're causing enough trouble –"

"**Me** causing trouble?" Marius laughed, "Don't be imprudent! I'm only following orders –"

"Then follow this," Jericho snarled as he narrowed his eyes at him. "Your sister has her own right to make her own choices. Don't interfere with the outcomes Marius. She's your sister for crying out loud! Shouldn't you be thinking of her instead of some being you're calling master." Marius paused, turning around and glaring at the smug look on Jericho's face. "That's right. I know _all~_ about it."

"Don't talk about him like that," Marius growled. "He's more of a god then you will **ever** be –"

"Ah," Jericho smirked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "So you say this master of yours is the only being you will take orders from? Then why be Sophia's brother if you're going to betray her –"

"I am **not** betraying her," Marius snarled, "and that man raised me. You have **no** right to call me a liar. You hear me you pathetic mortal? Or will I have to shove your worthless hands up your throat and gag you with your thumbs?"

"Harsh don't you think?" Jericho chuckled, walking over to him and leering over Marius' body. "I don't care if you are her brother. I will stand up for her if you push her over her limits like you did the last time. I'm sick and tired of seeing her get hurt because of her family that is **Supposed. To. Be. Dead**," he sneered back at him. "I care for her. Do you?"

"… I hate you," Marius growled at him, grabbing Jericho's necktie and glaring his crystal blue eyes into Jericho's less intimidating hazel eyes, "but I see your point." He sighed before he let go of Jericho's necktie, crossing his arms over his chest and looking over at a nearby wall. "… I know your past Jericho. I can't just trust you because my sister says so. I need proof."

"Well then I'm going to have to give you some," Jericho sighed, running a hand through his shaggy dark lavender gray and black hair. "What do you want me to do?"

"… Could you help me?" Marius asked in a tired voice. Jericho raised an eyebrow and looked over at him, noticing how nervous he looked as Marius scratched his arm and avoided eye contact. "I need to know more about Sophia and you obviously know her more than I do… I feel ashamed to ask this request of you… and I-I don't know you earth creatures well enough to confront her about anything except business. A-and –"

"In other words you're asking me how you should confront her?" Jericho asked.

"Y-you could say that," Marius sighed before looking over at him with a glare, "but if you tell a soul about this you will be destroyed –"

"Alright I get it," Jericho chuckled. "My gods. You're closer related to Sophia then you think." Marius blinked in confusion as Jericho threw an arm over Marius' shoulder, causing the younger man to stiffen. "I can help you, but only if you promise me something."

"What is that?" Marius growled.

"Stop acting tough," Jericho shook his head and took his hand off of his shoulder. "Your sister has the same problem. You act high and mighty, but really you're only gentle creatures that would rather have fun then deal with this chaotic world," he chuckled shaking his head. When Jericho looked back over at Marius he couldn't help but laugh, noticing the stunned look on his face. "Don't give me that look. I know more about your sister then you think, hak?"

"Ergo coniicere video te puncto," Marius mumbled under his breath. "Will you help or not?"

"Of course," he chuckled. "I'll be your brother-in-law after all."

Marius paused, glaring at him before he let out a stern huff. "Whatever," he shook his head, "I'll show up when you have more time on your hands. Vale." Then he disappeared in a black haze, Jericho letting out a frustrated sigh and rubbing the back of his head.

"What was **that** about?" Alex asked, walking up from behind Jericho and raised an eyebrow.

"Nothing Agon," Jericho sighed, "Only family bickering."

"Oh," Alex chuckled, turning back around and walking into his office. Jericho shook his head and laughed to himself, mumbling under his breath before he headed for the stairs and began his decent down the long winding steps.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie slowly opened her eyes and stretched her arms, rubbing her eyes and lifting her body off of the pillow she was laying on. Ahelie yawned from where she laid in Sophie's arms and curled up tighter into a ball, refusing to wake up with Sophie. Sophie yawned and stepped out of bed, stretching her arms again and moving them from side to side. She groggily made her way to the main room, where she saw the Undertaker making more coffins. "G-good morning," she yawned, sitting down on a newly polished coffin and looked at him.

"You mean good afternoon," the Undertaker chuckled, keeping his eyes on his work as he set stuffing down into one of the coffins and sewed in a colorful velvet fabric in the inside.

"Oh?" Sophie asked with a yawn. "How long was I asleep?"

"Three days," the Undertaker giggled, "but I didn't want to disturb you. You looked _so~ __**cute**_ curled up under the sheets."

"Did someone come by to tell me I have to go to work yet?" Sophie sighed, setting her head down on the wood and looking over at him.

"Nope," he shook his head, "Only to check up on you. I made a list."

"A list?" Sophie chuckled to herself, rubbing her eyes as she giggled to herself. "I didn't know you could make lists."

"Of course I can," he giggled back, appearing in front of her face and poking her in the nose. "I'm not **that** old."

Sophie shook her head and grabbed the paper from his hands, ignoring the black fabric fluttering over her body to tangle her in its cobweb treads. "_So~_… Jericho came by for the past three days huh?" she said to no one in particular, "and Alex came by the other day saying his family was on a ship… Good! I can't wait to see _wifie~_ again," she giggled and clasped her hands together.

"Wifie?" Undertaker pouted, wrapping his arms around her waist and lifting Sophie's body off the coffin slightly. "You married someone without telling me?" he whined, sitting down on the coffin and setting her head down on his lap.

"_Daaaaaad~_" Sophie giggled, smiling happily as he began to stroke his hands through her hair. "Roza is one of my best friends in America. Be good to her."

"_R~ozzza_ huh?" he grinned, "Is this the same Rose whom is married to Alexander?"

"The same," Sophie sighed, "and I know those kids of hers will want me to play once they're off the ship. I –" She paused, letting out a yawn and smacking her lips together, "…iiIII hope they're here soon. I miss them." Then she coughed, clearing her throat and looking back at the list in her hands. "… Why did Grell come by?" she huffed.

"He was excited about **something**," the Undertaker chuckled, "but I could not understand what he was trying to tell me."

"Oh okay," Sophie chuckled and shook her head, "how typical."

"Wanted you to come by the office in three days at about four o'clock. Why? I don't know," Undertaker shrugged and smirked teasing.

"Alright," Sophie smiled ignoring the expression on his face. "If I'm not better by then I'll just have to show up… and why did Marius come by?" she frowned.

"He came by with Jericho yesterday," Undertaker admitted, "but I would not let him disturb you. He asked me questions about Jericho and why I approved of your relationship with the man. I was honest with him and Marius left the conversation alone… he is a colorful character isn't he?" he chuckled.

"I guess," Sophie shrugged, "but he was still an ass for trying to split Jay and I up."

"He promised he won't anymore," Undertaker cooed into her ear as he rubbed her back, "and he only loves you, little maiden. He's only trying to keep you safe."

"I know," she sighed with a tinge of frustration in her throat, "but he needs to learn what is right and wrong in this world. It's different in the afterlife. You don't have a lot of problems to deal with over there. You would think he would know that by now." Then Sophie dropped the paper on the grounded, flipping over her body so her face was crushed in Undertaker's knee. "I'm tired again," she grumbled under her breath before she yawned again.

Undertaker paused before he giggled with amusement at her childish behavior. "Need me to tuck you back in and kiss you good night?"

"I-if you won't mind," she chuckled nervously, looking up at him with a soft smile on her face. "I haven't asked since I was a human, but I was dreaming and –" She let out a surprised squeak, curling up into a ball and pushing the Undertaker's long nail away from her side. "N-NO! Dad sto – agh noooo!" she giggled and cried at him to stop tickling her as she tried to protect her sides from his sneaky nails.

She let out a yelp, suddenly being grabbed by the waist and turned on his lap. With the way he positioned her on his lap she had to wrap her legs around his waist, her face turning bright pink as he began to laugh heartedly by the confused, blushing expression on her face. "Nosti amore tui non est numerus, aequum?" he said softly into her ear, tickling her back and causing Sophie to arch up her body up into his. "Mihi tantum vos esse felices, amore."

"Scio," Sophie smiled, trying to move her head away from him once she noticed she was blushing. "What has you worked up all of the sudden?"

"Something your quis fratrissaid the other day," Undertaker chuckled, poking the top of her nose, "and I've been _so bored~_ with you asleep _all~ day~~_"

"Tata…" she giggled happily, shaking her head and closing her eyes tightly as she moved away from his face. "Don't you have work to do –"

"That can wait," he grinned deviously, pressing his mouth against her lips and sucking down on her bottom lip. Sophie let out a surprised yelp, quickly replaced with a confused moan as he pressed her head closer to his with the palm of his hand. "Non devoravit mihi_ trium dierum~_" he breathed into her mouth as he slowly parted from her lips. "_Debetis mei_," he said softly in her ear, causing a shiver to creep down her spine as she tried to shift her ear into her shoulder.

"W-what do I _owe~_ you?" she asked hesitantly, her question quickly being answered as he smashed his mouth back into her own. Slowly Sophie let Undertaker slip his tongue and explore the inside her mouth, causing her to let out a low moan.

Eventually he let go of her head and let out a big breath, a large grin on his face as he watched Sophie panting deeply from the kiss. "You're not going to turn me away little maiden?" he chuckled amused.

"N-no…" she smiled. "I-I told you… I h-ad a dream…" He looked at her curiously, noticing the scared look in her bright crystal blue eyes.

He stood up and picked her up with him, holding on tightly and cradling her around him as if she was still a child. Sophie murmured and set her head down on his shoulder, rubbing her head into the crick of his neck like an affectionate kitten. "What was it my dear?" he asked, showing her off into the bedroom before she could notice.

"Y-you left," she whimpered, gripping his back tighter as they trailed back into the bedroom, "a-and I was scared you actually did –"

Sophie yelped in surprise as she was thrown onto the bed, the Undertaker crawling on top of her body and trapping her body under him. "Sum **numquam** relinquo vobis," he grinned, pressing his face onto her chest and kissed the top of her collarbone, "You know that."

"I-I know," she sighed and tilted her head away, letting the Undertaker do what he wanted as his long fingers trailed over her body and began to unbutton her white collared shirt. "You know when you would leave the morgue every once in a while for days at a time because you had to deliver coffins to a town far away?"

"Yes," he giggled, his gaze following his hands as they unbuttoned her blouse and pants.

"Did you know I would wait at the window all day and night waiting for you to show up," she sighed in her thoughts, "and when you were later then the time you said I began to worry and think you weren't coming back?" The Undertaker paused, looking up her body as Sophie bit down her bottom lip to fight back a tear. "W-well I had a dream that you hadn't come back for a few days… and then I heard that you… ummmm… and that's why –"

"You worry too much," he mumbled to himself, finishing unbuttoning her clothes and leisurely slipped off her pants from her legs. "I could never leave a creature **I own**. Understand?" Then his smile curled as he shifted his body back up her, trailing his cold hands over the top of her chest and parting the white shirt from her body. He giggled in amusement, feeling Sophie shuddering underneath him at his cold touch. "_Tu__mih__i, mihi, mihi~~_" he sighed into her skin, smirking when she let out a whimper and continued to shudder by his touches. "Say it," he told her, trailing his nails down her body and causing her to continue whimpering.

"_Ego tibi_, tibi… t-tibi…" she shuddered, gasping out in pain as he sank his nails into her back and he groaned in pleasure.

"You have a body I want to sink my teeth into," he growled to himself, trailing his head up the rest of her body and grinning over her. "You're blushing little maiden," he giggled, pressing a finger on her cheek before licking the blood off of his nail.

"Damn I know I am," she grumbled under her breath, moaning when he pressed his fingers into her rib cage and massaged her skin roughly with his thumbs.

"No wonder Jericho wants you," he hissed under his breath, kissing her lips gently before he ran his lips over her jaw line and down her neck. "You taste like _honey~_…" Undertaker sighed, pausing and lifting his head up and looked at her face. He gave her a gentle smile, which Sophie smiled back just as gently.

He wrapped his arms around her and rolled her on the bed, Sophie giggling as she ended up on top of him. "U-undertaker what are you doing?" she giggled merrily and smiled down at him.

"Whatever you want little maiden," he giggled back, interested to see what she was going to do.

Sophie paused and blinked for a few minutes, before a devious grin appeared on her lips. "_Est ut~?_" she curled her lips, twirling a braid in his hair as she thought to herself for a few moments. Undertaker bit back the thought of slamming her lips back into his own, letting her decide what she wanted to do first. Sophie knocked off his hat and lifted his bangs from his eyes, giggling as she pressed a gentle finger over his scar and trailed it down his face. She smiled at the brightness in his eyes, kissing his eye affectionately before moving on down his body.

She quickly unbuttoned his coat and shed it onto the bed, grinding her body onto his and moaning into his bare chest. Undertaker bit down on his bottom lip, fighting back a moan that was surfacing on his throat and attempting to leave his mouth. Sophie licked her lips and brushed her tongue down his chest, groaning as she pressed her chest on the top of his pelvis. The Undertaker shuddered, unable to control his body as he wrapped around Sophie's waist and pulled her close. Then he gasped in pain, Sophie biting into the long scar over his chest and moaning as she lapped up his blood. She chuckled and moved her head down, unbuttoning his pants and throwing them off of his legs. "Little maiden are you sure about that?" he asked, Sophie looking up at him with a smirk on her face.

"I'm only _teasing~_ you," she snickered, pressing her hand on the top of his pelvis bones and compressing him into the bed. Undertaker chuckled before he tilted his head back to groan, flinching when Sophie jumped forward on the bed and set her hands on top of his chest again. She giggled, resting her head on his chest. "I don't want to go any farther," she told him with a sigh, looking up at him with a smile.

He grinned back, but was disappointed in her answer as he brought a hand up and stroked her auburn hair. "Alright," he chuckled, arching his back up and stretching one of his arms under his head. He set his other hand on top of his chest, cutting into his skin with a wide grin on his face.

Sophie eyed the warm crimson liquid trailing out of his skin, her crystal blue eyes glossing over as she inched her head to his chest and brushed her tongue against his skin. Undertaker chuckled at her hesitation, letting a moan escape his lips as she sank her teeth into his chest and drank his blood. "_Ddaaaad_," she groaned, feeling his hands trail down the curves of her body and slipping her underwear off of her hips and down her legs. She kicked off her underwear and pushed her body as close as she could on the Undertaker's skin, closing off the distance between them.

The Undertaker moaned back, shifting his back up and pressing her weight on his chest. He dragged his hands up and down the curves of her body, closing his eyes as he memorized every part of her body. He slipped a hand under his chest and cuffed her breast, chuckling with amusement as a groan escaped her lips. "_Sophia_…" he sighed to himself with a deep longing in his voice, opening his eyes when he heard Sophie groaning tiredly on his chest. He lifted his head and smirked, noticing that Sophie's eyes were closed and she was close to passing out. "Tired already?" he giggled to himself, slipping his arms around her and setting her back down comfortably on the bed.

He began sit up on the bed, but was stopped as Sophie reached out her hand for him. "D-don't go," she frowned, the Undertaker sighing as he threw his coat on the ground and slipped himself under the sheets next to her.

He looked at her and couldn't help but smile as she smiled happily at him, curling up into his body and rubbing her head against his chest. Undertaker giggled gleefully, rubbing her body up and down as she shuddered by his simple touch. "I won't go," he told her softly, wrapping his hands around her and letting her bury her head into his chest.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Slowly eyes opened to the thin light shining into the room, her eyes looking over to find the older man passed out next to her. Sophie snickered quietly to herself as she ran a hand through his hair, parting his stray bangs again to see his white eyelashes in a calm slumber. She curled up in his loving embrace and waited for him to wake up, which seemed like hours to her.

Undertaker opened his eyes to only be greeted with big crystal blue and shinigami green eyes looking into his shinigami green and bright yellow eyes. He grinned, running a finger through her hair and down her cheek. "You seem to be back to normal now," he giggled lightly to himself.

"You think?" Sophie questioned him, yawning and scooting closer to his face. "I was hoping to get away with staying in bed for a few more weeks."

"I don't think little William will like it if you continue to sleep," the Undertaker chuckled, placing a kiss on her cheek as he lifted up his body to get ready for the day.

Sophie looked up at him in confusion, noticing that she was still butt naked but the Undertaker had his clothes except for his cloak, which he had hanging neatly on a chair. "… How long was I asleep?" she blinked puzzled.

"Three days," he chuckled, sitting back down on the bed once he had his coat on, "Just in time to see Grell I suppose?"

"I guess," Sophie yawned, wrapping her hands around his waist and refusing to get up, "but if I do then I'm probably going to have to work."

"You **never** know," he giggled and poked her nose, which caused her to let go and rub her nose with irritation. "Be back before ten," he grinned, grabbing her chin and kissing her lips gently before standing up and walking out of the bedroom.

Sophie sighed as she stood up and stretched, noticing Ahelie had wandered off some time ago. She walked over to her footlocker, which was situated right next to the closet, and propped the lid open to look inside. She threw a basic suit onto the bed, white collared shirt with a black coat. She took out the red and white ribbon and also threw that on the bed also, deciding to wear that for the day. She wasn't going to be fancy today, since she was still tired and was only going to the office because Grell asked her to. Grabbing a pair of underwear from her footlocker she quickly put her clothes on, unsure of the time and if she was late or not.

Slipping on her long black buckled boots Sophie walked out of the bedroom and into the living room, gathering her messenger bag and anything else she may need for the day. She walked into the main room with a smile planted on her face, grabbing a biscuit from an urn and sitting down on a coffin. "What time is it?" she decided to ask, watching as the Undertaker lifted his head and looked at a watch hidden under his clothes.

"Hmmmm…" he thought, trying to drag out Sophie's patience before he giggled to himself. "3:45," he chuckled to himself and watched as Sophie stood up and rubbed her tired eyes.

"Then I better get going," she sighed, walking over to the coat hanger and slipping her long black trench coat over her shoulders and setting the big black cowboy hat on her head. "I'll make sure I'm back by ten," she chuckled lightly, "but I'm not going to promise it."

"_Alright~_" he giggled as he put his long boney fingers back on his newest guest's head, "but if you're not back by ten then I have permission to punish you how I see fit."

"I'll make sure I'm late," she chuckled lightly, soon letting out a tired sigh as she opened the door to walk out. "Vale," she waved to him, closing the door behind him and disappearing down the fogged streets of London.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a yawn as she climbed the large flight of stairs, finally making her way to the E level. She walked over to her desk, but quickly noticed that no one was around. "Grell?" she called out into the empty hallway, shrugging to herself as she looked over her desk at any paperwork she might have gotten. Noticing only a few stray papers that would need to be signed and a stack of forms she needed to complete, in detail, on her absence from the office, she grabbed the papers and set them in her messenger bag. "If you're not here in one minute I'm leaving," she talked to herself, swinging the bag over her shoulder and flipping open her pocket watch. 3:57. Well she wasn't late, so where was he?

"Sophie?" she heard a voice from behind, looking over to see Jericho setting a stack of papers down on a nearby desk and smiling happily at her. "Why are you here?"

"Grell told me to come by," Sophie grumbled to herself as she pointed to his desk, "but he doesn't seem to be here. So? Am I going back to work anytime soon?"

"Oh god not this again," he chuckled, walking over to her and leaning against her desk. "Why do you love to get back to work all the time? I can see that your arms are still bruised from the Leviathan."

"I don't **love** to work myself to death," she shook her head, "but it's why I'm alive right? My only reason of truly being alive? You know how hard it is to keep track of several thousand different families that are either for or against you? Once you're bed stricken they all rise up and start wars. That's why I just like to avoid everything by simply going back to work. If I work for a day and don't feel sick, then I know I can do everything else," she smiled.

"… That's not healthy," he sighed.

"It has to be done," she huffed back. "Hmmm… I think I'll send a letter to Rob if I'm going to be kept waiting," she sighed to herself, letting out a loud whistle with her fingers before giving him a smile.

"You still write to that man?" Jericho asked.

"Yeah," Sophie shrugged. "He keeps me updated and I do the same for him." Jericho nodded in understanding as Noco flew up the stairs and landed on Sophie's chair, cooing as she smiled and scratched his head. "Are you up to flying back to America yet?" she asked him, the hawk bobbing his head and flapping up on Jericho's shoulder.

"Hey Noco," Jericho chuckled as the bird cooed back, tilting his head as Jericho scratched his neck. He watched as Sophie sat down at her desk and pulled out a piece of paper and ink, writing a down a quick message before handing it over to Jericho to read.

_Ro- -an,_

_Thank you for the latest letter you had written to me. Working in the London division is… should I say boring? Perhaps irritating is the right word. Regardless I miss working in the Americas. There were more adventures to be made and fewer laws that could be broken, but I don't regret my decision. My dad is fine and everything is fine. Jericho and I are back together, but we ran into some problems the other day. Mister Earthborn sent my superior angel after me to destroy the city of London. Jamal even contracted himself to the Leviathan to finish the job. I fought back and sent the Leviathan back to Hell, but not without contracting major wounds and having to use one of the feathers given to me by Raphael. Is it common for the Leviathan to come after only me or am I just the exception? Did my father have this problem too?_

_I was also wondering about my replacement. How is Niles? Will I have to find a different replacement or put myself back in the position? I can if they need me back, but I won't if you don't. You said something about a sickness going around the Hopi tribe. Who has died? I promised the chief, the medicine man, and Aponivi that I would return if they died. They wanted me to help with the embalming process and funeral rights, and I certainly can once I know they've died. If it happens then connect me immediately. I want to pay my respects like anyone else._

_The vampire, the one after Roze, is he still looking for her? I would guess you would know since you… well you know. If you meet him, tell him that if he comes after Veronica I will use all my powers to destroy him. I'm not kidding. I won't let him threaten my family without my direct involvement._

_Anyways, I hope you are doing fine. The demon problem seems to be under control, but it's still difficult. Everyone is making me sleep. Can you believe that?_

_Keep your soul and yourself safe._

_Serbus_

"You think that demon is still after Veronica?" Jericho asked, Sophie taking the letter from him and rolling it up into a small, tight scroll.

"Yes," Sophie sighed, "and I'm tired of him showing up. I'm this close to killing him once and for all."

"Maybe you should," Jericho chuckled.

She frowned, "but that's the thing. I can't. That damn demon was able to make a spell or contract that deems my efforts powerless. I can defend, but never attack. Marius tried and also failed… I don't know."

"Well you can only hope for the best," Jericho smiled, tilting his shoulder towards her so Sophie could tie the message on Noco's leg before he jumped off.

Sophie smiled, scratching the hawk's head as she gave him a small treat from her bag. "Deliver this to Maximilian," she told the bird, letting it coo in her hand before he spread his wings to take off. Then Noco took off and flew down the stairs, the two shinigamis hearing surprised yells at the bottom of the stairs as Noco left the building. "God these buildings," she grumbled to herself.

"Rather be outside?" he chuckled, letting out a tired sigh until they heard commotion at the bottom of the stairs as a hoard of feet made their way up.

"Mr. Serkan!" one of them called to Jericho, running down the hallway and almost colliding into a chair.

"What is it Mr. Griffin?" he sighed to himself, the shinigami looking over at Sophie before he looked back at Jericho.

"There are demons making their way into our realm!" he yelped.

"How many?" Jericho asked as he picked up his papers from his desk.

"Several hundred it seems –"

"Take this to the receptionist," Jericho ordered as he shoved his papers into the man's arms. "Now Mrs. Serbus – Sophie where did you go – Sophie! What are you doing?"

Sophie huffed as she set her foot off of the window, looking over at him with a pout. "I was going to help, duh! I want to tear apart some demons anyways," she smirked at him.

"Rest," he grumbled and narrowed his eyes at her.

"No," she grumbled back. "I'm off duty anyways so you can't tell me what to do," she smirked, placing her foot back on the window and jumping out the window.

Jericho shook his head before he chuckled easily amused, looking over at the hesitant shinigami who was holding onto the papers tightly. "Never listens," he smirked, casually walking down the stairs and letting the shinigami snap out of his trance before following hastily behind him.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"haHAHA!" Sophie laughed, swinging her long black scythe around her body and slashing several demons at once in the stomach. "Take that! And that!" she yelled, continuing to swing her scythe around and keeping the demons at a fair distance away from the white buildings. She jumped up a hill so she could see the layout of the advances, smirking once she noticed that there was no formation to the attacks whatsoever. "Oh you're only making this too_ easy~_" she snickered, flipping her blood-stained auburn hair from her face and fixing her outfit slightly.

"Changed into your angelic form huh?" Jericho asked as he jumped next to her holding a long broadaxe, Sophie giving him a smirk as she tightened the robe around her waist.

"I would get my clothes all bloody if I didn't," she chuckled. "This looks too easy Jericho."

"That's great," he smirked, "but don't overexert yourself –"

"Ah I'm not a baby. I can handle myself!" she grinned, jumping onto several trees and jumping into the middle of the hoard of demons. Jericho shook his head and laughed, jumping in after her and slashing the demons away with his broadaxe.

After fifteen minutes of demons running into the fighting and being hacked up into tiny pieces, Jericho let out a huff and wiped the blood off of his face with his sleeve. "That was a bit more than I anticipated," he sighed to himself.

Sophie twirled around in a circle and finished off the last six demons jumping at her from all sides, straightening herself once she was done and letting out a hearty laugh. "All the more to kill?" she grinned, letting the blood drip down from her black hood and down her death scythe.

"Now aren't **you** a _bloody~ mess_?" he laughed, taking out a cloth and damping it with his water skin.

"Speak for yourself," she stuck out her tongue out at him, taking out a handkerchief and cleaning the blood from her face so she could see clearly. "You're covered in as much blood as I am –"

"Actually no," he chuckled. "Your clothes are **covered**. I have some bare spots."

"_Aw~~_ You were making me do all the dirty work?" she smirked, turning around and walking up to the top of the hill. "I'm not even working you know."

"I think you'll have to now," he laughed, "because if you can run around swinging scythes at algae then you **must** be better."

"Oh poo," Sophie huffed again, "I was hoping to get a few more weeks off –"

"Hey where's the party?" they heard at the top of the hill, Sophie's eyes suddenly sparking with excitement as she dropped her scythe on the ground and rushed up the hill. "You seem to be having a ball – AGH SOPHIE!"

"AAAHH OH MY GOD!" Sophie laughed, jumping up and down as she crushed the taller woman in a vice-griping hug. "OH MY GODOHMYGODHOWAREYOU –"

"My god get off!" the other woman yelped with dread in her voice. Sophie let go, but keep her hands on the other woman's shoulder, smiling widely and unable to bottle up her enthusiasm. "Great now I'm covered in blood," she sighed as she shook her head and tried to wipe the blood off with her sleeves.

"_Aw~_ rough sea voyage Rose?" Sophie snickered at her.

"_Dreadful~_" she grumbled, looking over at Sophie before bursting out into laughter. "Don't give me that look! You look like a small pup doggie that was kicked in the face."

"B-b-b-b-b-but –" Then Sophie stopped, a grin showing back up on her face as she let go of her. "You know I can't be separated from my wifie for _too~_ long."

"_Aw~_ I missed you too," Rose chuckled, patting Sophie on the back as they began to walk up to the white buildings. "By the way do you know where Alexander is? I would have started looking for him, but I don't know where to start."

"Sure I can find him for you!" Sophie smiled, sucking in a breath and being halted by a finger before she could yell.

"Ummm… don't yell," she sighed. "I have a headache."

"Oh poo," Sophie frowned, sighing as she closed her eyes and thought of a different strategy. "Well I guess it can't be helped huh? Let's get going –"

"Are you okay?" Rose frowned, grabbing hold of Sophie's face and glaring her hazy silver and shinigami green eyes, with a double-iris, into Sophie's bright crystal blue and light gleam of shinigami green. "… You got into trouble again?"

"Yeah they're making me take some time off –"

"Jericho!" Rose growled as she glared over at the man finally standing next to them, who was holding Sophie's black death scythe in his hand. "How could you? Letting Sophie rest, really? Before you know it she's going to get giggly on us again," she huffed, a hidden grin on her lips as Jericho rolled his eyes.

"Hey!" Sophie huffed as Rose let go of her face. "You – you're pulling my leg aren't you?" she shook her head before she giggled.

"You seem happy enough жена," Rose chuckled. "We can talk about what happened later. Let's find my муж first," she grinned, grabbing Sophie's bloody hands with her black gloves and pulling her up the hill and to the entrance of one of the buildings. "Alistair! Sasha!" Rose yelled, pulling Sophie around as she twirled her body around looking for them.

"Ack!" Sophie yelped as she was tugged around in circles, letting out a tired huff as she was let go and fell to the ground, flopping an arm over her eyes. "Where did those urchins go –"

Sophie let out a surprised yelp as a large amount of weight fell on her stomach. "Тетушка! Тетушка!" she heard from the small bodies jumping on her stomach, a hand grabbing hold of her arm and pulling it from her eyes.

She chuckled as she looked up at the two children. "Дети," she smiled, wrapping her arms around them in a tight bear hug and giggling as she rolled around on the ground with them in her arms. "How was the trip?" she grinned, looming over them as she kept the two children in place with her arms.

"Great," the younger girl giggled, shifting and trying to get out from under her weight, "Auntie Dora stayed with us for a while and then left!"

"Is that so?" Sophie smiled, looking over at the older boy, only older by a year's difference, and nuzzled her nose into his neck. "And how are you Al?"

"O-okay," he sighed, trying to avoid eye contact with Sophie.

"Now don't be like that," Sophie huffed, lifting up her arm so Sasha could escape her grasp. "I want a detailed report out of you," she grinned.

"Okay," he shrugged, "I'm okay. The trip was good, but I don't like how cold it is here."

"It's **not** that cold," Sasha laughed, jumping on Sophie's back and wrapping her arms around her neck. "You've been complaining this _whole~_ time."

"S-so this was you grew up Тетушка?" Alistair asked, Sophie letting him roll out from under him as she collapsed her body and grabbed Sasha's hand tightly.

"Yep!" Sophie grinned, standing up as Sasha giggled happily from getting a piggyback ride.

Alistair looked up as Sophie twirled Sasha around, before she let her go and set Sasha back on the ground. "Does that mean that… ummm…"

"Let me guess," Sophie poked her chin with her finger, pretending to think as she crossed her arms over her chest. "You… want… to… see… the –"

"The mortuary!" Sasha giggled happily. "He's been waiting to see the cemetery the _whole~_ time. It's getting irritating."

"Sasha!" Alistair pouted, shaking his head and running a hand through his short dirty blonde hair.

"He wants to cut up some bodies," Sasha giggled, Alistair growling at her as Sophie shook her head and laughed at them.

"Oh you too," she chuckled, walking over to Jericho and grabbing her death scythe from him. "Let me guess, you want me to go over some training with you?"

"Yes please," Sasha smiled, hopping over to her as Alistair casually made his way over to his mother and grabbed the side of her black suit pants.

"Well I'm still recovering from a few wounds," Sophie told them honestly, "but I could show you around. The mortuary too, but I think your mama wants to sleep."

"Okay," Sasha nodded, skipping over to the other side of Rose's leg and latching to her arm. "So how did you get into trouble this time Тетушка?"

"I'll tell you the story later," Sophie chuckled as she opened the building's door and held it open for them. "It can be a fun bedtime story," she told them as they passed through the doors. Sophie and Rose looked at each other with a smile, Jericho holding out his arm to Sophie as she wrapped her arm into his and set her head on his shoulder as they walked into the white buildings.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Gasp new characters? =O Now I wonder, do they take after their parents or another character from the story? *hint hint, nudge nudge* XD Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. I'm excited now! I've been waiting to write these OCs in for quite some time now. Success! =D**

_hak_ – Turkish – _right_

_Ergo coniicere video te puncto_ – Latin –_ I guess I see your point_

_Vale_ – Latin – _goodbye_

Roza – Russian – rose

_Nosti amore tui non est numerus, aequum_ – Latin – _You know my love for you has no bounds, right_

_Mihi tantum vos esse felices, amore_ – Latin – _I only want you to be happy, love_

_scio_ – Latin – _I know_

_Non devoravit mihi trium dierum_ – Latin – _You have not devoured me in three days_

_debetis mei _– Latin – _you owe me_

_Sum numquam relinquo vobis_ – Latin – _I would never leave you_

_ego tibi_ – Latin – _I am yours_

_est ut _– Latin – _is that so_

Maximilian – German – greatest

_жена_ – Russian – _wife_

_муж_ – Russian – _husband_

_Тетушка_ – Russian – _auntie_

_Дети _– Russian – _children, little ones_


	50. The Gathering

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hehe. Glad everyone likes things so far. More office drama/bonding moments (plus you learn a bit more about characters) and more boring 'Sophie is recuperating' stuff. TADA! That's what most of this chapter is about ^^ Hope you enjoy it regardless.**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey where's Sophie? She's never –" Alex paused, looking over at the stairs as he heard familiar giggles as Sophie ran up the stairs with a young girl latched on her back. "Sasha!" he laughed, running over to Sophie and scooping the girl up in his broad arms.

"Papa!" Sasha giggled happily as she wrapped her arms around his neck as he swung her around and played with her hair a little.

"I wasn't expecting you so soon!" he chuckled, looking over to see Rose, Alistair, and Jericho walk up the stairs casually behind Sophie. "Hi love," Alex smiled, walking over to Rose and giving her a kiss on the lips. "How was the trip?"

"As great as a boat ride can be," she chuckled, looking down as Alistair left he left his mother's side and casually walked over to Sophie. "Alistair had troubles breathing again," Rose sighed as she watched with concern while Sophie picked him up and poked him on the nose, "but luckily we didn't run out of the pills Sophie made for us. I don't think he would have made it otherwise."

"I see…" he sighed, looking over at Sasha. "Well we have a party planned," Alex smirked as he pecked Sasha on the cheek and she giggled, "but it started thirty minutes ago –"

"A party?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, letting Alistair jump out of her arms and explore around the office floor. "_Aw~_ **that's** what you're planning," she chuckled, "but I was here four o'clock _**sharp**_. If you don't show up on time then it's not my problem."

"Sorry," Alex chuckled, setting Sasha down as she wiggled away from him to join her brother's escapade around the desks, "but Grell wouldn't let me go to pick you up till everything was _done~_"

"Now that the secret is out let's get going," Sophie smiled, using her black cloak as a wash cloth as she tried to get rid of the blood all over her. "… _Maybe~_ I should wash myself off first."

"That's probably best," Alex snickered, grabbing Rose's hand into his as they turned around and head down to the end of the hall. Seeing their parents leave Alistair and Sasha ran after them, jumping up and down with excitement about the new gadgets they found on the desks.

Sophie smiled as she looked over to Jericho, sighing to herself as she walked in the opposite direction and towards the bathrooms. "What a day this is turning out to be," she sighed, her clothes disappearing to reveal the clothes she had walked out in that day. She opened up the door of the bathroom to find no one there, walking over to the sink and turning on the water.

"Are you okay?" Jericho asked as he leaned against the opened door and watched as Sophie cleaned her face with the running lukewarm water.

"Tired," she shrugged, "but I can live. Hey I know this is a bother, but do you think you could get me off of work for a little while longer?" Sophie looked into the mirror and smirked, rubbing her face vigorously to get the caked crimson goo off her face. "If the Engjëll family is around then I know Sasha will want to explore the city and Alistair will want to see the cemetery."

"I don't think that will be a problem," he chuckled, leaving the doorway to walk into the bathroom and wrap his arms around her shoulders. "Take it easy. I don't want you collapsing again."

"I won't," she smiled, turning off the water and giving him a peck on the lips. "Hmmm…" she thought to herself as she wiggled away from his arms and threw the paper towel away, "Does Alex have a place for his family yet?"

"I believe not," Jericho shrugged. "He was planning on having them sleep in his apartment for the night till he found proper housing –"

"That won't do," Sophie huffed as she walked out of the bathroom. "I'll just give them my apartment. I'm not using it anyways and there's enough room for them."

"I don't think Alex will mind," Jericho chuckled as he followed her out of the bathroom and lead her down the hallway to the party.

!#$%^&*()

"Theodora!" Sophie smiled, giving the light brunette haired shinigami a hug as she walked into a room filled with random party decorations and a few tables full of random food. "Where have you been?"

"Lewis found me and **insisted** I help set up," she chuckled as she shook her head, "but I don't care… Hey I heard that Jericho and you got hurt recently –"

"It was a scrap with the Leviathan," Sophie shrugged as she grabbed a drink from the table and began to slurp it down, "but it's not a big deal."

"Boss…" she frowned, shaking her head by Sophie's words. "Don't do that. I don't know why that creature keeps coming after you all the time, but if it happens again I'm going to get involved even though you told us not to –"

"Don't worry," she chuckled as she held up her hand to Theodora, "Those monsters are as much of **your** concern as your past is for **me**. How about you go mingle Dora? Ben was worried sick about you."

"Not as much as I was for him," Dora chuckled back, patting Sophie on the back as she left her at the table. Sophie huffed and grabbed a plate full of food, walking over to a random chair to sit down.

Grabbing a cookie and munching on it, she smiled as she saw a familiar face walk over to her and sit down next to her. "How's the party?" he smiled.

"Okay I guess," she chuckled as she finished the cookie in her hand, "but I didn't think you would be here Marius. What are we here celebrating anyways?"

"You," he chuckled at her question.

"Me?" Sophie huffed. "Why?"

"Your _death-day_ is what Mr. Sutcliff has been saying," Marius shrugged as he grabbed a scone from her plate and began to eat it.

"Oh is that so?" Sophie chuckled to herself as she lounged back in the chair and set the plate and cup in her hands on a nearby table. "…_ Of course~_. I guess Grell is celebrating the day we met… Why are you here anyways? I thought you loathed these types of things."

"I do but –" he paused, looking over at a young shinigami who just walked into the room.

Sophie followed his gaze at the young woman, who greeted a shinigami she knew before walking over to the line of tables to scrounge for food. "_Aaaaww~_" she chuckled. "Margaret?"

"… Yes," Marius admitted, standing up and giving her a slight bow. "Now if you'll excuse me –"

"Stop being so proper. Go over there and talk to her dummy," she grinned mischievously, shooing him away with her hand. Marius hesitated before taking off, getting a chuckle from Sophie as she looked over at them and she slowly drank down her drink. Sophie turned her gaze over at the family in the corner, who were laughing along with a few other shinigamis as their children ran around the room. She noticed that Veronica had changed her outfit, the new black suit contrasting to her white, sun burnt porcelain skin and light blonde hair. She actually looked like any other shinigami with her double-iris eyes, except for the silver color in her eyes that hadn't changed color from the time she was human. It must have been a side effect to her curse, but she didn't want to think about the details. Sophie had always been worried about Rose, and Rose the same with Sophie, but that's how they became inseparable friends. To think she was the one that caused those two to meet, Sophie chuckled as she looked over at the two beautiful children slowing down and listening to their father's request.

At first glance you would think the daughter was the eldest by how she acts around her brother. Sophie knew that Alistair was really the eldest, since she saw both of them born after all. Only a year and a half later Sasha was born, making her about eight and Alistair almost ten. Sophie never understood why those children loved her so. It could be because she was very popular back in America, but it was probably likely that she was always around them and kept them company if their parents were away. Alistair was a quiet boy. He never liked to make a fuss and would rather read books than run around and cause fights. More than once did he say he wanted to be a mortician then a shinigami, but Sophie made him promise that he could study to be a mortician if he first learned fighting techniques incase anything happened to him. It worked, that's for sure, and the boy can hold himself in a scrimmage if he had to.

Comparing the two children, his little sister was entirely different then her older brother. Sasha loved to fight, running into the worst situations and end up coming home with cuts and bruises all over her body and blood in her long, wavy brunette hair. It was a feature Sophie loved about her, noticing the sparkle in the girl's single-iris gray and shinigami green eyes as she went after annoying pests. Reminded her of an older red-head she knows. Time after time Sophie has heard from Sasha that she wanted to be just like Sophie and hold a title like she does. So Sophie would let Sasha come on some of her less vigorous missions, giving Sasha pointers and sometimes letting her use a death scythe to defend herself. Of course bringing a young, inexperienced child on dangerous missions was against the rules, but in America Sophie could get away with it because of her position in power and that no one would care anyways. Sophie has loved those two Engjëll children ever since Rose was pregnant with them, in turn continuing to think of the whole family as her own. If anything happened to them Sophie would be there to defend them, putting herself in front of them to make sure everyone was safe. That was how Sophie was after all, a very protective God of Death.

Sophie smiled to herself at the thought, looking up to see the young Engjëll boy looking up at her with a small smile on his face. "Tired?" she asked him, letting the boy crawl onto the couch and set his head onto her lap.

"Yes Тетушка," he answered, closing his double-iris shinigami green eyes as he curled up on her lap. Sophie smiled and ran a hand through his short, dirty blonde hair, chuckling to herself as she gently rocked back and forth for him. "Ummm… I was wondering something about the human anatomy."

"Yeah?" she responded, grabbing a cracker from her plate and munching on it.

"If a person was cut pieces and their… let's say pancreas was taken, then, when you sew them back up again, should you leave that piece of themselves missing, find it, or replace it?" Alistair asked, shifting on her lap so he could look up at her with curiosity.

"Hmmm…" Sophie thought to herself as she grabbed another piece of food. "Good question Al. If it were me I would probably try to find their missing self first. I would no way in my right mind try to replace their missing organ with another, causing the body I took it from to be missing their own organ. So first find the organ and if you can't find it then just sew them back up and put them in the ground." Then she chuckled to herself, poking his cheek as he closed one eye and flinched. "_Why do you ask~?_"

"Only wondering," Alistair shrugged as he smiled at her. "When will I get to see the cemetery?"

"In due time," Sophie sighed and shook her head. "Oh! While we're talking, do you want to hear the latest adventure for the month?"

"I do! I do!" they heard from the other side of the room, Sasha running through the crowd and jumping onto the couch beside Alistair. Alistair grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his irritated chest and glaring at his annoying sister.

Sophie chuckled and poked Sasha in the nose, grabbing a cookie and munching on that. "Alright you can hear it too," she grinned, thinking to herself on where she should start. "Let's see… where will I start… Long or short version?"

"Long," the both of them said together, their eyes gleaming with intensity as they looked at Sophie.

"You'll have to give me time to think," she chuckled, "since I never gave a _long~~_ version… Let's see… It started off with a death threat, which said I was going to die in a few days. Taking every procession I could, I searched for my name in the soul's list and found it on the day the demon described. So I did the only thing I could do is wait patiently for my death, the clock slowing ticking down to my last hour…"

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you for letting us stay in your apartment," Rose smiled at Sophie, looking down at Sasha as she slept curled up on her lap. "I… Don't put yourself in danger again," she grumbled. "Sasha may think that it's _**cool**_, but I don't think it's cool that my жена almost died **again**."

"Don't be so angry," Sophie chuckled as she continued to run a hand through Alastair's hair before letting out a tired huff. "You know it's not something I can control. By the way, how is that demon you are trying to stay away from?"

"From what I know he's not coming after me," Rose sighed, "but… I'm still worried. About you, about my family… a lot of worrying."

"Ah," Sophie nodded, "well those things happen. I made you a promise years ago to always protect you and your family, and I plan on keeping it, got that?"

"I know," Rose chuckled. "I don't see why a powerful god like yourself would want to use their energy on me, but I'm grateful that you are. Just don't die on me till I'm ready for it."

"Understood," she gave her a salute before grinning to herself. "I have a few more days before I have to get back to work. Do you want me to show you around the city?"

"No," Rose shook her head. "Take that time to rest. If Al and Sasha want to go then I will come with you, but if not then I want to spend some time **here**."

"Okay," Sophie smiled, grabbing Alastair's small form and shifting him so he was off of her lap. "Well it's about time I get home," she sighed as she stood up and off the couch. "My father is probably having a hissy fit since it's almost midnight."

"Which reminds me," Rose grinned, "you'll have to introduce me to your father. Undertaker correct?"

"That's right," Sophie smiled, leaning into Rose's face and giving her a peck on the cheek. "I'll check up on your guys in a few days if I'm not back in the shinigami realm at that time. Do you have enough pills for Alastair to last you the voyage?"

"Enough to get by," Rose sighed, "but he'll need more soon enough –"

"I need to make more anyways. We'll make a campout alright?" she chuckled, waving to Rose as she walked away from her and over to Grell. "Hey Grell," Sophie called to him as she pulled him slightly as he tried to flirt with William, "thank you for the party. This was unnecessary, but it was fun regardless."

"I'm glad you liked it!" Grell grinned happily, grabbing Sophie in a bone-crushing hug before letting go and giving her a peck on the cheek. "It was an excuse to throw a party anyways. We don't get enough office parties around here," he whispered low enough for William to not hear.

"Figured," Sophie rolled her eyes, smirking as she swung her hands back and forth with his hands entangled in her own. "I better get back to the Undertaker. I'm already two hours late."

"Oh poo!" he huffed. "That man needs to lighten up."

"Well if you invited him then maybe I wouldn't have this problem," she chuckled lightly.

"But I did," Grell frowned, "and he said he didn't want to go."

"Oh…" Sophie thought to herself before giving him a smile and letting go of his hands. "He never liked social events anyways," she shook her head; "I better go now."

"Alright," he waved, turning back over to William and fawning over him. Sophie chuckled as she watched her mentor flirt, but didn't make any progress, finally making her way out of the party and down the darkened gray hallway.

)(*&^%$#!

"Sorry for being late," Sophie said as she walked in the back door of the morgue and set her bag down close to the entrance. "I was talking to Rose and – Undertaker?" she called, rushing down to the main room and looking in the dark room. She sighed, making her way back through the hallway and looking into every room till she got to the back again. "Where is that man?" she grumbled under her breath. Sighing she put on a coat and walked out the back door, walking down the gravel road and up the hill. She raised an eyebrow when she saw the creeping cloaked man she was looking for, holding a bouquet of flowers in his hand and looking at a tombstone as if he was in a trance. "D-dad?" Sophie frowned, wrapping her arms around his waist and looking at the engraving. "Have you been out here all night?"

"Sophia," Undertaker giggled happily as he turned around and grabbed Sophie in a tight hug. "Where have you been?"

"Sorry," she smiled and nuzzled her head into his chest, "but Rose just got in so we were catching up… Why are you looking at my grave?" she frowned.

"Aw just…_ thinking~_" he giggled again, though Sophie could tell he was forcing it.

The Undertaker flinched as Sophie slowly brought her hand up to his face, parting his bangs so she could see his shinigami green and yellow eyes. "You're sad?" she frowned with worry in her eyes, "but I'm right **here** dad –"

"I know," he chuckled, "but… that day…"

Sophie blinked in confusion before she realized what he meant, a smile coming to her face as she grabbed him tighter and nuzzled her head in his chest. "I love you," she said simply as she looked up at him and giggled, "and the worst day in my life was when I died. Want to know why?"

"Why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Because I completely forgot who you were to me," she sighed, "and I wish I never had to forget."

The Undertaker grinned, kissing Sophie on the cheek and chucking as she continued to giggle. "_Well~_" he grinned as he set the flowers down on her grave and took her hand, "I know I will **never** forget you." Sophie beamed as she set her head on his arm, looking behind her at the grave and sighing. She quickly noticed the flowers he had set down and smiled, noticing the bouquet of forget-me-not flowers sitting contently on top of the living ground.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hey what are you doing here?" Jericho chuckled, noticing Sophie trudging down the hallway to her office wearing her black cowboy hat and trench coat.

"Why not?" she chuckled, but then shook her head as she opened the door. "There are a few things that need to be taken care of."

"Oh?" he asked, walking into her office from behind and closing the door behind them. "_Like~ what?_"

"I need to go over to Norway to talk to their Director for the Norwegian Division and the Swedish Division," Sophie shrugged as she grabbed a few papers out from her desk and set them in her messenger bag. "Do you know where Sasha is? I was planning on bringing her along."

"Veronica is in Alexander's office talking with him. You can go ask them if you want," Jericho shrugged.

"Cool," she chuckled, swinging the bag over her shoulder and walking past him to the door. "I haven't quite taught her everything and I want to get it done before the family moves away."

"_Ahh~_" Jericho nodded, walking behind Sophie as she walked out the door and slammed the door behind her. "… Why do you bother with training them?"

"It's enjoyable and **very** entertaining," she chuckled delightly as she walked down the hall to Alex's office door. "I don't see a point in learning if I can't pass it on… I think that's something I acquired from my father," she shrugged.

"Which one?" Jericho asked as he held the door for her.

"Papa," she smirked, walking into the room and giving a wave to two shinigamis sitting behind the desk. "Hey Alex and Rose," Sophie smiled. "If Sasha was up for it, I was going to bring her with me on a mission for today."

"Oh?" Rose responded, moving her head off of Alex's shoulder as she thought. "We sent the Дети to the library this morning. You can go there if you want."

"Great thanks," she smiled, giving them another wave and walked past Jericho as she made her way back to the stairs and began walking down.

"… Hmmm…" Alex thought to himself as he looked over at Jericho. "What exactly is she doing today? I thought she was still recovering."

"Going to Norway for the day," Jericho shrugged. "Why? I don't know, but it's alright with you that she's taking Sasha with her?"

"With Sophie we know Sasha is in capable hands," Alex chuckled as he grabbed his coffee mug and slowly drank down the hot liquid. "We trust her just as much as I trust Julia, Jericho. If she's taking Sasha then it's not a hard mission. Probably will only involve… less than a hundred demons?" he shrugged before letting out a hearty chuckle.

"Alright," Jericho nodded as he began to walk out the door. "Have your paperwork turned into me by this afternoon. I want to get done by five today."

"Can do!" Alex saluted, laughing to himself as Jericho walked out of the office and closed the door behind him.

!#$%^&*()

"Have you seen two pesky kids running around here?" Sophie asked one of the librarians behind a desk.

"Oh yes," she smiled. "They wandered over to the history section."

"Okay thanks," Sophie smiled and waved to her, walking down the marbled hallway and clanking her black boots against the hard floor. Turning a few corners she made her way to the other end of the library, finding Alistair and Sasha with a tower of books next to them as they read.

"This is boring!" Sasha eventually said, slamming her face into the book she was reading and mumbling to herself. "This book is stupid."

"It's not stupid," Alistair sighed, "just inaccurate – Oh Тетушка!" he smiled once he noticed Sophie was making her way towards them.

Sasha lifted up her head excitedly at Alistair's words, happy to see her aunt again. "Hello guys," Sophie smiled, walking around the table and looking over the books they were reading. "What books are you reading there?"

"Something about the _History of the London Shinigamis_, but it's outdated," Alistair frowned to himself.

"Ah," Sophie nodded in understanding as she grabbed the book he was reading and looked at the cover. "I see… they print out new editions, but don't update the information."

"Why are you here Тетушка?" Alistair decided to ask. "After telling us the story of the _Fallen Angel, Jamal Kafziel Janiel_, shouldn't you be resting or something?"

"I have some things to take care of today," Sophie shrugged, "and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to Norway –"

"Oh I do!" Sasha jumped out of her seat excitedly. "Will we be fighting demons again? Can I use the zweihänder this time?"

"Sure," Sophie chuckled, "but be careful with it. It's starting to get old."

"Oh I will!" Sasha jumped out of her seat, jumping up and down at her request being answered.

"Do you want to come too Al?" Sophie decided to ask.

"No," he shook his head, "I just want to get back to reading."

"Okay," Sophie nodded as she took out a piece of paper and wrote down several books with serial numbers next to the titles. "Then go and find these books to read. They should be accurate in detail then those books you have and a few of them you may like," she smiled. Alistair nodded and grabbed the paper from her hands, looking at the titles as Sophie grabbed Sasha's hand. "Come now," she sighed as she moved the hat from her head, "I'll be late if we don't leave."

"Okay," Sasha nodded knowingly, gripping hold of Sophie's hand as they disappeared in a black haze.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Heh. Yeah that's probably where I'm going to end it for the day. Let me just say I'm getting tired of writing this story (not saying I'm going to stop posting chapters and stop writing. No! Just want to have another story to think about for a while) so instead of writing an OC story I'm beginning to write a Grell and Undertaker story. Yep more fanfiction! Though I haven't seen this idea of mine posted so we'll see if anyone likes it. I'll write a few chapters and see from there if I should continue it… but yeah I just want to write something else for a bit. It'll probably be shorter XD That's for sure! (and don't worry about my frequent chapters. I'm still 9 chapters ahead!) So I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. SEE YOU NEXT WEEK!**

Zweihänder – German "two hander", two-handed sword primarily used in the Renaissance


	51. The Improper Training

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well here I begin reviewing chapters again! I don't know if I'll be able to continue posting 3 chapters, as I have been doing over the weekend in the past, but I'll at least post one up a week ^^ Perhaps two, and if I have time then three. It's just that I'd like to take a little break from writing this story because of school and another fanfic I'm currently writing. So there you go. Just so you're updated on my plan! =3 and I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

!#$%^&*()

"wwWWWAAHHH!" Sasha yelled, hiding her eyes as she tightly clutched to Sophie's leg.

Sophie laughed as she shot her guns at the mob of demons, using her feet to maneuver down the snowcapped mountain atop a large circular sled. "Sasha!" she called to the frightened girl on her legs. "Grab out your gun for me while I summon a portal."

"Yes ma'am!" Sasha nodded, pulling out a Colt Single Action Army revolver from her pocket and firing at the group, grinning happily when she shot four out of six demons in the chest. Quickly reloading she continued again, hanging onto Sophie's leg to make sure she didn't fall off of the sled. Setting her guns back into their holsters and holding onto Sasha with one hand, Sophie summoned a portal with her other hand at the bottom of the hill, falling through the portal and rolling into a grassy landscape. Sasha tumbled behind her and landed next to Sophie's sled, which was actually an old aspis shield Sophie had summoned with her black haze.

Sophie levitated the shield into her hand and threw it into the portal, hitting several demons in the head in a boomerang affect. "Hah take that!" she laughed, taking out her guns again and firing at the advancing demons. "Sasha you alright?" she called behind her, keeping her gaze on the opened portal.

"I'm fine!" Sasha answered, quickly stumbling back to her feet and running back over to Sophie. Then she took out her gun again and fired into the portal, several demons falling flat to the ground before she reloaded. "This is fun!" she giggled, firing again as she stayed close to Sophie.

"I'm glad you're having fun," she chuckled, reloading both of her guns in three swift motions and firing again. "Sorry that the meeting didn't go as planned, but the secret assault took me by surprise. Those sneaky bastards," Sophie smirked at the five rows of demons that had fallen to the snow and disappeared in the harsh blizzard.

"Nah its fine," Sasha smiled. "It's still fun!"

Sophie nodded and narrowed her eyes, deciding to get this mission done as quickly as possible. "Are you learning something today?"

"Yep," Sasha nodded.

"What exactly?" she continued to ask in a monotone voice.

"To never let down your guard," Sasha began, "and always look for a way out of a tough situation – Oh! And demons always fall head first instead of backward on their bottom."

"That so?" Sophie chuckled. "How did you come across that?"

"Well look," Sasha pointed to the demons that fell as Sophie shot at their stomachs. "They all end up face first in the snow instead of falling backwards."

"Did you think that's because they are running _down_ the hill and thus gravity is causing them to fall forward?" Sophie smirked.

"Oh…" Sasha thought before shrugging, "Well it was a simple observation – Hey aren't those director guys you were talking to supposed to be here?"

"Probably got lost in the snow," Sophie chuckled, squinting her eyes from the bright shine off of the snow and looking up the mountain. "Hey there they are!" she pointed, reloading before making a path of dead demons in the snow as they made their way hastily down the hill and flying into the portal. Then Sophie closed it up before anymore demons could get through, moving her bangs from her eyes as they lay on the ground panting. "Meeting someone in a pub **wasn't** the best place for a meeting," she chuckled, stepping over the tired shinigamis and tipping her hat up with one of her guns.

"Sorry," one of them groaned as they rolled over to their side and rubbed their head. "We weren't expecting an ambush."

"So where are we?" the other asked, looking around as Sophie shook her head.

"London of course. If you can't keep a tight security then we will have our discussion **here**." Sophie left them on the ground as they stumbled to their feet, Sasha giggling at Sophie's comment and following alongside her. They were only a few feet from a white building, so Sophie sat down on an outdoor table and waited for them, a smirk on her face when she noticed the tired look on their faces. "And you call yourselves directors?" She chuckled, "That wasn't even difficult."

"NOT DIFFICULT?" one of them complained with a groan in his voice. "There were millions of demons running after us for no reason –"

"About sixty two, not _millions~_" Sophie rolled her eyes, "and can it Charles. You weren't even trying."

Charles let out a huff, crossing his arms over his chest as he sat down on the bench. "Now Tobias," Sophie began to say, "what were you saying about your academy?"

"We were thinking of setting up a Scandinavian academy," Tobias began as he crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, "but we don't know where to begin or where we should set it up –"

"Sweden of course!" Charles laughed heartedly. "We're practically the middle –"

"No you're not," Tobais shook his head and glared. "We're –"

"Now hold on," Sophie held up her hands to them, causing the two directors to cease their bickering. "Before we continue, did you talk to the other directors about this? Primarily the Danish and Finish I would presume."

"We wanted to set up a solid idea before discussing the idea with them," Tobais told her, "but we're lost with ideas on the matter. Since there is a great academy here in the British Isles we figured we should ask you first."

"Good plan," Sophie nodded, taking out an apple and munching on it as she thought to herself. "Let's see… First off what would you be teaching? There is history you must gather from every country and various techniques too. The top teachers you need to find who are willing to teach students, and trust me that is **never** easy," she chuckled. "Discuss your plan with the other directors. This is a great idea by far, since we get many exchange students from Scandinavia coming to our academy, but if the other directors can have their own ideas on the subject then maybe you'll be able to bring your idea to life."

"Understandable," Tobais nodded. "See, I figured that's what she would say –"

"Yeah, yeah," Charles shook his head. "Thought I should ask –"

"I notice you are discussing a location?" Sophie grinned, throwing her finished apple core to the side and jumping off of the table with her arms crossed over her chest. "I think Oslo in Norway would be best –"

"Aw no fair –"

"But because," she held her hand up to Charles before he continued, "Oslo is a major capital in Norway. Plus Norway is in the middle of Sweden, across the sea from Denmark and the closest to Iceland. Shinigamis from Finland will have to go through Sweden, but that'll be easier than setting up the academy in Sweden. You see what I'm saying Charles?"

"… Yes Sophia," he grumbled under his breath, glaring at Tobais before looking over at Sophie with a grin. "Now I have one other request."

"What is that?" she raised an eyebrow.

"We have actually been training, unlike **some** people," he stuck his tongue out at Tobais before returning his gaze back at Sophie, "and we have our first class graduating from our small school in Stockholm this spring. Could you… if you have time, make sure our top student is ready?"

"Sure," she shrugged, "but it will have to be right now. I don't have time otherwise."

"Great!" Charles chuckled, holding up his finger to her as he rustled for something in his bag. "You **won't** regret this! I'll just be right back," he told her, creating a portal and walking through it.

"I **have** to see this," Tobais chuckled, sitting down on the bench and smirking over at Sophie.

"So they're already experimenting?" Sophie decided to ask, stepping up on the bench and sitting back down on the table next to Sasha.

"For about four years," Tobais shrugged, "but they're only taking the best and brightest they can find into their school. It's not at a grand scale to let other countries in, but it's a start."

"Hmmm…" Sophie thought to herself, "then maybe he's right with having the academy in Sweden –"

"Hey don't tell him that," Tobais shook his head. "He'll get cocky again."

"Alright," Sophie chuckled as she set an arm on her knee and her head atop her hand, mumbling to herself with boredom as they waited for Charles to come back.

"Тетушка," Sasha said meekly, breaking the silence.

"Yes love?" Sophie sighed to herself as she waited for the portal to appear again.

"Can I go and get Al?" Sasha smiled.

"Yeah sure," she chuckled. "Alistair and you will benefit from a live demonstration on your final exams."

"Great!" Sasha laughed, jumping off of the table and rushing into the building.

"Russian?" Tobais raised an eyebrow.

"Her mother is from Russia," Sophie chuckled, "but is married to a shinigami who came from the western portion of the Ottoman Empire."

"Oh wow," Tobais chuckled. "When did they marry?"

"A few years ago in America. They were working under me at the time… though the mother doesn't work as a shinigami anymore and spends her time taking care of the kids," Sophie shrugged. "While they're in town, I decided to teach their kids for a while like I normally did back in America. Only giving them a taste of what a shinigami is and excret –"

"I'm back!" Charles sang, pushing a taller and younger shinigami through the portal as he closed it up behind him. "Stand up straight and introduce yourself," Charles huffed, slamming the palm of his hand into the man's back and causing him to stumble forward.

"Garth Kirkja, twenty two years of age and from Umeå, Sweden. Top of my graduating class from the Stockholm University for Elite Shinigamis,"he bowed to her.

"Umeå?" Sophie asked. "So do you know Finnish, Swedish, and English then?"

"My human parents taught me Swedish and Finnish. I learn English from the university," he looked up.

"Alright," she nodded. "Make sure, Charles, that everyone is learning at least one other language for about… three years. That way the shinigamis will have be able to communicate with other shinigamis from other countries. Preferably the languages of the countries surrounding you, but also other countries as you begin to specialize."

"Yes Serbus!" Charles saluted, taking out a small notepad and writing down the information she was orally giving him.

"There are three different examinations and one follow up exam to make sure a shinigami is qualified to go out into the field," she continued. "There is – Ah Sasha you're back! Sit down over on the bench and pay attention." Sasha nodded as she kept a firm hold on her brother's hand, the two of them growing quiet as they listened to Sophie's speech. "The first is to test practical technique. This is usually the hardest and the exam that kicks out shinigamis for the upcoming year, since we pin peers together on a one-on-one fight. There are points involved in every basic examination, but for the practical technique you are looking for the various moves the shinigami should have been taught… Got that Charles?"

"Yep!" he held up a thumbs up, still writing vigorously on his notepad as Sophie continued.

"Then," she sighed, "there is the written exam followed by an ethical exam. The written exam is over all the material that should have been covered. There is the basic test, about one hundred questions, which each shinigami is required to know. There are other tests from different subjects, ranging from General Affairs to the Dispatch Management. Upon graduating a shinigami needs to have a division they will be going into, but they can always go back to school and take the test for a different division if they want to change career paths," she explained. "The ethical exam isn't hard nor is it truly a final exam. It is a calculation of the shinigami's performance over their years at the academy. Lastly is the final exam, which is having the graduating shinigamis go out by twos into the human world to evaluate a soul and then reap. The range of time has changed from months to days, but I find that having them spend half a month in the field is best… Okay?"

"Yes," Charles nodded as he looked up from his notepad before resuming his rushed writing.

"Good," she looked over at Garth with a devious smile on her face. "Now **what** do you want me to do with this gardener?" she smirked, Garth's eyes almost popping out of his head as she referred to him as a gardener.

"Train him a little," Charles shrugged. "Technique I guess –"

"Alright," she chuckled. "Hey Sasha do you want to help me?"

"Yes Тетушка!" Sasha giggled, jumping off of the table and rushing over to her. "What do you want me to do?"

"We're going to play a _game~_" Sophie smirked as she rushed in her messenger bag and pulled out a small black feather. "A… cat-and-mouse game if you'd like to be specific," she smirked at Garth who gulped. Then she huffed, ticking Sasha in the nose before walking out between them. "The goal of the game is to get this feather, a human soul, before time runs out. One of you is the reaper and the other is the demon… but who is the cat and who is the mouse depends on the outcome," she chuckled to herself before throwing the feather up into the air and letting it float away from them in the breeze. Sasha kept a tight watch on the feather, though Garth was confused and didn't even glance at it. "You see Mr. Kirkja," she began to explain and got his attention, "the human soul is nourishment for most demons. Not only will you need to take souls, but you'll also need to keep them from being devoured too. If kept alone, and depending on the type of demon, they will consume a soul in about five minutes time once it is in their grasp. It gives a shinigami enough time to retrieve the soul, or end up coming back empty and having to file a bunch of paperwork to make up for the absence… got that?"

"Y-yes," Garth nodded, trying to find the feather, but lost track of it.

"Alistair," Sophie called to the little boy. "Since you've played this game too how about you act as the dead body?"

"Okay," Alistair smiled happily, jumping off of the table and walking casually past Garth. He jumped up behind him and grabbed the black feather from his hair, causing Garth to look around in shock and the others to snicker.

Then Alistair sat down in the grass and sighed, crossing his hands over his heart and holding the feather in one hand. "I will give you five minutes," Sophie said as she popped open her pocket watch, "and the being who has it in the end is the winner. The boundary is to stay within the shinigami realm. Ready… set… go," she told them in a casual tone, stepping back as Sasha and Garth rushed for the black feather.

Alistair closed his eyes tightly as the two shinigamis rushed at him, Garth gaining the lead since he was a few feet away. Noticing this, Sasha suddenly turned into a light brown fox and quickly gained speed, jumping over Alistair's body and snatching the feather into her mouth. "HEY WHA –" Garth gasped in confusion, having to jump over Alistair's body to avoid tripping over him as Sasha jumped between Garth's legs and took off towards Sophie.

"A demon will use any trick in the book to win," Sophie explained, "so you have to be expected for _anything~_" Garth ran as fast as he could to Sasha, who snickered with the black feather clutched in her teeth and ran into the building. Sophie sighed and walked over to the bench, sitting down on the table with a grin showing on her face.

Noticing everyone had left, Alistair stood up and brushed off the grass on his clothes, walking over to where Sophie was and sat next to her. "A game?" Charles huffed.

"Games are a great learning tool," Sophie chuckled, "even if they're tedious to the untrained eye."

"Charles, the game is cat-and-mouse," Tobais sighed. "It's obvious the winner is the cat and the loser is the mouse. It's training that shows that if you retrieve the soul last then you're most likely to lose the soul all together. Plus, how did Sasha turn into a fox –"

"Her father is half demon," she explained with a tired sigh, "and if you do anything to kill them I'll destroy you."

"Right… sorry…" Tobais eyed her with a frown on his face. "How did you come across this game?"

"I made it up," Sophie chuckled happily as she let Alistair set his head lazily on her shoulder. "I have the game and all the rules written up in my book, but honestly the idea just came about in my head when I was reaping. It's a fun little game to train the younglings and piss off students," she smirked.

"Huh…" Tobais thought to himself. "I think I came across that game before… but perhaps it's a different version or it's under a different name."

"Perhaps," Sophie nodded, looking down at her watch and clicking it shut. "One minute!" she yelled, coughing to herself slightly as she let out a tired sigh.

"We heard about your scrimmage with a demon," Tobais said, "and we weren't expecting you to show up in the first place –"

"Yes… well when I make a promise and an appointment I make sure I go," she chuckled lightly as she sat back on her hands. "Its disrespect otherw –"

"Hah!" Sasha laughed, jumping out from a nearby window and running towards the group. Then she turned back into her human form, jumping onto the table and flying past them as Garth made his way out of the building and continued to pursue her.

Sophie opened her pocket watch again and looked at the time. "Three," she began, "Two… one, time's up! Miss Agon wins yet again," she chuckled.

"Of course I do," she giggled, running the tips of the feathers over her cheek as she swayed her hips discreetly. "I'm taught from the **best**."

"So tell me Sasha," Sophie sighed as she let Sasha sit down next to her, "How was Mr. Kirkja?"

"Needs to work on his footwork," Sasha giggled as she ran the feather under her neck and thought. "He's not thinking ahead. If I was going to eat the soul I would have disappeared long before he could have caught up to me. That's all," she shrugged.

"Hah!" Sophie chuckled, "You need to work on your training Charles."

"… Hmmm…" Charles frowned, "but –"

"Don't worry about this exercise though," Sophie shrugged. "I was only giving a demonstration on what could happen in the field. Now Garth, this was more to see the problems you need to work on: footwork and planning ahead. If you work on your weaknesses first then I bet you'll become a great shinigami," she chuckled. "Overall you did fine. Congrats."

"T-thank you D-dark Rider," he said with a slight bow.

"Please don't," Sophie held up her hand to stop him, "and call me Sophia alright?"

"O-okay," Garth responded startled, quickly straightening up his back and giving her a small smile.

"Well that's it!" Charles chuckled to himself as he set his notepad in his suit coat and looked over to Garth. "Sorry if we were an inconvenience to you Sophia."

"No convenience at all," Sophie smiled. "It's nice to get out every once in a while and have fun."

"Alright," Tobais chuckled. "We will be on our way then." After giving Sophie a handshake Tobais and Charles opened up a portal, Charles leading Garth through the portal first followed by Tobais at the end.

Sophie let out a tired sigh and slumped on the table, Alistair going down with her as Sasha giggled and jumped on Sophie's stomach. "Hey Тетушка," Sasha began to ask as she ran the feather under Sophie's nose, "what do you want me to do with this feather?"

"Keep it if you want," Sophie shrugged, "but that's one of my feathers."

"_Y~eah~_" Sasha shrugged, "but I already have one! Just take it back Тетушка."

"Alright," Sophie sighed, grabbing the feather and letting it disappear between her fingers. Sasha giggled as she felt the misty sensation between her fingertips, soon closing her eyes and coddling her body into Sophie's chest. "So how was the reading?" Sophie decided to ask.

"Fun," Alistair smiled. "I wasn't expecting such old books."

"_Well~_ old books have their charms," Sophie chuckled to herself. "I noticed there's more information in the older books. I think I'll have to go through the history book one of these days and change it myself… I never liked my textbooks anyways."

"I didn't know a shinigami library would have a book on anatomy," Alistair chuckled happily as he curled his body up next to Sophie's side and looked up at her face. "Who was the author? Renu Elektias? What a weird name," he shrugged to himself.

"Yeah that name is weird," Sophie smiled as she wrapped a protective arm around Alistair's waist and brought him closer to her body, "I never came across the last name before. I think the man nor is his family is alive anymore. That's why the name is awkward." She shrugged, "but I came across the name time and time again looking over **really** old books dating back centuries into the past. Even if they're old books I think the author knew what he was talking about in most of them."

"Тетушка," Alistair yawned before he continued, "W-what does his name mean? I was curious about it."

"Well…" Sophie thought, "I know Renu means _born of dust_ in ancient Sanskrit. The last name, Elektias, is a mystery to me… I think it's Greek. The first part could mean Elektra, which means _shining amber_, and Aias, which means _mourner of the earth_. A strange name huh?" she smiled.

"Yep," he yawned, "_Very~_… very strange," Alistair yawned again and closed his eyes tightly as he curled up tighter to Sophie's warm body. Sophie smiled and stroked his back, staying awake as Alistair breathed quietly and Sasha snored loudly on her chest.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Thanks for taking care of the kids for the day," Rose said with a sigh as she grabbed Sasha off of Sophie's stomach and into her arms. "It was nice to relax for a day."

"Hey no problem," Sophie chuckled as she shifted her body off of the bench and looked up at the sky. "The sunset is always so beautiful," she mumbled to herself before looking over at Rose with a smile. "I better go home. Do you know when I should be working yet? I'm starting to get antsy about it."

"Oh," Rose chuckled lightly. "Why don't you just start working tomorrow? Or a few days from that? Sophie it's up to you."

"Yeah I know," she grinned, "but a lot of people around here are saying _'Oh you should rest' _and I'm like _'Ugh. I don't want to'_. I'm starting to get sloppy too."

"Take a few _calm~_ jobs then," Rose told her. "Oh! What about the mortuary? Does your father need help around the building?"

"… You know I didn't think about that," Sophie chuckled, "but if he does then I'll let Al tag along. He's been itching to dissect a body for weeks and if I don't let him he's just going to start cutting people up."

"I **know**," Rose grumbled under her breath. "Geeze," she chuckled, "sometimes I think your influence is turning my Дети into brutes."

"_Awwww~_ am I a _bad~ influence_?" Sophie pouted and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's mean жена. It really hurts, right here," she pounded her hand on her chest.

"I'm sorry," Rose chuckled as she grabbed Sophie with her free arm and hugged her tightly. "I know жена is only trying to help." Sophie grumbled under her breath before giving Rose a pat on the back, letting go and eyeing her suspiciously. "It's a good thing you're helping Alistair. I don't think I could help him with the hobbies he likes. Alex and I wouldn't know **what** to do with him if you weren't around to help him," she sighed.

"Well he takes after my own heart, love," Sophie grinned before giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "I'm honestly not a being that likes to fight, but when I do then I do. Plus little Sasha looks up to me so much… I don't see why."

"They **both** look up to you," Rose chuckled, "and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Sophie looked at her with a smile on her face, taking a few steps away from the bench and fixing her cowboy hat on her head. "I better get going. Undertaker doesn't like it when I'm late."

"Гуднайт Sophia," Rose nodded to her.

"Гуднайт Veronica," Sophie smiled back, tipping her hat to her as she vanished into the forest and out of the shinigami realm.

)(*&^%$#!

"Oh you're here on time?" Undertaker giggled to himself as Sophie set her stuff down and threw her coat and hat onto the coat hanger.

"Yep," Sophie shrugged. "Had no reason **not** to be… Hey Undertaker I have a question."

"What is it little maiden?" he hummed to himself as he finished his last guest for the day.

"Well I was thinking," she began, grabbing a biscuit from a nearby urn and sitting down on a coffin, "that… well… either I would go back to working slow jobs or stay here for a while. I was hoping I could help out here for a while like I used to do, u-until I'm back feeling better of course."

"I don't see why you can't," he told her as he placed a coat of blush on the body's face. "Speaking of help," the Undertaker giggled to himself as he set down his supplies on a nearby table and skipped over to her. "There are some _interesting~_ developments that you may find interesting. Though," he poked her nose, "I figured you didn't want to hear it since you're _tired~~_"

"Really?" Sophie grinned with enthusiasm. "Like wha –"

He placed a long finger on her lips, causing her to hush quickly as he grinned hysterically. "You know the terms," he giggled to himself.

Sophie pouted and thought to herself, looking around the room for an idea. "Well… I don't really have any **good** jokes. Ummm… how about this? A miserable old drunk in a bar shouted out 'Remember, if this world didn't suck so much, we would probably all fall off it'. Eh?" she smiled happily.

Undertaker shook his head, walking away from her and began to put away his supplies. "I would expect better from you."

She let out a tired sigh, rubbing her head in frustration as she tried to think. "But I don't have anything you haven't already heard –"

"Then come up with some _other~_ terms of payment, _hmmm~?_" he looked up and grinned deviously at her before he walked out of the main room to put his supplies away. Figuring the Undertaker wanted to close up the shop; Sophie turned around and flipped the sign from open to closed. Suddenly getting an idea she giggled to herself quietly, looking down the hall to make sure the Undertaker was in a different room before going about her plan.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Meh. Those two directors that were written in at the beginning. I wasn't planning on talking about them again, but hey if you guys like them maybe I will… I don't care =O Anywho, that's right I'm ending it on a short little cliffhanger. You'll have to read more later… this weekend probably ^^ Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter. BYE!**

Aspis – Ancient Greek "shield"; carried by Greek infantry (hoplies); made from wood, some shields had a thin sheet of bronze on the outer face and often around the rum

Renu – Sanskrit – born of dust

Elektra – Greek – shining; amber

Aias – Greek – mourner; of the earth

_Гуднайт_ – Russian – _goodnight_


	52. The Pursuit

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: AhHah! Decided to review another chapter ^^ Maybe this will help me with my slump? I don't know… but I figured I should give you guys another chapter =3 Enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

Undertaker hummed as he pushed his glasses higher on his nose, diligently filling out forms for the council. The paperwork wasn't as difficult as it used to be, but he still wasn't thrilled about filling out forms. Not only did he have to fill out forms for the council, but he also had papers from his clients. Finally noticing how much time had gone by he looked at his watch hidden under his cloak, raising an eyebrow at the time. It was irregular for Sophie to not come by the living room to say goodnight to him. Did she sneak out again?

Deciding to finish the letter in his hands before investigating, he took out an envelope and sealed the back with melted wax. Taking out a silver crested ring he pressed it into the wax, leaving the letter on the desk to dry while he searched. Putting his glasses away and setting his black hat back atop his head, the Undertaker walked out of the living room and leered down the narrow hallway. Hearing shuffling in the main room he crept slowly down the hallway, peeking behind the curtain and peering through. "There you are," Sophie smiled as she lay sitting sideways on top of a coffin lid and stared at him with a grin on her face. "I was wondering when you would come looking for me."

The Undertaker couldn't help but giggle, noticing the suggestive look in her eyes and the outfit she casually wore on her body. She was wearing a black and thin see through cloth she draped over her body like a dress. Using a thicker black cloth, Sophie wrapped it around her chest and around the top of her thighs in a stylish manner, but much like an ancient way of wearing clothing he quickly realized. She braided her long auburn hair down to one side of her face and wore silver sandals on her feet. He saw that Sophie was wearing her mother's green ring around her neck and her angelic black and gold robe around her waist. Then he grinned as he crept towards her, a hand reaching out and brushing the side of her large black wings as the Undertaker sat down next to her. "Whatever are you doing little maiden?" he giggled at her.

"You told me to come up with something else to pay you," she smirked, "_so~_… What do you think?"

"Absolutely stunning," he chuckled, running his nails through the wings that hung delicately by her side. He smirked when she tried to hold back a shutter from his touch, knowing how sensitive Sophie really was. "What do you plan on doing in this outfit._ Seducing me~~?_"

"If you want," she shrugged as she sat up on the coffin and poked his chest. "Honestly I wanted to stretch my wings out for a while. Is that a crime?"

He shook his head and kissed her forehead, giggling as he did. "Is this what you do to get information, _hmmm~_?" he hummed against her skin.

"Only for you," she smirked, "I wouldn't do this with anyone else… well maybe Jericho, but ego tibi," she admitted with a giggle. "_And~_" Sophie said quietly as she looked at the braid in his hair and twisted it around her finger, "if you give me the information _too~_, well that kills two birds with one stone right?"

The Undertaker wrapped his hands around her waist and pulled her close, eyeing her suspiciously. "Seriously Sophia… why?"

"Didn't I just say it?" Sophie pouted. "One, I want to stretch my wings. Two, this is only for you. Three… I want your information," she grinned. "But," she sighed, "maybe this was a bad idea. I just wanted to try the outfit idea out –"

She paused as his lips brushed against hers as the Undertaker began to knead his fingers into her wings and feeling the thin skin hidden under her dark feathers. "Don't do this," he grumbled to himself.

"I hear you do this all the time," she mumbled into his ear. He paused, slowly taking his hands off of her to stare bewildered into her ingenuous crystal blue and light shinigami green eyes. "You've done this with clients right? Well… aren't I one of your clients –"

"_Yes~~_" he hushed her with a finger, "but for **you** to do these sorts of things is unnecessary. Don't do this again."

Sophie frowned, looking at the ground in shame as she scooted away from him slightly. "Then… I think I should go to bed and come up with something else –"

"We a startling development in the streets of London," he giggled to himself, hanging onto Sophie's hands as he spoke, "and you may have heard the name, the _Leather Apron_."

"Oh," Sophie smiled.

"If you plan on helping me, then you'll come across his lovely _decapitated~ victims~~_" he giggled and poked the top of her chest. "Well? Good enough for you?"

"Yeah actually," she chuckled. "Though… there is a little apprentice of mine who wants to learn about anatomy. You think he could come by and help?"

"… If he shows up then I don't mind," he smiled, happy to see the sparkle back in his little maiden's eyes, "but he's your apprentice so _your~_ responsibility."

"I know," she smiled. "He wanted to come by anyways since I've been blabbing on about how I lived at a morgue all my life." Then she leaned her head on his shoulder, letting her wings brush against his back as she closed her eyes. "Did I make you mad?" she sighed.

"No," he answered, lifting up one of her hands and kissing the top of her hand with a grin on his face. "Only thinking," he giggled to himself. "… I'm sorry for being insensitive. Perhaps the way _**I**_ was raised wasn't a way to try to raise you."

"Don't be like that," she looked up at him with a smile. "You raised me fine… Are you regretting something dad?"

"No," he chuckled, "I'm grateful to have met you Sophia."

Sophie smiled and leaned up to his face, "So am I," she giggled, placing a gentle kiss on his lips and brushed his bangs from his face. "Should I just go to bed? I was hoping to sleep in a coffin –"

"That's your game is it?" he giggled into his sleeve before his face surprisingly got softer as he leaned closer to her face. "Hmmm… since you went to _all~_ the trouble," the Undertaker said suggestively as he took a lock of her hair and twisted it around his finger, "and you still haven't had your sustenance of blood for the day, how about –"

He was quickly stopped as Sophie pressed her lips against his, forcing him to lean into her body and take her in his arms. "You don't have to explain," she smiled at him as they parted lips. "Just do it."

He chuckled and pressed their lips together, his hand pressing her head deeply into his. "I simply adore you, little maiden," he grinned. "Don't forget that."

"Yes dad," she giggled, her eyes slowly becoming mesmerized by his bright shinigami green and yellow eyes. Sophie brushed a hand over the scar on his face before she gently kissed him on the eye, her lips straying down his face and back to his lips.

The Undertaker grinned at the angelic stare in her eyes, noticing as she leaned closer to his face and kissed him close to his eye that she adored him too. As she pressed her lips against his he gripped her back tightly, running his hands down her back and pressing her chest up against his. She shuddered as he brushed by her wings again, causing him to chuckle as they parted from the kiss. "_Cold little maiden~?_" he breathed into her ear, biting down on her earlobe as her body shuddered away from him.

She mumbled as she wrapped her arms around his neck, trying to keep her body close to him. He chuckled before the muscle in his smile lightened as he pressed his lips on her neck and hugged her close. The Undertaker fussed with the light dress she wore and slipped it off her body, sighing into her neck as she shuddered and tired to hold back a moan. He slipped off his coat as Sophie knocked off his hat, taking care of the locket around his side as he set it down gently beside them. Sophie took off his beads and threw them to the side, moaning as her breasts were squished up against his firm chest. She pressed her lips into his and he stuck his tongue into her mouth, exploring the inside of her sweet mouth and grinning as she continued to moan and groan by his touches.

He slipped his hand under her dress and untied the cloth off the back of her neck, letting the dress fall down her body and land on their knees. The Undertaker grabbed her and wrapped her knees around his waist, setting her down on his lap as he ran his hands all over her. He cuffed her breast with one hand and pressed his hand between her thighs with the other, stroking both of them in a circular motion. Sophie let go of his lips and groaned, raising her back to him and bending her body back on his knees. He giggled at her submission to him, setting her body down on the coffin they were sitting on and climbing on top of her. Rubbing his hands back and forth on her skin he leaned his mouth to her other breast, licking the little nub before he began to suck. Sophie gasped as she closed her eyes tightly, letting him take her body as he enjoyed the sounds she was making under him.

She groaned and wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing his crotch between her legs and rubbing her body up to him. He stopped and groaned, not expecting the sensation going up his spine as he looked up at her and chuckled. "_My, my~_ aren't we forceful?"

"D-dad," she let out a breath and sighed, looking up at him as she panted. "H-how do you do this to me?" she asked him, letting her body fall back to the coffin as she laid there limp before him.

He smiled as he leaned into her face, giving her a kiss on the lips as she looked back up at him. "I seem to have a knack for controlling people," Undertaker giggled until his voice got quiet and he whispered quietly to her. "Don't ever change on me little maiden."

"I won't," she smiled to him, arching her back and gasping as he ran his hands through her wings. He groaned as he heard her gasp in delight, running a hand down her chest and down along her thighs.

Then she yelped in confusion as he flipped her body over, her wings fanning out behind her and brushing up at Undertaker's face. "This may feel weird," he told her in a whisper as he ran a hand down her back, "but let me take care of it."

Sophie gasped in surprise as he ran his face through her wings, kissing it gently as his hand trailed down the other wing. He combed his fingers through her feathers, an electric sensation running down Sophie's spine and causing her to yell with pleasure. "U-undertaker!" she gasped as he bit down on her skin and ran his teeth through her wings, "m-my god!" she yelped. She trembled as he left her wings, kissing down her shoulder and pressing a hand on her back.

"Content?" he asked as Sophie tried to turn her head and nod. Then he flipped her back over and picked her up, letting her wrap her arms around his neck as he walked into the living room. Opening up the coffin that laid in the middle of the room, he set her down inside first before following in after her. Then he wrapped his hands around her body, shifting their weight so they were both comfortable in the coffin. He closed the lid behind them, concealing them in the darkness. He ran his fingers through her wings as Sophie leaned up to his chest, biting down and causing crimson to flow from the cut. He chuckled and then sighed, letting her suck on his chest as they slowly went to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie hummed to herself as she finished sewing up a body, scratching excess glop on her hands as she went to the kitchen to wash her hands. "Oh Undertaker," she said as she wiped her hands dry on a rag, "what time is it?"

"Around noon I think," the Undertaker shrugged as he left the room and walked into the main room. "Why little maiden?"

"Only wondering," she shrugged as she followed behind him into the room. "I just know that –" Then she paused, hearing the doorbell open and two tall men in uniforms and big hats come walking in.

"Is this the Undertaker's residence?" one of them asked sternly.

"_Hehe~ he~_" he giggled as he grinned widely and jumped over in one bound at the men. They jump back suddenly at his actions, getting an eye roll from Sophie as she sat down on a random coffin and eyed them suspiciously. "A group of Basset Hounds come to do the Queen's work, _hmmm~?_" he giggled at the glares from the two of them.

"No," one of them huffed, "it's involving –"

"Let me guess," Sophie sighed as she leaned her back against the wall, "a _**woman**_ died right?"

"… Who is she?" one of them pointed, but the other man shook his head and set his arm down.

"My little… _wifie~_" he giggled to himself as he leered over the man who asked the question. The man gulped as the Undertaker sneered before straightening out and staring at the other man through his silver bangs. "Do you want to see how it feels to sleep in my custom-made coffin _as the last time~?_" he giggled into his sleeve.

"N-no thank you," the man huffed and straightened out his uniform. "We're here with another body from… ummm –"

"Wow what a dolt," Sophie shook her head with her arms crossed over her chest. "Just get on with it," she growled and stared sternly at him.

The other man glared back at her, flinching back when a black robe fluttered in front of his face and made his way over to the woman sitting on the coffin. "You must excuse her," the Undertaker explained, "she has a low tolerance for _obtuse~ _people."He giggled as he wrapped an arm around Sophie and pulled her close, while she only looked away and mumbled something to herself about how the man is an idiot.

"Madman," the policeman mumbled under his breath low enough for the Undertaker to not hear, or so he thought. "Anyways," he began again, "our business is that a body of a young woman has been found along Buck's Row. Since you are a renowned mortician in London, we were wondering if you could examine the body for us."

"Of course," he grinned, "but I expect_ payment~_"

"Oh?" the other policeman that had shied away to the door stood forward. "I have some coins –"

"I do not _**need~**_ the Queen's money!" the Undertaker jumped up and grinned, grinning widely several inches from his face. "What I require is _first rate laugh~~_" he swung his arms around his body and giggled madly to himself.

Sophie couldn't help but snicker, the Undertaker's grin widening as he heard her laugh from the corner of the room. "While you do that I'm going to go out back and bury our current guests," she winked at them, jumping off of the coffin and walking back the curtain and down the hall. The policemen blushed until they noticed the Undertaker's blank glare, coughing into their hand or rubbing the back of their head nervously.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Alistair looked behind him as he took off in the streets, running through alley ways till he came upon the destination he was looking for. He looked down at the map in his hand, looking around hesitantly till he round a corner and gasped in shock. He blinked mesmerized for a few moments, a smile appearing on his face as he pressed his small hands on the large old gate and slowly opened it. He flinched as he heard it creak, being extra careful to not make a sound as he opened the door and walked inside. He closed the gate behind him and skipped up the dirt road, looking around as he glanced at the gravestones along the road. Then he stopped, noticing a tall figure dressed in a long black trench coat with a large black cowboy hat digging down into the earth below. "…Те-тушка?" he asked, flinching as the woman looked down and over at him.

"Oh Alistair," she grinned deviously as she went back to digging, "I was wondering when you would make your way here. Do your parents know where you are?"

"N-no," he shook his head hesitantly as he walked up the road and stood by her, "but I they know I'm in the city –"

"Well that's not good," she sighed as she slammed her shovel in the dirt and wiped her brow. "This is a huge city Al. They could think you're lost if you're not back in a few hours… by the way how **did** you find this place?"

"I asked Auntie Grell," he smiled, "and he gave me directions… but it took me longer then I thought to find this place –"

"Yeah," Sophie chuckled to herself as she picked up her shovel and began to dig again, "his directions aren't the best. Mostly 'take a left by the hot man on the corner next to the coffee shop,' or something like that. Hey since you're here go grab a shovel and help me."

"S-sure," he said as he set his bag down on the ground and looked around. "… Where Тетушка?"

"See the building down there?" she pointed in the direction of the mortuary. "There's a shed that is full of shovels and other things. I bet you there's one your size if you just look."

"O-okay," Alistair nodded, running down the hill as quickly as he could so he wouldn't feel like a bother. Looking up at the building he gasped, captivated by the cobwebs in the corners and the rotting wood. This was **definitely** not like the graveyards back home, but he was certainly excited to get started around here. Turning around and noticing the half-opened door behind him, Alistair opened it all the way and looked inside. He glanced around confused, the shovels thrown carelessly in the shed and much too big for his hands to carry let alone use.

Suddenly he froze, seeing a long black sleeve go past his face and brush against his cheek. He quickly spun around and let out a frightened yelp, the older man giggling as his sleeve retreated back against his body. "You're standing in my way _boy~_" Undertaker grinned at him from behind his long silver hair. Alistair nodded and slowly shifted away from the door, walking him awestruck as the mortician reached in and grabbed a shovel. Then he walked past Alistair with the shovel in his hand, skipping down the road as he did.

Alistair shrugged off the startled feeling in his stomach and coughed to himself, peering back into the shed to find a shovel. Glancing around for a while he finally noticed a shovel that looked to be his height, but it was on top of a shelf in the corner. He gulped and walked into the shed, climbing on the unstable rocks and stray wood pieces till he got to the top, his hand still a few inches out of his reach. Instantly he let out a yelp, crashing down into the chaotic pile below. Alistair groaned in confusion, looking around as he lay stuck in a broken bucket. Stumbling out of the shed he wiped the dust off of his coat, looking around confused as he heard an eerie giggle coming from the door. "Little Alistair Alexander Engjëll, do you need assistance?" the Undertaker asked as he chuckled, leaning over his small frame as he grabbed the shovel that was too far from Alistair's reach and brought it down from its corner in the shed.

"Y-yes sir," he gulped as the Undertaker leaned the shovel in Alistair's hand. "How do you know –"

"Your name?" the Undertaker finished him as he giggled into his sleeve. Then he threw his shovel over his shoulder, eyeing him from behind his bangs as he began to walk up the dirt road. "You look like your father," he said simply, causing Alistair to blink in shock and stand baffled by his words. Alistair was snapped out of his thoughts as he let out a hearty cough, shaking his head as he grabbed the shovel and ran up the hill to catch up with the strange man.

Sophie looked up from her work and shook her head, chuckling to herself as she almost finished clearing the dirt away. "About time you get here," she smirked as she threw the dirt above her head and out of the hole in the ground.

"Sorry love," the Undertaker grinned as he walked over to a plot of land next to the one Sophie was digging in and began to dig into the earth. "Little Engjëll couldn't reach a shovel," he chuckled lightly.

"Oh," Sophie paused before she shrugged and continued to dig. "Hey Al."

"Y-es Тетушка?" Alistair called into the hole Sophie was in.

"Go help Undertaker," she told him, "and after we dig in these plots and bury our company for good I'll show you the new decapitated guests we have. Alright?"

"Okay," he smiled, skipping over to the Undertaker and dug on the other side of him. Alistair looked up at the Undertaker in slight awe, quickly looking back at the ground as he noticed the older man glance down at him and his grin widened ten-fold.

!#$%^&*()

"Hi Ahe," Sophie smiled as a small black kitten jumped onto her lap, purring contently as she curled up on Sophie's lap to go to sleep. She grabbed the beaker next to her and sipped on the warm liquid, looking over at Undertaker and Alistair as they were leaning over a coffin.

"S-so this woman was sawed in half?" Alistair gasped in wonderment as he pushed up his body with his arms on the side of the coffin and leaned into the coffin.

"Chopped up nice and clean," the Undertaker giggled at the boy next to him. "How does it feel to clean her up for her _big day~_?"

"Fun!" Alistair cheered as he leaned back and set his feet on the ground, "but I was wondering… what are you? Shinigami? Human? Demon?"

"_Al~~_" Sophie shook her head as she set the beaker down on a table next to her. "I thought I told you –"

"So you're a shinigami?" Alistair smiled happily as he looked up at the Undertaker. "Oh I get it! You're Тетушка papa correct?"

"Father," the Undertaker corrected him, "but you are right. I am _the_ Undertaker little boy."

Alistair just blinked in confusion, looking over to Sophie who was chuckling at his confusion. "Ummm, Undertaker he doesn't know about the legendary shinigamis yet."

"You don't even know about me?" Undertaker pouted as he picked up the coffin lid and closed the coffin shut. "You're a horrid teacher little maiden," he quivered his bottom lip.

"Hey don't be like that," Sophie giggled at him. "Would it be better to be thought of as a member of the family then simply a renowned individual?"

"Family?" Undertaker raised an eyebrow as he wandered over to where Sophie was sitting and plopped down next to her.

"Тетушка Sophia is my auntie," Alistair explained with an enthusiastic smile on his face, "and that would make you… my ummm…"

"Дядька," Undertaker told him.

"Uncle?" Alistair tilted his head to the side and looked at them confused, "but if he's your father then –"

"Your Тетушка is also my wife," the Undertaker giggled as he nuzzled his nose in Sophie's neck. "So I am you're Дядька."

"_Daaaaddd~_" Sophie rolled her eyes, "that's only because **you** said it when I was giving an alias. Geeze!"

"I think I get it," Alistair thought to himself. "You call yourself wife so you can live here without anyone suspecting something… right?"

"Ummm… yeah I guess," she shrugged. "Plus a sign of respect is to call your parents' friends aunt and uncle anyways... By the way, how are you feeling?"

"Alright," Alistair shrugged as he sat down on the coffin across from them and looked over at the Undertaker suspiciously, "but should we be talking about something so private –"

"Al what are you talking about?" Sophie shook her head and chuckled. "_My~_… seriously are you alright? Is the thorns of death under control?"

"Y-yes Тетушка," he nodded, "b-but I guess if we're talking about it… my heart has been hurting since you left." Alistair frowned as he rubbed his chest uncomfortably.

Undertaker looked over at Sophie and eyed her, never having heard of this little boy's disease. Sophie sighed and sat the kitten down on Undertaker's lap, holding out her arms for Alistair as he stood up and eagerly sat down on her lap. "It's alright," she cooed, running a hand through his short dirty blonde hair. "Do you want me to heal you again?"

"I-if you won't mind Тетушка," he looked up at the woman smiling down at him, unable to hold back a soft smile on his own face. Sophie looked over at Undertaker before she looked back down at Alistair, pressing her hands around his chest and setting her head down on his shoulder. Alistair closed his eyes with Sophie as he rested his head against Sophie's protective chest, feeling a gentle surge of energy flowing through him.

Undertaker looked over at Sophie as he saw a white light coming from her hands, the glow flowing through the little boy's small frame and brightening him up like a fog light. He leaned over and pressed a hand against Sophie's, her eyes opening up as she was startled by the hand upon her own. "You need to explain to me," the Undertaker began as he kept his hand pressed against her own and leaned into her ear, "why you're doing this."

Sophie blinked before she let out a hefty sighed, her hands going back to normal as Alistair let out a tired huff and looked up at Sophie. "Т-tетушка?" he asked her confused.

She smiled at him and ran her fingers through his hair, causing Alistair to sink further in Sophie's embrace and close his eyes contently. "We ran into a problem back in America," she began to explain as she let another sigh escape her lips. "You know I have always loved Alex and Rose's kids. They're like my own kin alright? Well… there was this demon and one thing led to another… We were in the Grand Canyon at the time. I came just in time to save Veronica and Alistair before they died, but when I killed the demon he… his soul…" She bit down on her bottom lip, looking down at the boy in her arms and hugging him securely in her arms.

"Really?" Undertaker paused as he looked down at the boy. He ran his fingers through Alistair's hair, a smirk appearing on his face as he chuckled to himself. "What a strong boy."

"Yeah," Sophie nodded to him as she leaned over and set her head on his shoulder. "He is… I can't believe I let it happen to him though. At least with Alex I could take out the record from his heart because it was my own, but this demon's… I've been trying to come up with a way but I have nothing," she sighed.

She blinked with puzzlement as the Undertaker tilted up her chin, leaning down and pressing his mouth against her soft lips. "Don't overexert yourself," he told her with a grin, "You'll end up in trouble agai –"

"Alistair?" a voice came from the door, Rose walking in with Sasha tightly gripping her hand. "Oh there you are!" she gasped, rushing over to Sophie and running a gentle hand through Alistair's hair. Then she looked over at Sophie with a smile, putting a sheet of paper in her hand into her pocket. "I'm sorry if my son was a bother," Rose began, "but he took off this morning and I didn't know he had left till this afternoon. Luckily Miss Grell told us where he went, but I couldn't help but be worried –"

"You don't have to be sorry," Undertaker held up a hand to her. "A mother has a right to be protective of her children."

"Дa-а," she nodded, grabbing Alistair from Sophie's arms and carrying him against her chest. "So… this is your father Sophia?"

"Yep," Sophie chuckled at her. "The one and only Undertaker."

"It's a pleasure to meet you sir," Rose smiled as she opened up her free hand to shake his own. "My son can be a handful when it comes to bodies –"

"Был никаких проблемbовсем," he giggled, stunning Rose that he knew her native tongue, "right wife?"

"Right," Sophie sighed. "Oh! Tell Jericho I'll be back into work by the first. In the meantime Alistair can come over to help. We're still swamped with customers because of the unthawing of the season."

"Okay," Rose smiled as she gripped Sasha's hand. "I'll keep that in mind. Now I need to go back home. It's about time for these two little boogers to go to sleep." Sophie chuckled and waved to them as they left, Sasha looking over at the Undertaker before gulping to herself and rushing after her mother.

"… You want to return to work so soon?" Undertaker asked as he stood up and walked over to the door as he began to close up the shop.

"Dad I just want to get back to work," she sighed, "and I should keep a better eye on Grell… he seems to be hacking up his victims more violently, well more violently in **Grell's** case. I wonder why." Undertaker nodded as he grabbed the tea pot and the beaker, walking out of the main room and into the kitchen. Sophie paused and ran after him, swinging her arms around his waist protectively. "I'm not trying to leave you!" she yelped, "Don't be cold!"

"Little maiden…" he chuckled, setting the dishes down in the sink and grabbing her shoulders, "I didn't think you were."

"Well… you're being quiet and I don't like it," she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just tell me your feelings, will you?"

"Alright," Undertaker grinned as he kissed her on the forehead and went back to work, "I will." Sophie giggled when the Undertaker turned around and grabbed her body, swinging her out of the kitchen and into the bedroom.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Wow… I've been writing a bunch of fluffy glop haven't I? ^^' Oh well. You guys don't seem to mind it so that's alright =3 I hope you guys have enjoyed this chapter! If you have any questions or comments or just want to talk I'm here you ya'h =D BYE!**

_Дядька_ – Russian – _uncle _

_Был никаких проблем__b__овсем_ – Russian – _He was no trouble at all_


	53. The Tasks

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! Decided to review another chapter ^^ I'm starting to notice that I'm running out of chapters to upload, so I probably won't post them as frequently as before… or maybe I will! I don't know yet. I have Spring Break this upcoming week so I may end up writing a bunch of chapters and chilling =3 So… yep. That's the plan. And oh, now we're back in the office a little. I need to write more scenes there, but it can get BORING in an office… very repetitive XD ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Alex," Sophie said as she pulled out her chair and stood up, "I'm going out reaping. There are two demons in Richmond I want you to dispose of."

"Alright," he nodded, watching as Sophie stood up, swung her coat over her body, and put her hat on her head. "How's working again?"

"If you can believe it, I feel great," she chuckled as she handed him the folder. "Be careful. They're incubuses so don't go to sleep," she smirked, "Well… unless you're into that type of thing –"

"Gross!" Alex flinched back in disgust. "Don't say that again!"

Sophie giggled with a sly grin, grabbing a small book and shoving it into her messenger bag. "Now if you'll excuse me there's a jikininki I need to take care of," she huffed to herself and tied her black coat belt over her waist.

"Oh I see why you're taking that job," he smirked.

"Hey I don't like it when carnivores go after dead human bodies," she shuddered to herself. "Plus everyone else is doing something so why not? I have time," she chuckled as she gave him a quick salute with two fingers and took off down the stairs. Alex shook his head and look at the contents inside of the folder, letting out a sigh as he followed her down the stairs.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… You do you _always~_ end up with blood on your face Sophie?" Jericho laughed as Sophie smirked at him and closed his office door behind her.

"Hey a gal can't have fun with her_ victims~_?" she smirked as she slammed a stack of papers on his desk. "Here are the forms you need to sign. Is it just me or is Fiona ticked off with me?" Sophie sighed.

"She is? Why?" Jericho shrugged as he grabbed the top of the stack of papers and looked over them. "Because of the blood?"

"Well – Actually yes," she chuckled lightly as she poked her chin in thought. "Something about 'Keeping the workplace clean' or something like that. I could care less myself," she shrugged.

"Just stay out of trouble," Jericho shook his head as he chuckled. "I know how you **like** to break the rules, but don't try to for… a few more days?"

"I don't break the rules, I _bend~_ them," Sophie smirked to herself as she gave him a wave, walking out of his office and walking down the hallway. The shinigamis she passed by shuddered with fright, seeing her outfit covered in blood and grime. Sophie didn't care about staying clean and wouldn't plan on giving up on her techniques anytime soon. She hummed to herself as she skipped down the stairs, walking down to the E level where her cubical was to grab a few more forms before she walked out.

Eric looked up from his work and nodded to her, pausing once his mind registered that she was covered in blood and leaned over to chuckle at her. "Having fun Miss Serbus?" he asked with a grin on his face.

"Actually yes," she smirked back as she grabbed the book she needed to record the souls for the day before heading back out. "A few cambions, two jikininkis, and an alp. Oh god I don't want to meet **that** demon in a dark alley," she shuddered. "Now to take care of the soul's list Mr. Tyrant gave me," she waved the book in her hand before putting it into her messenger bag.

"Wow really?" Eric raised an eyebrow and looked at his watch. "It's only eleven Miss Serbus."

"Well I like to get things done asap," she tipped her hat and began to walk away. "And I don't like that proper stuff. I told you to call me Sophia," she told him, "or Sophie if you prefer."

"Okay_ Sophie~_" Eric chuckled as he spun in his chair and looked back to his papers. "Then call me Eric." Sophie nodded to him and smiled, giving him a wave as she went to the stairs and began walking down.

)(*&^%$#!

"Rough day?" Sophie smirked as she saw Alex looked over at her from the stairs and walked down the hallway to her cubical.

"Yes," he huffed harshly as he wiped the sweat from his brow. "Damn… they turned into succubuses on me. I practically fainted!"

"Hey I thought you were up for the job," she shrugged as she continued to write on the forms in front of her, "but perhaps I was _wrong~?_" she smirked at him.

"I was only taken by surprise, that's all," Alex crossed his arms over his chest and let out another huff. "Besides I took care of them –"

"While you did all that _**I~**_ took care of eighteen demons and twenty souls before lunchtime. You need to keep up your pace Alexander. You're falling behind," Sophie snickered as she finished signing forms and put them down on a stack on the edge of her desk.

"Bu –"

"What I can't be mean?" She smirked at him and punched him in the shoulder, gathering the stack of papers in her hands as she began to walk towards the stairs. "So any plans for tonight?"

"Nope," Alex shook his head as he followed behind her. "Was going to put the kids to bed and spend some time with Rose… What is Alistair doing at the mortuary anyways?"

"Having fun with decapitated bodies I suppose," she shrugged as they trudged up the stairs. "Why? Do you want him to stop going? I can pull him out if you want –"

"No," he shook his head as he grabbed a few papers off of Sophie's stack before they fell over. "I know Undertaker is being good to him. I'm not worried… just as a father I need to know what my son is doing is a suspicious place like a mortuary."

"I assure you he's doing **fine**," Sophie chuckled as they walked onto the level Sophie was looking for, "and Sasha too. I have her going to the training facilities and reading up on strategy books. You should play a game of chess with her. She may beat you," Sophie nudged him in the arm, walking over to an office with the stack of papers in her hands and skillfully opening the door with her elbow.

Alex nodded and set the papers down on the top of her stack, letting Sophie walk into the office by herself as he held the door open. "Well thanks," he smiled, "and I'll keep that in mind next time we talk," he told her, closing the door behind her so she wouldn't have to maneuver with her hands full.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Sophie will you –"

"Sorry Alex I can't," Sophie huffed as she slipped her messenger bag over her shoulder and headed for the stairs. "I have things to do –"

"But Sasha has been complaining about it **all** day," he mumbled under his breath. "Come on Sophie. We don't even know where to set up camp around here."

"… Do you have to do that today?" she huffed at him.

"They had trouble sleeping last night and I'm not going to sleep in a stuffy room again," he huffed to himself. "… Seriously –"

"I just don't feel like sleeping tonight –"

"_Sophie~_ come on –"

"No," she growled at him.

"Bu –"

"No okay! Not tonight," she grumbled under her breath. "Besides I need to go clean my weapons and make new bullets and –"

"Why didn't you say so?" Alex laughed. "We can get a fire started for you if you want. I need to teach those scamps of mine how to build a fire anyways. So? Can you?"

"… Do you know where Grell is?" she asked with a sigh.

"Not back from his mission yet?" he shrugged his shoulders.

"Nope," Sophie grumbled, "and I was hoping to talk to Grell before I went out but –"

"_You called darling~?_" Grell giggled as he walked up the stairs, walking past Alex and Sophie to set his stuff down on his desk.

"Grell just in time!" Sophie chuckled as she skipped back over to the cubicles and gave him a smile. "Listen, I still have some things to do tonight, so I won't be able to show up at the mansion tonight. Is that okay with you? Or should I call someone over –"

"No that's alright!" Grell grinned, "Great even –"

"Oump!" she stopped him by holding out her hand at him. "Wait… there's something I have to give you first."

"Oh?" he asked her questionably as she reached an arm behind her back to grab something from her back. "What would that be –"

"This," she smiled, pulling out a black feather attached to a long crimson red string from behind her back and running the feather across her face. "I give these to beings I care about, so don't lose this."

"… What is **that**?" Grell grumbled under his breath as she continued to smile and handed it to him.

"It's one of my feathers," she snickered, giggling at the surprised expression on Grell's face. "Don't worry it was going to fall out anyways," she chuckled, "but seriously keep it on your person. Its how I keep track of beings I'm trying to watch over. **Don't give it away**," she huffed at him.

"… Okay I guess," he shrugged, "but you'll have to tell me about this later."

"Yeah I know," she chuckled, "but right now I have to get going. A few more jobs till I can start cleaning my equipment – oh and Alex! If you want to set up a campsite do so over on the rocks close to the waterfall on the other side of London. About… 5 miles away I believe? I'll show up later, but make a big enough fire for three pots," she smiled to him.

"Can do Boss," he saluted her, giving them a wave as he made his way back up the stairs.

"Sophie…" Grell said with a concerned tone in his voice.

"What?" she turned back to him with a confused expression on her face.

"**What** are you talking about –"

"Nothing Grell!" she chuckled, "Nothing at all! Now if you'll excuse me I have to get everything done."

"But –" He huffed, reaching out his hand to her, but Sophie was too quick and didn't notice as she took off down the stairs. Then Grell mumbled under his breath and shook his head, slamming his head into his desk as he sat down.

William opened his office door and set a stack of papers on Alan's desk, raising an eyebrow as he noticed Grell grumbling under his breath and mumbling something about Sophie not telling him _**anything~**_. "Mr. Sutcliff," he sighed as he grabbed a different stack of papers from Alan's desk, "Is something bothering you?"

"Oh Will," Grell looked up stunned and ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't notice you," he chuckled lightly before letting out a tired sigh. "I'm fine," he grinned at William, though Grell was completely faking the wide grin on his face, "_Completely fine~!_"

"… Can you come to my office Mr. Sutcliff?" William asked him sternly, turning around and walking back into his office. Grell raised an eyebrow and followed after him, walking into the room and watching as William set the papers down on the desk. "Close the door," he ordered, Grell slowly closing the door behind him.

"_Ooohh~~?_ Want your way with me _Mr. Spears~_?" Grell grinned, walking around the desk to wrap his arms around William's shoulders.

"No," William said roughly, glaring at Grell as he began to walk around the desk. "What is wrong Grell?"

"Wrong?" He blinked confused, pausing and retreated back to the front of William's desk.

"Don't act toy with me Grell," William sighed as he tilted his glasses higher on his head. "I can tell when someone is lying to my Sutcliff. So what's the matter? Did I anger you again?"

"You? Oh no!" Grell laughed as he sat down in a chair and crossed one leg over the other. "Not at all!... Why should I tell **you**?" he huffed suddenly, his eyes glaring into William's own.

William blinked confused for a few seconds before he coughed to himself, looking away and fiddling with his glasses again. "Then what?"

"… I don't see why I should tell you," Grell sighed as he slumped a little in the chair and looked over to William's bookshelf. The only thing that caught his eye was the shiny metal buckle, but barely seeing the markings clear enough to pay any real attention to it. "You wouldn't care anyways –"

"I will have you know that I do," William told him, "and if someone has hurt you then I will personally deal with it." Then he ran a hand through his slicked back hair, a stray black hair falling away from his neatly kept face.

Grell quickly noticed this, knowing every little habit William had and could tell that he was concerned since he ran his fingers through his hair. "Sophia," he answered him simply, keeping his eyes on the white wall as William looked up from his paperwork. "She's been… different? I don't know," he sighed.

"… Did you talk to her?" he asked, resuming signing forms and setting them off to the side.

"Nope," Grell shook his head, "because I just realized it… William I think she has a lot on her plate right now," he tried to explain.

"Like what?" William asked.

"… She's different then you and I," Grell grumbled under his breath with his arms crossed over his chest, "and I don't want to see her get hurt. She's exhausting herself; I have been seeing it ever since I met her… Could you let her rest perhaps? Hold back on the workload?" Then he chuckled, "I know this is a stupid request, but if she gets hurt again I don't know how I'll be able to handle it –"

"Grell," William interrupted him as he looked up from his papers before resuming signing forms, "Miss Serbus is the one who is asking for the heavy workload. I actually told her I'm going to suspend the amount of names on her soul's list because of her time in the infirmary, but when I did that she took on more work concerning demons. So I think it will be best to let her be, okay?"

"Oh…" Grell blinked in confusion as his eyes wandered to the floor. Then he looked up at William and grinned, giggling to himself as he stood up out of the chair. "_Well~_ how about you push her off of her high horse a little? She needs someone to yell at every once in a while," he winked at him and reached for the door handle.

"Grell," William called at to him as he continued to sign papers.

"_Yes Will~iam~~?_" he giggled at him.

"Thanks for telling me," he looked up and gave Grell as smile before quickly going back to writing on forms again. Grell's porcelain white cheeks quickly turned red, the red-headed shinigami placing a hand over his face as he closed the door behind him.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie hummed to herself as she sharpened her long, black death scythe against a spinning rock, wiping the wet from her brow as she stopped the wheel with her foot and took out her water skin to drink from. Then she resumed again, humming again as the wheel turned round and round and sharpened her scythe to a razor-sharp point. "Thank you for letting me do this myself," she sighed, continuing to hum as she kept the wheel turning.

"You're welcome Serbus," a shinigami chuckled as he grabbed a chisel from a shelf and began to walk out of the room. "I didn't know you knew how to sharpen weapons."

"I know how to keep my weapons neat and clean Lucas," she smirked as she looked back down at the weapon in her hand and kept her focus on sharpening the blade. "I wouldn't be a very good reaper if I didn't know how to sharpen my own tools."

"_Ahhh~_" he smirked, giving her a nod as he began to leave the room. "Oh!" Lucas suddenly remembered, "I was wondering if I could have you go over the new designs for death scythes. Since your department will need to make sure they can cut cleanly through demons."

"Of course. I'll find some time and ask you for the samples later," Sophie told him without halting her work. "I'll close everything up when I leave tonight."

"Alright," he nodded before he left the room. "Don't stay up too long Serbus," Lucas chuckled, closing the door behind him and leaving Sophie alone in the dark. The only thing lit in the room was a few candles on the table Sophie was working at and the clash of stone to metal as Sophie spun the stone wheel. She let out a tired huff, wiping the sweat from her brow before continuing again. It was hard work, but she would rather work her tools with her **own** hands then have someone else do it. She didn't know where she got that attitude from, but it helped her make sure her tools were at their best every time she went out to reap.

Sophie let out a sudden yelp, her pinky finger scraping against the stone as she flinched forward in fright. "Shit!" she growled, bringing up her hand to her face so she could see the few layers of skin peeling off of her finger. "Damn it Jay," she grumbled under her breath as she looked behind her.

Jericho smiled as he let go of her shoulder, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down next to her. "I didn't hurt you, did I my lovely flower?"

"A bit," she glared at him and kissed her painful pinky, "but I'll live –"

He gently grabbed her hand and looked down at the scab he had caused, bringing her hand up to his face and gently kissing the blood dripping down her finger. Sophie flinched at she felt his lips on her finger, his mouth opening up as he licked the blood off of her finger and grinned at her. "I'm sorry," Jericho smiled as he kissed her finger one last time before letting go of her hand. "So what's the plan?"

"The plan?" Sophie chuckled as she went back to sharpening her scythe. "Well I'm almost finished with this scythe. Then I'll clean out my guns. I hope they're not getting rusty on me," she sighed. "I'm going to go camp with the Engjëlls and anyone else they may have invited… and make my _specialized~_ bullets and pills. Why?"

"I was hoping to spend the night with you," he chuckled to himself as he put a hand on the top of her thigh. "I don't want you passing out on me. I can tell you're starting to get stressed again so I figured I should keep you company tonight."

"… You're just saying that because I'm not at the Undertaker's right now," she smirked as she stopped spinning the wheel and looked at her scythe. Poking the top of her finger gently and running her finger over the blade, she smirked and let the death scythe vanish into her black haze. Then she got up and grabbed her guns out of her holster, putting them on the nearby table and un-cocked the guns. She grabbed the cleaning supplies next to her and began to clean them, pushing Jericho's hand away as he grabbed for the other gun that was sitting down on the table.

Jericho stood up and wrapped his arms around Sophie's waist, cuddling her as she mindlessly cleaned her weapons. "You love me right?"

"Of course I do," Sophie chuckled to herself, "but don't touch my stuff without my permission," she huffed at him.

He chuckled and kissed her shoulder, "I love you too." Then Jericho sat back down and watched as she cleaned her weapons, smirking as he thought silently to himself.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Тетушка can I try it now?" Alistair asked as he leaned closer to the fire to warm up his hands.

"Of course love," Sophie chuckled as she turned the ladle in her hands and tasted the soup in the pot before letting him take a sip. "What do you think?"

"Not as bitter as it usually is," Alistair grinned happily.

"Hey why can't I have some?" Sasha huffed as she pouted on the other side of the log.

"Because you're not sick," Alistair stuck out his tongue, looking up at Sophie as she walked back over to the fire and continued with her work. Sasha grumbled under her breath and crossed her arms over her chest, kicking up the dirt a little with fury for being left out.

"Don't worry about it little Sasha," Ben told her as he chewed on a strip of jerky. "It's better to not have to try the liquid anyways. It shows you're sick or dying." Sasha only shook her head continued to grumble, her voice slowly getting quiet as she began to look at Sophie in awe as she held her hands over the two pots next to her hands and muttered an enchantment under her breath. Then she touched the liquid in both pots with her finger, the water glowing bright as Alistair and Sasha let out gasps of astonishment.

Sophie giggled to herself when she heard the gasps behind her, grabbing capsules pills out and filling up every individual pill. Ben walked over to help her, Jericho appearing from the other side of the fire to hold out the bag for her. Jericho looked at her as Sophie and Ben filled up the pills, making sure his hands didn't glaze the pills as they placed them in the bag. Then another, and then another. Eventually the bags were all filled, Jericho putting them down in Sophie's messenger bag as she went back to the other pot and pulled out a canister full of silver handmade bullets. She hummed to herself as she poured the hot liquid into the bullets, closing them up with her black haze and setting them back into the canister. "Thank god I had enough of these to last me," Sophie chuckled as she worked as fast as she could to fill up the canister with several thousand bullets. Then she handed the bag to Jericho and he set it down in her bag, guarding it by his side as she picked up the pot and poured it off to the side. Everyone watched as a few plants and an enormous tree suddenly grew out of the ground, the tree bearing fresh fruit for them to eat as a way of thanking them. "Thank you," she smiled as she plucked a peach from the tree, munching on the juicy fruit as she grabbed the other pot full of medicine and poured it into the last remaining pot at the end.

Jericho helped Sophie pick up the pot and place it in the middle of the fire, the flames engulfing the pot and boiling up the stew inside. "I'll take care of that now," Rose said, grabbing the ladle from Sophie's hand and turning the food inside. Sophie chuckled and planted a kiss on Rose's cheek, grabbing Jericho's hand and sitting down next to him on the other side of the fire.

"I miss this," Theodora sighed as she looked up to the stars with Lewis sitting next to her.

"Yeah… it's not the same as back home though," Lewis told her as he looked over to his younger sister with a smile on his face, nudging her in the arm and causing her to giggle. "Like anyone yet?"

"Nope," Dora shook her head. "Well… no," she sighed to herself, "No one interests me **here**."

"Try looking around," Sophie chuckled as she set her hat down on the log next to her and wrapped her arms around Jericho's arm. "Sometimes love is the last place you look."

"No kidding," Jericho chuckled, nuzzling their noses together before Sophie let out a sigh and set her head against Jericho's arm. "Tired?"

"I don't know…" Sophie shrugged, watching the fire as Alex sat down next to his kids and began tickling them. The others chuckled at the children's giggles, Jericho and Sophie looking at each other with smiles on their faces before they got comfortable against each other again.

!#$%^&*()

Jericho sat down as he munched on a peach in his hand, glancing over at Sophie as she watched the flames roar as it slowly died down. "Sophie?" he asked, frowning when she didn't respond to him and instead watched the flames intently. "Sophia?" he sighed as he finished the peach in his mouth and wrapped his arms around Sophie.

She body flinched by his touch, but she continued to stare into the fiery pits of the campfire. "… Have you ever been to hell Black Blood?" she asked quietly, low enough for the others around them to not hear her, but enough for Jericho to hear her. "A place of fiery hellfire and frozen with blood and guilt. Where the sinful reside to be tormented to the ends of eternity, inflicted with a never ending cycle of suffering and pain. You know it wasn't always just for the sinful," she chuckled to herself, "but for death too. The dead would go there after their life was done until… You don't even understand why I am here do you? I honestly don't either Shezmu. I just want to be good and not a sin… but how can I when every attempt I make to the divine is struck down by those from above? Just… how can I live on in this world when I'm always being cast aside and put on a pedestal to be made an example of? How Shez –"

"Sophia this isn't you," he said sternly, wrapping his arms protectively and shook her body against his chest. "I know you hate Hell. I… I made a promise to keep you here and I don't plan on letting you leave me. You understand that spirit? I am not doing this for you, but for Sophia… the other soul inside this body. P-please don't do this to me… I can't live with myself if you cast her away because you want to become a being of Hell again. Just… just let me be with her, whatever you are."

"Jay…" she said quietly to herself, grabbing hold of his arms tightly and putting an arm up closer to her face as she tried to hide away the tears that began to streak her face. "I-I'm sorry –"

"Don't be," he answered her quietly as he rocked her body back and forth. "Don't be… I love you too much for you to be cast into hell by that spirit in you. Now," he smiled as he turned her face around so she looking up at the gleeful grin on his face, "how about we get to sleep ma fleur?"

Sophie smiled and nuzzled his face with her nose, giggling to herself as they looked over at the fire till the burning wood all turned to ash. "You know me too well," she sighed, wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him with her head buried into his chest. Jericho chuckled and kissed her forehead, picking her up and setting her down on a large blanket.

He continued to smile as he wrapped the blanket around their bodies, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her towards him. "Which makes me wonder what would happen to you if you didn't have me around," he chuckled, getting another giggle out of Sophie as he kissed her neck and then her lips. Then they both let out a tired sigh at the same time, cuddling up with each other for warmth as they both tried to fall asleep. Luckily for Sophie she was tired enough to quickly get to sleep, but unfortunately for Jericho he could feel a familiar presence from the woods keeping him awake.

After what seemed like hours the figure walked out of the woods, holding his long sleeves up to his face as he crept towards the sleeping couple. Grabbing a peach from the tree that rooted up from Sophie's energy, he sat down on a log and giggled quietly as he munched on the peach. "_Trouble sleeping young Shezmu~_" he giggled, as juice dripped down his face and coated his black coat.

"… Yes," Jericho grumbled under his breath as he shifted his weight to look at the man wearily. "No thanks to –" he quickly paused, coughing to stop himself before he said anything insulting.

The Undertaker giggled at the boy's sudden pause, rolling down from the log he sat upon and onto the blanket the two shinigamis were curled up in. "I had a _horrid~_ time finding little maiden. I thought she was going to sleep over with Miss Grell, but I guess I was wrong _hmmm~?_" he grinned at him, munching down on the peach and hovering over Jericho's face.

Jericho grumbled as he wiped the peach juice from his face, staring at him tiredly and wishing to just go to sleep. "Could you tell me what you're doing here sir?" he asked the Undertaker, snuggling his head around the top of Sophie's head as he smacked his lips sleepily.

"Sophia," he said sternly, causing Jericho to stop grasping her tightly. "I still have to give her _energy~ boy~~_" he grinned, giggling to himself as Jericho shuddered at the eerie tone in his voice.

"Oh…" Jericho paused, looking at him confused as he sighed and shifted away from Sophie's grasp to let her go. "You're her father after all… but be quiet."

"I'll be as quiet as the little maiden is," the Undertaker grinned deviously, pulling back the covers and throwing them over Jericho's face. Jericho let out a grunt as he threw the blanket over to the side, glaring at the Undertaker as he only laughed at him. Then the Undertaker paused, staring down at the sleeping form of Sophie. He smiled, brushing a finger through her long auburn hair as she breathed silently to herself. "Like when she was a child," he chuckled lightly; Jericho looking over at him as he sat up on the edge of the blanket watching them.

Undertaker leaned into her face and gently kissed her lips, Sophie groaning a little in her sleep as he pressed his body against the top of Sophie's. He grinned at he pulled away, looking over at Jericho and then back as Sophie as he trailed his hands down her body and wrapped his hands around her body. Then he licked her neck before biting into a vain, Sophie let out a sudden gasp as she was muffled out by the Undertaker's sleeve. She shuddered underneath him, her eyes not opening as she laid fast asleep in a dream. He grinned once his mouth pulled away from her neck and he lick her blood, the wound quickly healing, but turning into a purple bruise as he pressed his thumb into the damaged skin. Jericho winced, watching as he tormented her in her sleep; while the Undertaker kissed the bruise he had made and chuckled lightly to himself. "Perhaps you should have told me where she was **first**,_ eh Jericho~?_" the Undertaker grinned at him, getting a glare from Jericho as he could only watch.

The Undertaker removed his hand from her mouth as she lay on the blanket breathless. He rolled down his sleeve and looked at his hand, seeing blood trailing down the palm of his hand. Jericho smirked, mentally cheering Sophie on as she fought back the man in her sleep. Then Jericho frowned, hearing soft, quiet words coming forth from Sophie's mouth. "U-under-tt-taker," she groaned in her sleep, gripping the man's sleeve and trying to curl up in his coat.

Undertaker giggled, at Jericho's ticked off face and Sophie's words as he leaned into her face and kissed her forehead. "A good little maiden you are," he whispered into her ear, chuckling as he lifted his body from her slightly and exposed the hand that was bleeding. He lapsed up the blood with his tongue, grinning at Jericho before turning his gaze back to Sophie. He kissed Sophie's lips gently; reminisce of his blood coating her lips. She opened her mouth and licked the blood off of her lips, smiling to herself as she shifted comfortably in her sleep. Undertaker grabbed the peach he still had under his sleeve and munched the rest of it into his mouth. Then he pressed his mouth into Sophie's, forcing his tongue into her mouth as he held her head and body still with his hands and the weight of his body on top of her. He bit down on the bottom of his lip and forced the liquid to flow down into Sophie's mouth, the sleeping shinigami under him groaning in her sleep and forcefully drinking down the juice and blood. He let go of her mouth, pressing his hands against her cheeks and smiling down at her with affection. Sophie gasped as his lips left hers, leaving them open as she licked her lips looking for the sweet taste of blood to come back on her mouth.

Jericho looked at the two of them, a confused, but yet, a marveled look on his face as he saw the affection in the Undertaker's features. If he had been able to see his eyes he would see the Undertaker's shinigami green eyes sparking intensely at the sight of his flushed maiden. Greeting Sophie's lips yet again he kissed her, levitating the top of her body off of the ground as he gave her a gentle kiss. He pecked her lips one last time, slowly letting go of Sophie as he sat up on his legs and jumped backward onto the log behind him. "_Don't tell a soul_," the Undertaker grinned as he held a finger up to his lips and shushed him, "_It's our~ little secret boy_." Jericho gulped and nodded, the Undertaker grinning as he stood up and swiftly left him in peace. Jericho looked down at Sophie and frowned, noticing the cheerful smile that lingered on her face. He wrapped his arms around Sophie protectively and hugged her close to his chest, rocking back and forth as he let out a tired sigh. He grabbed the blanket that had been thrown off of them and covered them up again, closing his eyes as he kept Sophie head pressed against his chest.

"He's testing you, you know," Jericho heard from the other side of the campsite, looking up wearily at the voice till he put his head back down on the blanket.

"I know Alex," he grumbled under his breath, "I know…"

"Won't you do something?" Alex asked, brushing a hand through Rose's light blonde hair, "because if someone did **that** to my love I would kill him… and I think Sophie would do the same thing too."

"Yes well," Jericho sighed, "I don't know what to do. He's her father after all –"

"But not a lover," Alex huffed. "Man up Jericho. That's why Sophie started having doubts about you. You can't hold yourself when you're feeling intimidated around a bunch of Gods of Death."

"So what should I do?" he shrugged.

"It doesn't matter to Sophie if you can protect her or not," Alex explained, "but if you can **act** and **believe** that you can then you'll make a difference. She'd rather die than live without you, so do her the common courtesy to defend her when she's in trouble. Alright?"

"Alright Alexander," Jericho chuckled to himself. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Alex yawned, curling up close to Rose as Alistair shuffled closer to his father. Jericho let out a tired sigh as he gripped Sophie tightly; running his hands through her hair to comfort himself as he slowly went to sleep.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: I think a few of you guys were wondering why Grell was getting pissy? Where there you go. Question solved =3 Happy? Not happy?... well this was just a little filler anyways. I think I'll be getting back into the main story in the next chapter. I hope you've enjoyed it. SEE YA'H!**


	54. The Written Confession

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Jennifer © danceydancetime

**A/N: Sorry for not updating sooner! I was given a lot of things to do this week and I haven't been able to get around to going over this story. Anyways I hope you enjoy this new chapter ^^ (… there's not much else to say so ENJOY! =3)**

!#$%^&*()

Letting out a sigh, Sophie trudged up the stairs to level N and down the hallway towards her office. "Long day?" Jericho chuckled as she passed by.

"Yeah," Sophie groaned, "_long~ _and I still have to take care of a group of demons."

"Oh? You mean there's a pack of demons about to kill a human –"

"No," she shook her head as she straightened out her body and popped the muscles in her back. "It's mostly demons souls. I don't know why they're fighting, but it's a job I have to do… I guess…"

"Just demons?" Jericho looked at her questionably.

"Mostly demons with a few humans and angels thrown in," she shrugged. "I'm mostly there to supervise."

"Does the council know –"

"I hope not," she chuckled. "I have to gather the human souls, but the others I don't know."

"Oh okay," he smiled as she walked into her office to grab papers. "You're not going to fall asleep tonight huh?"

"Probably not," she smirked, "because this is a nighttime job – … god I hate this place," she grumbled under her breath.

"What's the matter now?" he chuckled as he closed the door and walked over to Sophie, wrapping his arms around her frozen coat. "My, you must be cold! Maybe someone else could do –"

"Nope this is something I have to do myself," she huffed as she pushed away from him a little so she could collect her items on the desk. "I'm just annoyed that we supposedly know _everything~_, but **yet** we have no records of angels and demons? Nothing on different breeds? I've had to collect most of my information from human books, and even then it's not enough to know everything. I don't even know if someone will show up to collect the souls. If not I'll have to do all that myself," she grumbled under her breath before letting out a heavy sigh.

"A God of Death will probably show up Sophia," Jericho chuckled as he nuzzled his nose into her neck before giving her shoulder a quick peck, "just gather the human souls. That's your job around here –"

"Well my **job** is to give and take away life: human, angel, and demon alike. Whoever I come across I have to evaluate… that's who I am Jay," she turned around in his grasp and gave him a peck on the lips, before having him let her go so she could leave. "This is an all night job, so I'll try to sleep in till eleven o'clock tomorrow –"

"Make it noon Sophie," he smirked. "I'm not going to let you pass out on me again."

"_Fine~_ noon," she shook her head as she opened her office door, "just tell Alex I won't be around for a while. He's off on a mission so I couldn't talk to him."

"Roger," Jericho saluted her, Sophie shaking her head and mumbling something about everyone being incompetent before dashing back down the stairs. Then he turned around and looked out a window, watching as the sun began to set over the horizon.

!#$%^&*()

In a small little village in the middle of nowhere there was a group of demons arguing with each other trying to use threats to get their own ways. "You can't do that!" a demon stepped forward clutching his fist. "This is our only supply of food! –"

"Now it's ours weakling," a different demon chuckled as he ran a hand through his fur, grinning at the others as he began to walk away.

"I can't stand this!" other said. "Let's kill them!" At those words a battle commenced, demons ripping up other demons and butchering them in the middle of the village. On the outskirts of the chaos demons were jumping into houses and waking up the dreamers, causing screams to be heard throughout the village that only contained about thirteen humans.

In this chaos of the demons a shadow slinked through them, making their way into the houses and silently reaping the humans inside. If the demons had noticed they would see a soft black fog as thick as death passing over them, but none of them did as they tore each other apart. The fog hovered over their heads as it made its way into other houses, taking some souls and not others. Once the black fog was done with its mission it made its way to the edge of the village, manifesting into a human form and sitting up high in the trees watching the confusion below. "Done Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, child of The Dark Centurion and heir to the Serbus fortune?"

"Of course _you~_ would say that Sheldon Beelzebub Shemal, child of Beelzebub," she chuckled lightly before letting out a tired sigh. "My job is **never** done," she mumbled sternly and quietly to herself as she gripped the long black death scythe in her hand.

"Hmmm," he huffed. "Why did you leave hell anyways? We could use your skills, you know –"

"It was my own choice and not your own," Sophie grumbled under her breath. "I wouldn't expect **you** to understand it. I was born from the darkness, but I am a creature of the light. It's more complicated than simply being a demon _Sheldon dear~_"

"Look at them," Sheldon said avoiding the statement she had made. "Pitiful earth dwellers. Killing their own kind over nourishment that is now gone because of their insolence? How foolish."

"Yep," Sophie shrugged. "What makes you any different?"

"… I am an archdemon," he huffed, "and a god of Death. It is my job to take souls of demons and send them back to hell to be either punished or sent back here. Perhaps I wipe their minds clean, perhaps I don't… it depends on how demanding the demon is," he chuckled lightly to himself.

"So," she responded, "you are a God of Death too? Huh… only demons souls?"

"Only," he shrugged.

"Get to it then," Sophie narrowed her eyes at him, "or else I'll do your job for you and I may have to destroy you if you deem to be useless." Sheldon blinked in confusion before taking off, the shinigami grinning slyly before jumping out of the tree with one step. Then she let a thin flood of black mist cast over the village, lightly coating the village as the demons killed each other and they fell to the ground to dissolve into the earth. Sophie turned around and decided to leave, seeing her job was done and her black fog would take care of any problems that may arise.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Sophia?" Alex tilted his head as he looked up, noticing a black blob on the ceiling hanging by one foot as she lazily read upside down and wrote small extra notes in a black book in her hand.

He let out a rough cough, getting Sophie's attention as she looked up from her book and looked down at him. "You ring?" she asked casually as she looked back to her book and flipped a page.

"… You didn't sleep again?" he sighed as Sophie sat up on the rebar she was hanging from and held her thumb in the book as a temporary bookmark.

She shook her head and jumped down, leaping from three stories till she landed gracefully on her feet. "Nope," she chuckled as she fixed the hat on her head, "but it gave me time to write more in my little black book. Plus I was reading back through my book from start to finish till you _interrupted~_ me."

"Sorry," he chuckled as he gave her a firm pat on the back, and then looked at his hand in disgust as cracked blood coated his hand. "You should wash that coat of yours."

"Maybe later," Sophie shrugged as she looked at her silver watch then put it away in her pocket. "So why is Alexander Agon here four hours early?"

"Oh," he sighed. "I have a lot of work to do today and I decided to just come to the office early –"

"You're not turning into William are you?" she grumbled under her breath as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"No," Alex laughed heartedly, "oh **god** no!"

"Good," she nodded to him before cracking a smile, "I would be worried for all mankind if you turned into a workaholic."

"By the way," he coughed interrupting her, "why where you hanging upside down?"

"Calculating how fast the blood flows to my head before I start getting a headache," she laughed to herself. "Actually I just needed a spot out of the way to think. I've been here since one anyways… I'm not tired yet. Hey since you're here want to talk? We can go get some tea in the cafeteria and head up to the offices."

"Sure," Alex chuckled, "but what do you need to talk about?"

"Ummm… just stuff," she grinned, turning around and avoiding eye contact as she made her way in the direction of the main cafeteria. "Come on Alex. Let's go!" she giggled. Alex shook his head and faithfully followed, eyeing her suspiciously as she head the book to her chest before setting it away in her messenger bag.

)(*&^%$#!

"You know I always found it weird that I found this book in my bag when I made it to America," Sophie chuckled lightly. "Maybe I was destined to use this?"

"Perhaps," Alex shrugged as he sat in his chair writing in forms. "At least you were using it as a… diary right?"

"_Journal~_" she shook her head, "and a place for little notes on things I saw throughout the day… ummm… can I read you some?"

Alex looked up from his work staring at Sophie as she sat sprawled out on his couch before he lightly chuckled and continued with his work. "Go right ahead," he smiled, "but I thought you didn't want anyone to know –"

"Meh I was thinking about it and I need to talk to someone about it," Sophie shrugged. "Besides it's not like you'll hate me if I tell you my secrets right?"

"… Why would I?" he shook his head before giving her a gentle smile.

Sophie smiled back and then looked at her book, pressing her fingers against the silver engraving of skull and crossbones on the black leather cover before opening the book to the first few pages. "My first entry was just to blow off some steam…

"I am sick of this place. I am sick! The food is horrible and the only alcohol around here is whisky! It's only thing I drink now, whisky. The water is dirty and disgusting, and I would rather eat the dirt then drink the water.

"Jumping back to the main topic, yes I am writing in this. Why? I need something to take my mind off of this place. I send letter after letter to the main American division for a transfer, but I continue to get letters back saying my request is terminated or I need more experience before I can transfer. I'm stuck here… alone… Marius tricked me. Now I'm stuck here by myself with no one to talk to… I'm lonely.

"I am grateful though. There is one other woman in my unit and she calls herself Veronica Roza Afanasei, but she likes the nickname Rose. Who would have thought I would run into another woman in Dispatch? I think it's the only thing I'm happy about this place… because it's dull and lifeless."

"Did you know that if you step on a toad its guts will fly everywhere? They say around here that if you squish a frog or a toad then you're cursed, but I haven't seen it yet.

"The point of writing in this again is because I'm stressed. Not about this job, no being a shinigami is _easy~_, but being separated for so long. How long? A few months now? I've been able to complete my missions every day, even if most of them are usually impossible to get done on time. A few times the person would be striving for life minutes longer then they should have because I would be late… I have to get faster at this job. Luckily for me Death's horse shows up to help me. I've never been fast on my own two feet before… I miss the mortuary. I miss Undertaker. I miss preparing dead bodies for their special day… I wish they had a place like a morgue around here, but they just bury their dead ones in the ground and be done with it. No preparing the body for the ground or anything like that. Once I saw a pack of wolves coming by and they ripped apart the body. It was gross. Not demons at all! Just animals of the earth coming by with limbs of the dead in their mouths running around like scavengers. I didn't know if I should be sick or fascinated. Mostly fascinated by the blood. I can thank Grell for that, but disgusted that animals dig up bodies to eat. I guess that's how it is living in the desert. "Survival of the fittest," is what my supervisor would say, or should I say commander.

"Actually, over time, he's turned into a decent guy. He lets anyone who needs shelter from the elements, human, demon, or otherwise, eat and sleep before they go off for the day. There is no border and line between being good and evil here. It's only living to survive… Survival… The most I was able to find about him is that his name is Rob. We call him Boss, but he likes to be called Rob when we're talking casually. I like that about him, but I will be honest with you that he was intimidating at first. Boss only wears black cowboy clothes and a large-brimmed cowboy hat. The hat especially! Very intimidating if you meet him for the first time, but then again I knew it could only be a façade since that's what dad does too. The thing I can't figure out is his teeth. He has sharp pointy canine teeth. They fit perfectly together when he smiles, but if Boss opens his mouth widely then you can see them as clear as day. Does that mean he is really a demon? Maybe he's like Alex is, a demon/shinigami mix. Either way I don't think I can ask him about that, but I'm still curious.

"I tried submitting a form, but again it was rejected. I think I'll give up on trying to get back to England or anywhere with a sense of decency."

"My god! I hate it here! I really do! I can't stop crying! Shit! Shit! I'm scared… **really** scared… I woke up this time in a salon. I must have had something slipped in my drink because I woke up with a vicious hangover. I suddenly had this impulse to write this out because I feel that my whisky intake is getting out of hand.

"I feel sick, **really** sick. I'm just scared… tired… I hate being a shinigami. I wish I stayed dead forever and ever. Why can't I? Why can't I stay dead! This gruesome ghoul that walks the night reaping souls from the dying… I'm nothing but a demon. That's what a shinigami is right? A being that takes souls and collects them? That's what I've seen several demons do anyways. Some don't use the cinematic records and the energy, but are only collecting souls to study them. I'm starting to believe shinigamis are no different than demons… sick demons with green eyes that slowly turn yellow with experience. It disgusts me. It disgusts me that I'm stuck here. I want to go home! I want to see someone I know!... Screw this. I'm going to go to the opium joint again. I need to relax a little."

"How can Roze say I'm an addict? I am not! Not! That idiot doesn't know what she's talking about! I am completely fine, I swear! Besides no one else seems to care about my drinking anyways. Boss could care less about my problems. No one cares. I don't see the point in living. Maybe if I drink, smoke, and drink again I can kill myself? I can't leave this cursed place. It's a living nightmare. Maybe I'm just asleep! No I'm not. I'm fully awake. Damn it. Maybe if I kill someone I'll feel better. No one cares if another human dies anyways. I can slit their throat and collect their record. No one will notice and care. Maybe I'll eat a soul? That's what I'm created to do after all. This shinigami job is only because they found me when I woke up, but really they're not doing a damn thing for me. If only I could end my life… Will Death come if I call for him? I tried to get Marius to show up, but he won't. He must hate me for some reason. I just know it. He doesn't love me… Death doesn't even love me. He won't let me die. Well I'll show them! Maybe the smoking will burn my insides. I can feel them getting damaged anyways…"

)(*&^%$#!

"… I am trying to cut back now, thanks to Alex. I don't know what I would do without him. Roze too. They're the only ones around here that care if I try to kill myself again. The death scythe I have didn't do anything, but the knife Alex gave me was doing wonders. I'm glad Roze is hiding it from me… I really am.

"Even if I'm glad for their kindness I need to leave. I can't stand to hurt them again if I get drunk and start killing innocent beings again. I can't disappoint them if I end up in a salon again… I need to go. I need to run away. I'll feel better when I do. Maybe I can find my way back home.

"I feel an invisible force is pulling on me, telling me to go back, but I can't. How can I if no one will let me? That's why I need to go. I'll leave a note for Alex and Roze to find, but I need to find my way back home. My way back to sanity. Will I ever be sane? No. No one can ever be sane in this world of ours, but I want to see Undertaker again. Maybe Julia will help me? I don't know, but I need someone I know and trust to help me. Alex helps, but my nightmares aren't stopping. They're growing intense every night. I can feel the humans dying, my hand taking their souls away in one swoop. I never did that, take souls out with my black haze, but for some reason I am in those dreams. Is it because I'm a Serbus? Because I have that other soul living inside of me? Maybe that is it… It probably is. I need to come into terms with myself, but I can't do it here. I need to leave for a while and find my place again. I need to find my laughter again. I must have misplaced it at one point here in the desert."

"… And that's where I stopped," she finished with a sigh. "Then my next entry is about a dead body I found in a swamp and how I tried to put it back together," she chuckled to herself as she tilted her head over the armrest and looked over at Alex. "So? What do you think?"

" I'm sorry that you thought leaving would help you and I couldn't," Alex sighed as he set his pen down in exhaustion and drank from his tea, "but at least you came back with a smile on your face. I can't believe you left without telling me… I could have gone with you –"

"That's the thing," she shrugged, "You wouldn't have helped if you came with me. I needed things to work out and being alone helps me the best. Well… that and talking with other people, but no one was around for me to talk to," she chuckled. "Now if you excuse me," she said as she flipped through her book to the page she was reading from earlier in the night, "I'm going to get back to reading. I simply felt that I should get that off of my chest."

"Alright," Alex smiled, picking up his pen again and beginning to write. "Stay here as long as you need. I'll make sure no one bothers you." Sophie nodded and gave him a smile, looking back to her book as she continued to read.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Agon –" Jericho paused, noticing the sleeping woman on his couch curled up in a tight ball. "… Did you know that I've been looking for her this whole time?"

"You were?" Alex raised an eyebrow before finishing the form he was signing and setting it to the side. "I came to work early and we started talking. What are you here for?"

"I was going to ask where Sophie was hiding, but apparently I found her," he chuckled lightly as he closed the door behind him and walked over to the couch. Jericho sat down next her body and noticed she had her black book open to a page towards the end of the book.

'…It's fascinating to collect bloods. It seems that blood is different in different beings, by their color and texture mostly. Today a demon was bleeding blue blood so I decided to collect it, putting it in my cabinet to save for later. I always believe the best way to tell the differences from beings are both the blood and their energy. They are both linked together neatly in a tight bow. I guess the closer you are from being human, the closer you can see the different colors of energy they have and the variations in between.'

'May 4th, 1888

'_Flumina fluunt, purum ac crystallinum, at rubra flumina debet capi interius mihi. Fluminis ut rubra, cessaverunt apud alba retia. Prohibere modo, prohibere minuo._

'A demon told me about this common spell, but it doesn't work when I tried it. I created a better one for healing, not just for blood but for all ways of healing physically.

'_Flumina fluunt, purum ac crystallinum, sed spiritus capi interius mihi. Fluminis ut lucida, cessaverunt apud alba retia. Prohibere modo, prohibere fluunt._

'It actually worked when I hummed it to myself, repeating it over and over as I gathered souls. The souls immediately went into my scythe, not fighting me as human souls usually do. Just the other day I got a gash in my arm and I healed it with this chant. I don't know if it's just me or if it works for other supernatural beings, but if it works then it works.'

'May 7th, 1888

'I meet a new God of Death today. Sheldon Beelzebub Shemal. He takes demon souls to the underworld, like shinigamis take human souls to be collected for Doomsday. I never realized that there are demons out there reaping the dead as shinigamis do. Is this how it used to be years ago? Now I ask: Who chooses the beings that become death? Could it be that Death itself has chosen each one of us for our roles as Gods of Death, Death Gods, and etcetera, or is it a different force that chooses our roles for us? Could it be the Fates? Are these gods and goddesses of old still around and we don't realize it?...'

Jericho smiled; closing the book for her and setting it back down next to her. "When she wakes up have her reap twelve souls on the list and then call it a day."

"You're not going easy on her, are you Mr._Serkan~_?" Alex chuckled as he stood up and shuffled the papers together in one tall, neat stack.

"No," Jericho shrugged, "… Okay maybe I am, but you know Sophie. She'll work and work till she passes out. So do take care of her –"

"Hey I've known her more then you," Alex huffed. "I know how to take care of her. Go back to work Jericho. I'll handle everything."

"Alright," Jericho laughed at him, walking to the door and closing it behind him.

Alex let out a tired sigh, looking over at Sophie before looking back down at his stack of papers. "Shit," he grumbled as he sat back down, "I **am** turning into Tyrant. Shit."

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

The group of shinigamis looked over at the laughter as they saw two women walking up the stairs and down the hallway, both of them covered in a large amount of crimson red and dirtying the ground with fresh dripping blood falling onto the floor. "Sophia!" Alan gasped, "What happened –"

"The best thing _**ever~!**_" Sophie laughed as she nudged Rose in the shoulder as they made their way to them. "We… oh hello. Who are you?" she smiled sweetly, looking down at a long blonde haired shinigami sitting in **her** chair and chewing on **her** pen.

"Oh Sophie!" Ronald chuckled as he halted his conversation with the woman in Sophie's chair and looked up at her. "You're back – What's with the blood?" he tilted his head to the side.

"Well there was this banshee –"

"Hey wait now!" Sophie huffed, "I still want to know who this woman sitting in my chair is."

"M-me?" the woman responded confused as she turned around to look at the blood-soaked, intimidating woman.

"Yep," Sophie nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and narrowing her gaze on the woman's startled shinigami green eyes hidden behind thin-rimmed gray glasses.

"Jennifer League miss, but you can call me Jenny," she sighed nervously, "and who are you?"

"Sophia Serbus, director for the Paranormal Operations Department in the British Isles. I think you may know me as the _Dark Rider~?_" Sophie chuckled as she set her bloody hat down on her desk and startling Jenny as she took the pen out of her mouth and set it down on her desk. Jenny looked at her wide-eyed, but Sophie ignored her as she turned her direction back to Rose. "Okay now tell them," she chuckled lightly as she began to take off her bloody gloves and throw them on an empty part of her desk. "You're as excited as a rabbit in a cabbage patch."

"Okay we went on a mission to Scotland to reap a few souls when a banshee started screaming in our ears. God she made my ears bleed!" Rose shuddered with disgust.

"No kidding," Sophie laughed, "but I chased it away and we were able to reap the souls in not time."

"So why are you bloody **this** time?" Eric asked, deciding listening to them was better than reading his papers any day.

"We ran into marching hordes as we made our way back," Rose explained, "and they went after us clawing and scratching at us."

"We avoided them by jumping into a lake, but then a kelpie came out of the water trying to tear us apart –"

"Actually tear Sophie apart –"

"And you saved me –"

"Yes I did," Rose smirked triumphantly.

"But when she was killing the kelpie a mob of dearg-due came at us, flapping their wings at us and trying to bite our necks," Sophie sighed as she rubbed the back of her head, "and that's where all the blood came from."

"Yeah," Rose chuckled. "Blood **everywhere**. Why did you have to get so messy with it anyways? –"

"Because it's fun silly," she grinned at her. "And then there was… oh what was it again?"

"The vetala?" Rose raised an eyebrow.

"Aw yes that's what it's called!" Sophie chuckled to herself as she grabbed her water skin from her bag and then threw it under her desk. "We had one more soul to reap in the middle of an unmarked graveyard. When we got there, there were two vetalas walking around the graveyard possessing these two corpses."

"That's what killed the poor girl," Rose sighed to herself and shook her head, "but the vetalas were planning on eating her leftover body. They were growing fangs and everything."

"Luckily for me I was able to tell that they weren't dead for very long, so I took off a few feet away from the graveyard and found their bodies mangled up in a ditch," Sophie explained.

"So I," Rose smiled, "took on the vetalas for the soul. My scythe is made out of the finest silver, so when I stabbed it into the vetalas they fell to the ground paralyzed for a few minutes before getting back up again to kill me."

"In the meantime I grabbed their weak old bodies out of the ditch and carried them up to the graveyard. I took out a shovel and dug two holes big enough for the bodies and set them inside, working fast before Rose got her face ripped off," Sophie grinned happily in Rose's face. "Once I buried their bodies the souls departed and were able to requiescat in pace. After that I found a few sticks in the woods around us and made two grave markers for the two bodies –"

"And Sophie said a _beautiful~_ prayer," Rose smiled happily.

"What?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "Anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace," she said quickly, "you mean that one?"

"Yes," Rose crossed her arms over her chest, "but you said it in a more _loving~_ way."

"Yeah well," Sophie shrugged, "why shouldn't I? They're humans that died, which is how you properly say a prayer to the dead around here –"

"But it was cute!" Rose giggled as she grabbed Sophie around the waist and nuzzled her cheek. "When I die you **have** to do that at my funeral."

"Oh god," Sophie shook her head and face palmed into her hand. "Okay let's make something _clear~_" she huffed as she unraveled Rose's arms around her waist and turned around, "_I~~_ am going to die before you so _you~_ have to do it for me, okay?" she smirked and gave Rose a wide grin.

"Nope," she shook her head, poking Sophie in the chest, "I wouldn't know where to start."

"Then have Alistair do it," Sophie chuckled and poked her nose, causing Rose to let go and rub her nose with discomfort, "or Undertaker, whatever! Sheesh! I'm almost dead every other day!"

"I thought it was _every~_ day," Rose snickered.

"_Well~_… That too," Sophie smirked. "Had fun?"

"Yep," Rose chuckled as she snatched Sophie's gloves off of her desk and began to scratch the dry blood off of them, "Haven't had that much fun in _eons~_"

"Don't you mean two years?" Sophie responded.

"Yeah okay," Rose shook her head and looked at her gloves. "How are we going to get the demon blood off of this?"

"Luckily it wasn't very powerful demons," Sophie sighed, "so a lot of elbow grease and some ammoni –"

"That's your game huh?" Rose sighed. "Getting high on the fumes again –"

"Hey I am not!" Sophie huffed, feeling hurt by Rose's words, "Just that's what you have to use on these types of fabrics. Well enough with this story. If Mr. Spears asks where I am tell him I'll be back once I get some of this blood off."

"Can do!" Ronald giving her a thumbs up as Sophie shook her head as she chuckled to herself, grabbing her hat from her desk and leaving.

Once they left Eric and Ronald laughed, Alan sighing as he turned back to his desk to work. "She's like Grell!" Eric chuckled.

"No kidding!" Ronald sighed. "Oh sorry about that. I should have told you about how she gets –"

"It's alright Ronald," Jenny smiled to him. "You don't have to explain. So… so **she** is the Dark Rider?"

"One and only," Ronald smiled.

"Oh…" she frowned, looking at her clothes and making sure her clothes didn't get blood on them. Letting out a glad sigh she looked back at him with a slight smile, fixing the big gray hair bow on her head before speaking again. "She doesn't seem to like me –"

"That's because you were chewing on her pen and sitting at her desk," Alan explained with his back turned to them.

"Don't worry," Eric smirked, "she's not into Ronald."

"W-what?" Ronald looked at him wide-eyed, confused at his words.

Jenny snickered at Ronald's response as she got up to leave. "I have a few more things to do before I leave. See you later?"

"See yeah," Ronald waved, watching as she walked up the stairs and vanished from sight.

"You're not just banging her are you?" Eric asked with a raised eyebrow.

"What? Oh not her," Ronald shook his head. "Well… not yet I guess," he shrugged.

"God could you two shut up so I can work," Alan rolled his eyes as he wrote on papers tediously and put them off to the side, trying not to hear the two's conversation on the topic of bed chambers and other sexual pleasures.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: TADA! Finally got around to adding someone else's OC X3 Sadly you don't get a lot of screen time, but don't worry. I'll add more later in future chapters. Once again I'm sorry for not posting this sooner. I may be on spring break, but I've had to help my father out in the yard chopping up wood and etc. So if I don't end up posting another chapter that's because he's forced me to work till Monday. So… yeah. BYE!**

Sheldon – English – protected hill; deep valley

Beezebub – "lord of the flies" or "lord of the (heavenly) dwelling"; "prince of the demons", among the three most prominent fallen angels; claims to cause destruction through tyrants, cause demons to be worshipped among men, to excite priests to lust, to cause jealousies in cities and murders, and to bring on war; currently labeled as the demon prince of gluttony

Shemal – Syrian – left; in mythology, name of the Lord of the genii and demons

Afanasei – Russian – immortal

_Flumina fluunt, purum ac crystallinum, at rubra flumina debet capi interius mihi. Fluminis ut rubra, cessaverunt apud alba retia. Prohibere modo, prohibere minuo_ – Latin – _Rivers flow, pure and crystalline, but red river must be trapped inside me. River so red, stopped with the white net. Stop now, stop this bleed_

_Flumina fluunt, purum ac crystallinum, sed spiritus capi interius mihi. Fluminis ut lucida, cessaverunt apud alba retia. Prohibere modo, prohibere fluunt_ – Latin – _Rivers flow, pure and crystalline, but the spirit must be trapped inside me. River so bright, stopped with the white net. Stop now, stop the flow_

_requiescat in pace_ – Latin – _rest in peace_

_anima eius et animae omnium fidelium defunctorum per Dei misericordiam requiescant in pace_ – Latin – _may his soul and the souls of all the departed faithful by God's mercy rest in peace_


	55. The Discharge

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Jennifer © danceydancetime

**A/N: Well time for another chapter!... That's really all I have to say ^^' Enjoy!**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Undertaker –" Sophie paused, a smirk coming to her face as she observed Undertaker and little Alistair working on a body together.

"_Aw~_ little maiden," Undertaker grinned, lifting his head up and skipping over to her. "Do you plan on sleeping here tonight?"

"Sadly no," Sophie shrugged, "but I wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. Alistair are you okay?" she looked over at the little boy peering into the coffin.

"Да Тетушка," Alistair mumbled while he kept his gaze in the coffin. "Дa."

"He's not causing you problems, is he?" Sophie asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Not at all little maiden," he giggled as he swung her body back and forth. "It's nice to have a _living~_ guest around to talk to again. How's the office?"

"Tiresome," Sophie sighed, "Demons and more demons. Troublesome angels and a bunch of human souls I had to collect. Same old stuff really."

He smiled and ran a finger through her hair, grinning widely as she cracked a smile. "Don't overexert," he chuckled, "I can tell you're getting tired."

"_Well~_ the _only~~_ way I'm able to sleep is when I tire myself out," she grinned. "Plus it keeps my mind off of my pains."

"Pains?" Undertaker questioned her, Alistair looking up from his work as he tried to hear their conversation better.

"Chest pains," she explained, "and the everyday pains of cuts and bruises. It's nothing to worry about. I know why it hurts all the time and I've only adapted."

"That's not good," he sighed, running his hand over her chest and pressing down on the scar he knew was still there under her clothes. "A better reason to be careful –"

"If I'm careful all day then nothing will happen," she huffed. "_Besides~_" she smiled as her hand trailed on his chest and she began to move her finger in a circle on his coat, "it's not _exciting~_ if I take it easy. Where's the fun in that?"

Undertaker shook his head and chuckled, gently pressing his lips on her forehead before letting go of her body. "Just be careful for me. I want you in _one piece~_, okay?"

"Alright," Sophie chuckled, letting go of him and walking to the door. "I'm going back to the office now. Alistair, your mother wants you home by four."

"Okay," Alistair nodded to her, looking up as she left the door and closed it behind her. "Chest pains? Is Тетушка alright?"

"She is," Undertaker sighed, "but it doesn't mean she should stop being careful. Now back to our _little guest~_" he giggled as he skipped back over to the coffin and began to sew her limbs together.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Mrs. League right?" Sophie asked as she directed her voice to a woman shinigami sitting in her cubical looking behind her back at the mention of her name.

"Yes I – D-dark Rider?" Jenny gulped when she noticed the woman standing behind her. The other shinigamis around her looked over at the mention of the Sophie's stage name, their eyes widening as they stared at Sophie in awe or with dismay. "What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry you're not in trouble," Sophie chuckled lightly to her, "but I was walking and noticed you are working in this building. So another woman in Dispatch? Do you like it here?"

"Yes very," Jenny smiled as she turned around in her chair to look back at the papers on her desk, "but I'm busy right now and I don't want to be disturbed –"

"Alright fine," Sophie chuckled, "but one last question, did you come from a different division?"

"American division," she told her. "I was originally at the American branch, but they asked me to transfer here a few years ago. That's all."

"Great," she smirked. "Keep up the good work. I hope we can get better acquainted later, but for now I'll leave you to your work. You seem busy after all." Sophie smiled to her, turning around and walking down the stairs. Jenny looked over and blushed lightly, quickly turning her gaze back on her work and hoping no one saw her face at that very moment.

)(*&^%$#!

"This is weird," Jericho huffed as he walked from his office and looked out the window.

"Hey Jericho what are you doing?" Alex chuckled when he lifted his head up to see Jericho passing by his office and opening up a nearby window.

"I don't know…" he answered, looking out the window. "… Don't you feel a demon's presence coming here or is it just me?"

"Demon?" Alex quickly became alert and walked out of his office, looking out the window with Jericho and squinting his eyes trying to get a better view. "I don't see anything –"

"What's with you two?" they heard a huff from behind, Sophie crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at them with a faint smirk on her face.

"You don't feel it?" Jericho looked over at Sophie and moved out of her way as she shoved them from the window and peered out.

"What?" Sophie looked around, but only seeing the sky and forest with London in the distance.

Alex huffed at being shoved away; trying to lean out the window as Sophie tried to figure out what Jericho was talking about. "Demon," Jericho explained, "a few leagues away from our boundaries. Don't you sense him?"

"Well…" Sophie chuckled nervously, calming down and thinking to herself for a few moments. "Oh," she smirked, suddenly sensing the new presence. "He's not a demon. God of Death," Sophie told them. "And…" she chuckled as she pushed her body off of the railing and turned around, "I know why he's here. I'll handle it."

"… Sophie what did you do?" Jericho sighed and shook his head.

"Yeah," Alex huffed, "did you kill his relatives or something –"

"Hell no," Sophie glared before letting out a hearty chuckle and wiping a tear from her eye. "He's just mad at me because I took a few of his _souls~_. Don't worry about it. I'll handle this."

"I'm coming with you –"

"Come with me and you'll be dead in a matter of seconds," Sophie huffed at Jericho. "This is between god et god. If you want to help then play lookout for me here and keep the council busy," She sighed as she began to walk down the hallway, "I don't want them sticking their nose into my business." Then she walked down the stairs and vanished, Jericho and Alex shaking their head and turning their attention back out the window.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Shemal," Sophie smiled sweetly as she held her long black death scythe over her shoulder and walked to the edge of the shinigami realm, "Why are _you~_ here?"

"You know perfectly well, **you animi fraudator**," Sheldon growled at her behind barred teeth. "No better than a daemon," he spat at the ground next to him, causing the ground where he spat to melt and turn into a solid black tar substance.

"I am no more a demon as I am an angel," Sophie chuckled, "and if you don't explain to me what I did we can't fix this, _can we~?_"

"You took my souls!" he step forward, suddenly stumbling back in shock as he felt his body burning. "What was that!" he hissed in pain as he clutched his arm.

"It's my barrier," Sophie explained, touching the invisible wall with her fingertips, "and since I don't trust you, you're not getting in," She finished with a huff in her voice as she slammed her scythe into the ground. "You should have been quicker," she sighed, "because it looked to me that you were going to leave those souls behind. Furthermore, some of those demon souls shouldn't be demons, but angels. Perhaps not even that, but certainly they didn't have to go back to hell –"

"What is it to you?" he growled. "I told you, _Serbus_, my job is to send demon souls back to hell. If you can't let me do my job then –"

"It seems to me _**boy**_ that you weren't doing your job properly," she huffed back as she moved a piece of her bangs from her eyes. "My job is to give and take life. Thus, it doesn't matter to me if the soul is human and otherwise; as long as the job gets done then it can be done by a demon –"

"You shinigmais," Sheldon snarled at her. "What? I'm not good enough for you because I'm a special breed of demon! –"

"Hang on what are you talking about –"

"I'm a god of Death like yourself," he said with a tired tone, "but yet I don't get the same respect. It's like I woke up one day and decided I wanted to play judge. It happened because I was born to do this."

"... I understand," she huffed, "but I don't care if you're an archangel or an archdemon. What I care about is the passing of souls and sending souls that never made a contract back to hell won't suffice. I read their records; they lived good lives. It's a case of mistaken identities –"

"That doesn't matter!" he growled. "You took the souls away! I can't forgive you for that –"

"Only doing my job Shemal," she snarled back, "and if you don't like it then go complain to someone else about it –"

She glared as Sheldon held up his hand at her, "I-I'll do it," he growled and shivered, "I'll do it!"

"You release your powers at me _**Beelzebub**_ and I won't be able to hold back," she huffed. "_But~_" she said calmly, staring him down and causing him to shudder, "You can live another day if you go report my actions instead of taking it into your own hands. Wouldn't it be easier _anyways~_?"

Sheldon narrowed his eyes, but slowly put his hand into his pocket and continued to snarl at her. "Wait till I tell my master hears about this," he hissed, "You'll be tried and prosecuted for this!" He let out a huff and turned around, dissolving into black insects and disappearing into the ground. Sophie continued to frown and turned around, swinging her scythe over her shoulder and walking back to the white buildings.

She trudged through the building speechless, keeping her gaze on the ground and her hat concealing her eyes as she thought. Her feet walked automatically as she trudged up the stairs, passing by the level E and eventually making her way to the level N. "Hey Sophie... did something happen –"

"Alex don't talk to me right now," Sophie huffed as she went into her office and gathered her things. "I... I think I have to go for a little while –"

"Sophie what the hell happened?" Jericho growled as he roughly grabbed her shoulders and stopped her. "What do you mean you need to leave? What's going on?"

"... Sheldon Beelzebub Shemal showed up," she glared at him, pushing his arms off of her and turning for her office door. "He... I don't know what happened, but he accused me of stealing souls and I've accused him of not doing his job properly. Well he's probably going to go to Beelzebub, who will go to Satan and then... I don't know," she shrugged, "but all I know is if they come back for me I don't want you guys to get into trouble because of my selfish actions –"

"Those actions aren't selfish Sophie," Jericho sighed, "and if they come for you then I demand to go with you too. What souls are you being accused of taking anyways?"

"Demon souls," she huffed, "but I took them because they were bright red/purple/blue, whatever! They were bright Jericho! They souls weren't supposed to be in hell. They weren't contracted to hell either. You know, a child born in the darkness? Not selling their souls, but born out of evil to be used by evil. I just... I felt... oh god." She let out a tired sigh, looking down to her shoes in shame and trying to avoid eye contact. "Let me be clear. They... they were calling on the Almighty to save them and for some reason I felt obligated to do so and... That's what happened. I didn't think I would get into **trouble**." She looked over to Alex and then back at Jericho, her blue and green eyes filled with worry as she shook her head and looked back to the ground. "Even if they destroy me, I will make sure I am not proven wrong. What I did... I believe it was the right thing. If they use this against me then let them, but I won't be told that I need to change my actions," she huffed as she clutched her hands to her side. "I was born for one job and one job only. How I interpret it is how I will live out my oath as a God of Death. If the divine don't like it then they can destroy me, but they won't take away my identity and who I am away from me... So I think I should go for a while –"

"Wonderful speech," Alex chuckled with his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned against the doorframe, "but you're **not** going anywhere."

"Sophie..." Jericho said with caution as he grabbed Sophie's shoulders and pulled her close to his chest, "Don't act this way. We are your friends, right? As your friends we want to take care of you, and as your boyfriend I **want** you to let me help you."He nuzzled his face into her neck, holding her close as he breathed down her neck. "If you expect me to _man up_, then you have to meet me halfway and let me help," he whispered into her ear, "I won't let you leave without a good reason. Come on Sophie._ Stay~~_"

Alex raised an eyebrow, noticing that Sophie's shoulders were shivering and she was gritting her teeth tightly. "Sophia?" he frowned, the door closing behind him as he walked into the room. He gently rubbed her shoulders in a desperate attempt to calm her down. "Sophie come talk to us. We're your friends after all," he frowned.

The two men looked down at the shorter woman, hearing quiet sniffling as her hands shivered tightly against her side. "I-I..." she sniffled, Jericho feeling the hot tears falling on his arms. "I-I'm..." Sophie looked up at Alex, her crystal blue eyes looking into his green eyes as tears rolled down her cheeks. "Wh-y? Why are you helping m-me? A m-misfit like m-e? Wh-cy?" she answered quietly, quickly putting her head back down as she tried to wipe away her tears.

That's when Alex couldn't take it, grabbing Sophie's waist and pulling her body into his chest. Jericho stood there as he watched as Alex pet her hair, letting her cry into his chest as he cooed to her softly. "Sophia..." he said in a soft whisper, "does someone need a reason to help?" Alex looked up at Jericho and smiled at him, chuckling lightly as he tried to keep Sophie calm. "I love you Sophia. You know that. You know how I love you, how you're one of my greatest friends in the entire world. You brought my wife and me together. You help raise my two beautiful children. There is no reason why I shouldn't help you; heck, there's more reason why I should then shouldn't! So don't cry... please," he continued to rub her head and began to rock her back and forth gently, Sophie's whining slowly turning into nothing but a faint whimper. Then Alex looked back at Jericho with another smile, reaching out his hand for him to come over. Jericho complied and gripped Sophie's waist protectively, Alex spinning Sophie around to face Jericho and letting go of her waist. "Now it's my turn to let you fall in love," he chuckled to himself. "You know Shezmu, this is one of those obstacles in the road that will either break or mend your relationship and show your worth. Take care of her."

Jericho shifted his head and smirked at Alex, rubbing Sophie's back and holding her head close to his chest. "I know Engjëll," he sighed, "I know –"

They paused, watching as Sophie lifted up her head and looked up at Jericho, her crystal blue eyes shining brightly at him. "T-thank you," she sniffled, "b-both of you… Yo-ur g-great friends… god I'm weak," she mumbled to herself.

"No you're not," Jericho chuckled lightly as he set Sophie's head back on his chest. "You're a strong and able-bodied woman. Now I think you'll be fine, but I want to keep an eye on you." He shifted in his pocket and took out a small bottle, placing it in Sophie's hands as he gripped them tightly. "This is my own blend of perfume. You can put a small amount on once a day. If you do this then I will always know where you are, even if you end up running far away again. I want to make sure you're safe Sophie… please use this."

Sophie looked down at the bottle and sniffled, looking at the bright red glass and the liquid it contained. She shook the bottle, mesmerized as the oil swirled around in the bottle. "T-thank you," she sniffled lightly, popping the top open and sniffling the perfume. It had an odd scent, a very unique scent that Sophie had never smelled except on Jericho. She squirted a little on her neck, letting the perfume disappear before she closed the bottle and put it away in her messenger bag.

Jericho smiled and wiped her tears with his thumb, making sure she wasn't thinking of running away again. "No thank you," he chuckled. "Now… will you be okay?"

"…No," she sighed, looking down at the ground and pressing her body into his. "I'm worried."

"Alex," Jericho looked over at him, "How about you take care of Sophie's jobs for the rest of the day?"

"Sure can do," Alex saluted, opening the door and about to leave. "Oh yeah," he stopped, "if you try any funny business I'll be after you like the hounds of hell."

"Alright," Jericho chuckled. "I get it." Alex nodded and closed the door behind him, leaving the two shinigamis hugging each other tightly and praying that she was worrying over nothing.

!#$%^&*()

"… Now Sophie is worried about being killed," Alex sighed, "and I don't know what will happen."

"Alex," Rose smiled as she placed a hand on Alex's hand and caused him to stop writing. "We can only wish for the best," she chuckled, "but I know that Sophie will only make it worse. It's in her nature to do that."

"Yeah I know," Alex chuckled, "but… but if she's lost then… hmmmm… it's like in America. You know how hard I tried to make her well. It's that extra soul of hers. It's driving her insane –"

"Yes it is, but without that soul she wouldn't be the God of Death she is now, would she?" Rose smiled. Then she patted his back, chuckling before letting out a sigh, "Don't worry. By now Sophie has settled down and all is well in the world –"

"Sophia M. I. Serbus, go to RM T11 **immediately**," they heard over the intercom.

"Oh shit," Alex sighed, "Fiona must know now. Should we go help her?"

"… I don't know Alex," Rose frowned. "I don't know how the department operates here."Alex sighed and looked at his papers, picking up a pen and continuing on with his work.

!#$%^&*()

"Sophia," Fiona huffed roughly as the woman dressed in black with her cowboy hat pulled over her eyes walked into the room and stood in front of her desk. "A messenger came by about an incident that came up involving you and another God of Death," Fiona explained roughly as she stood up and walked towards Sophie. "You took away another god's work. Not only that, but you stole the souls they were supposed to evaluate. As a shinigami you are not supposed to collect souls other than human –"

"If you'll let me interrupt," Sophie said loud enough for Fiona to hear. "I am **not** a shinigami. My first job is to be a God of Death and my second is being a shinigami, mortician, and etcetera. The demon was going to leave those souls behind. I took the souls by instinct and instinct alone, since they would have been devoured if I left them there to rot and become ghosts. I am a Serbus, servant of darkness and God of Death. I was doing what I felt was right." Then she paused, looking at the bright red tint of color in Fiona's cheeks before she continued. "But I am here ready for my fate. If I die then I die. If I am destroyed then I am destroyed. I do not want to cause harm to everyone because of my insolence. This is my fault and I know this. If the council wants me dead for my actions or hell wants me to burn so be it. I am ready for the verdict," Sophie finished calmly, taking in a deep breath once she was done.

"… You're **too** much like your father," Fiona growled at her, "or perhaps not enough." She walked around to her desk, picking up a small scroll and handing it to Sophie. "A degree was sent forth that Michael the archangel will be coming down from heaven to condemn you. Why this is an angel and not a demon I don't know," Fiona sighed with frustration in her voice, "but I wanted you to know. I think it is best that you go out and meet him yourself. I know the angel. He's **very** short tempered."

Sophie nodded, opening the scroll and reading its contents before closing it and handing it back to Fiona. "Michael will be bringing forth my verdict?" she answered. "… At least it's not Satan I suppose."

"Of course," Fiona chuckled. "As your father had told me, you would be imprisoned in Hell if **he** were to show up." Sophie sighed, adjusting her hat but keeping her gaze on the floor. Then their heads shot up, the two of them feeling an unnerving presence approaching. "You best be going," Fiona told her.

"Okay," Sophie nodded, turning around and preparing to leave.

"Wait," Fiona called to her, Sophie whipping her head around and looking back at her. "Be careful – You've been crying?" she suddenly realized, seeing the stains of red puffy bumps on her face.

"Yes," Sophie nodded, "and I will be as careful as I can." That's when Sophie left, leaving Fiona frowning as she decided to go and watch the situation unfold.

!#$%^&*()

"Where is that sorry excuse of a demon that calls itself Death?" Michael growled as he looked around, landing on the ground and beginning to walk up to the shinigami realm. "Swine where are yo –"

"Right here," Sophie answered, her arms crossed over her chest as she walked over to greet him. "I am unarmed," she held up her hand, "and I am ready for your decision."

"Oh you are?" Michael chuckled, before turning around and slapping Sophie in the cheek. "You vile creature," he growled at her, "ever since you have been here on earth you have caused **nothing** but trouble. You think I'm happy playing babysitter for you. Huh? Huh?"

"I may be a vile," Sophie slowly moved her head back up tall and proud as she looked him square in the eyes, "but there is more than one soul in here. What am I exactly? I don't even know. Fallen angel? Rising demon? Human? What exactly am I archangel?"

"Nothing but nonsense to me," he growled, coughing as he opened up a scroll and began to read her his verdict. "Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, daughter of the God of Death, Centurion Maurus Serbus, and the partly angelic and deceased human, Baroness Ellen Ioreta, paterfamilias of the Serbus household, and servant of darkness and God of Death," Michael grumbled a little under his breath before continuing, "you have broken the conduct of your contract by reaping souls that you had no business in taking and in an attempt to take another God of Death's job, Sheldon Beelzebub Shemal, who is in charge of sending the souls of daemons back to the underworld. Furthermore, since you are not contracted to another being then you have the right to defend yourself. How do you plead?"

"I plead not guilty," Sophie began sternly. "My job as a servant of darkness and a God of Death is to do what is necessary to condemn a soul rightfully and truthfully in the way I see fit. That means humans, demons, angels, and the anything and everyone that has a soul attached to its body. I am not abusing my powers for evil and unnecessary terms archangel. I do what is necessary to save a pure soul from damnation, even if it means I put myself in harm's way and it will lead to my eternal demise. I will give or take away the breath of life, until the day I perish from this world. If you deem my methods unethical then all you have to do is destroy me. This is how I see the oath I made to the world and how I will continue to see my oath till I die. I am not omnipotent. I do not know my fate. I discarded my knowledge and power when I left Hell eons ago. If you see my existence to be unfit then fine, destroy me. Burn me. Kill me. I will not back down and let you or anyone else here tell me what to do. I put my role as a puppet away once I was set free from Hell."

"This is your defense?" Michael sighed, the scroll rolling up with the flick of his wrist and he put it away. Then he punched her in the other cheek, Sophie looking down with a vacant look in her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. He shoved her to the ground roughly, pulling out his sword from the side of his armor and pressing it up to her neck. "You disgust me," he hissed at her, "that we have to put up with beings like **you**. Don't you even know what you're fighting for? No. You're right. Because you lost your knowledge and powers then you are indeed clouded by narrow-minded human eyes."

"I find humans to be the best species to be in this world," Sophie looked at him, the yellow in her eyes swirling around and looking up at him with a blank state. "Freedom Michael. We have freedom. That's what angels and daemons don't have is the freedom to choose the path they take. I don't have to play puppet. I can disobey and go down a different path. This is why I'm here archangel. I am here because I wanted to leave the deepest places in Hell so I can become human and make my own path." Then her eyes slowly turned back to blue and green, Sophie having to look away from him as he pushed up his sword and revealed her neck to him more. "Kill me, destroy me, or punish me. I do not care."

"You do not fear Death?" Michael said sternly at her, "even though you are human."

"No," Sophie responded in a calm voice. "You die and you are finally at peace. No more thoughts, no more concerns, no more temptations of this world. No matter what type of being you are, you are always trying to defeat Death. Death comes and then you are finished. Once he has come you don't have to worry anymore…" Then she closed her eyes, lying motionlessly on the ground waiting for the sword to pierce her neck.

Michael glared at her, noticing her contently close her eyes and sat there waiting for him to kill her. Well that's not how this was going to play out, since death and destruction won't teach **this** human the lesson she needs to learn. He drew his sword up and placed it back into his holster, Sophie still clutching her eyes closed and waiting to finally die. "Stand Serbus," he growled as she opened her eyes and stood up. "You amaze me," he said calmly. "Your predecessor never accepted death and your successors may never strive to the bravery and courage you demonstrate. That being said," he huffed, stepping closer to her and leering over her face, "you still need to be punished." Sophie stared at him with confusion in her eyes as he began to circle around her like a predator does before they kills its prey. "You are a human. I will give you that," he huffed again, "but as a human, and since this is how the other soul in your body set its powers together, I will give you a difficult task that no one of your family has had to endure."

He swiftly grabbed Sophie's left hand, her eyes going wide with shock as he began to squeeze her hand and caused her black leather glove to squeak slightly. "The soul inside of you gives you the potential to be powerful, but yet your family locks it away and only uses a small percentage of its power. As a Son of Light and the Viceroy of Heaven, I will release the soul from its bounds and let it take over you. If you can survive this Sophia Marius Ioreta Serbus, then you will be free to go back to the life you have been living." Michael let out a tired sigh, closing his eyes and concentrating on the hand he had in a bone-crushing vice grip. "O spiritus, inclusi corporis humani, liberari terminos tuos in manus Omnipotentis. Absolvo vos meis verbis spiritus, malos deos extinctor aemulertur nobis. Spes erit ad spiritum humanum uteris manu sinistra tua signum notari. O spiritus, propitius spiritus caelum et infernum, est quia illa antecessoris absolvo vos posuerit fines tuam animam." Then he threw her to the ground, his hand intensely burning as he released the spirit trapped inside of Sophie.

Sophie yelped at pain flowed through her body, her head feeling as if it was on fire and her tongue as dry as the desert. She coughed, feeling an ache burning in her chest. She laid there for a few moments, collecting herself as she tried to figure out what he had done and slowly opened her eyes again. Then she gasped, looking around in horror at the things she was seeing. She began to sneak away, shuddering and shivering as she began to yell. "What is that? Why am I seeing them again!" she screamed, Michael watching her as she shifted away from him in a random direction. "W-wait," she paused, "they can't hurt me. It's only a dream..." Sophie staggered to her feet, gripping her left hand tightly and glaring at him. "You... what did you do?..."

"I only released the spirit trapped inside of you," he shrugged casually, "and if you can control it then I've underestimated you and your family." Michael turned around, glaring at her before turning his head and began to walk away. "I will give you a couple of weeks to understand this creature until I release the Leviathan on you. If you don't have the powers under control by then, then the creature will eat you instead. Understood?"

"... Yes. Understood," Sophie nodded. "Now if you're done... uhhhmm... you can go."

"Good luck," he waved to her, vanishing in a flash of light and blinking her eyes. Sophie groaned, her head spinning as if she had been binge drinking all day. Deciding it was time to go back and explain herself, she gripped her left arm tightly and made her way back to the shinigami realm, wondering why her hand still felt as if it was on fire.

!#$%^&*()

"So… how are you?" Alex asked as he peek his head into Sophie's office.

She had her hat off to the side, her coat still draped over her body. She gave him a groan as a reply, her head set on top of her desk as she felt pain streaming throughout her whole body. "Do you think I would be okay if –" she flinched as her beating heart struck another cord, "if I'm still here in this bland office?"

"Maybe you should go to the infirmary –"

"Don't tell me what to do Jericho! – Damn it!" she hissed as her arm felt as if it was on fire again. Sophie let out soft pants, trying to calm her body down by closing her eyes tightly and coughing into her hand. "I'm fine damn it. I can handle this –"

"I can see clearly that you can't –"

"Bugger off the both of you!" she snarled, letting out a whimper as she felt another sting through her body. "They can't help me anywa – ways, so there's no point."

Jericho walked into the office, closing the door behind him as he did. "S-sophie don't tell me they brainwashed you," Rose shuddered as she walked into the room before Jericho completely closed the door on her.

"No," Sophie huffed, lifting up her head. "Just he –" She paused, staring into the room blankly as her crystal blue, shinigami green, and yellow colors in her eyes swirled around intently. The three of them paused, looking at each other with worry as Sophie's face turned from a tired state to a terrified state of mind. "W-what –" she gasped, holding out her hand in front of her body and her other hand on her neck. "I'm sorry damn it! I don't –" she coughed, her body feeling an unnerving sensation of being strangled alive.

"Sophie!" Jericho ran to her, grabbing hold of her shoulders roughly and began to shake her. "Snap out of it! Snap out of it!"

"Agh! No let go!" Sophie began to scream, kicking at him as she pulled out a small pocket knife from her clothes and slashed it at him. "Get back you! Stay back animus, stay back!" she yelled, falling out of her chair and stumbling to her feet, holding her knife in front of her and slashing it around the room. She pushed herself into a tight corner, holding her knife defensively in her hands as she began to whimper in fear. "I-I'm sorry," she began to sniffle, "but I d-on't recall doing that –" Then she let out a terrified shriek, unable to back away anymore as she began to slash her knife around. "Let go of me! Let go! Don't eat me!" she cried, falling down to her knees as if someone was slamming her into the ground and tried to fend them off with her hands. "No! No! No… no…"

The three shinigamis in the room didn't know what to do, but Rose knelt down and picked up the knife before Sophie could grab for it again. "Alex here's your knife," she said roughly, the two of them keeping their distance as Jericho walked over to Sophie and knelt down.

"Sophia," Jericho said, looking at her with a frown on his face, "what are you daydreaming now –" He paused, feeling a dark aura coming from her left hand. He grabbed her left hand and pulled it closer to him, pulling off the glove as swiftly as he could before Sophie could claw at him. She began to yell and scream at him, her black glove slipping off of her hand and falling back to the ground.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: God look at this. I wrote a bunch of mushy stuff . Oh geeze XD And woh a cliffhanger?... Heh, anyways here's the next turning point in the story. I hope you guys enjoy this ^^ and the stuff at the beginning… well I didn't know what to write so I just wrote random things down. That's all =3**

_animi fraudator_ – Latin – _soul stealer_

Michael – Anglicized form of Greek Michaēl, meaning "who is like God?" or literally "El's likeness." In the Old Testament bible, this is the name of many characters, including the prince of Angels, the first archangel who was closest to God and became the guardian angel of Israel. In the New Testament, he leads the angelic host against the Apocalyptic Dragon. The Dead Sea Scrolls contain a story entitled "The War of the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness," in which Michael is described as the "viceroy of heaven," a title said to once belong to Satan. His name was the war-cry of the angels when he led them in battle against their chief antagonist, Samael.

_O spiritus, inclusi corporis humani, liberari terminos tuos in manus Omnipotentis. Absolvo vos meis verbis spiritus, malos deos extinctor aemulertur nobis. Spes erit ad spiritum humanum uteris manu sinistra tua signum notari. O spiritus, propitius spiritus caelum et infernum, est quia illa antecessoris absolvo vos posuerit fines tuam animam_ – Latin – _Oh spirit, trapped inside the human body, be released from thy bounds by the hand of the Almighty. With my words I release you spirit, destroyer of evil gods whom rivals the one and only. The human spirit you are using as refuge will be branded with a seal upon thy left hand. Oh spirit, gracious spirit from heaven and hell, I release you from the bounds this woman's ancestor has put upon your soul_


	56. The Corpses

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Heh the fun begins here XD Anyways I hope you enjoy this new part in the plot. Tell me what you think! Goods? Bads? Whatever ^^ ENJOY! =D**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie's eyes widened with horror one of her dreaded nightmares was springing to life before her very eyes. In front of her bodies crept, moaning and groaning in agony as they walked from the shadows and crept into the room towards her desk. "W-what –" she gasped in horror as one lunged at her, it's decaying eyes filled with fury. The body grabbed at her neck and began to choke her with both hands, Sophie held out her hand at the others as they began to claw and gnaw on her limbs.

"_You kill-d us_," the decaying body moaned at her as it continued to strangle her.

"I'm sorry damn it! I don't –" she coughed, the hand pressing its thumbs deeper into her neck and digging into her throat.

"_Don't interrupt me!_" it roared at her, Sophie staring up in horror as she saw goop dripping down from its mouth and onto the ground. "_You h-d four th-sand y-ars to make am-ds, but -et you -ave not rezzrr-cted us. We ang-y, we hung-y, we w-nt yo-r soo-l_," it moaned in her face, a cold breath breathing into her mouth and causing her to cough again from the strong scent of death.

Then she felt a firm hand placed on her shoulder, picking her up and shaking her. Her eyes widened in horror at the body roaring at her, slapping it across the face and kicking at its stomach. "Agh! No let go!" she screamed, kicking him back into the shadows as she pulled out a small pocket knife from her clothes and slashed it at the other bodies. "Get back you! Stay back animus, stay back!" she yelled, falling out of her chair and stumbling to her feet, holding her knife in front of her and slashing it around the room.

She whimpered in fear, slowly walking backwards as the decaying and mummified bodies moaned and groaned at her, making their way to her. She let out a sudden_** 'oof'**_, shuddering with horror as she realized she had pushed herself into a corner. She held up her knife defensively in front of her, her eyes wide as the body that had been strangling her appeared in front of the crowd. "_You kill-d us_," the body moaned, "_-nd def-led us. You -ook aw-y our soo-ls i-to your pow-rs. How -an a __**god**__ -o -is to us?_"

"I-I'm sorry," she began to sniffle with fear its words, "but I d-on't recall doing that –" Then she let out a terrified shriek, unable to back away anymore as she began to slash her knife around. "Let go of me! Let go! Don't eat me!" she cried, bodies from behind her grabbing hold of her shoulders and shoving her into the ground. Sophie growled as she clawed her hands at them, trying to fend them off with her hands as her knife was scooted away from her. "No! No! No… no…" she began to cry quietly, the body standing in front of her with a ghostly presence over her.

It knelt down next to her, looking over at her left hand and pulling it from a body that was holding her arm down. "Anubis," the body said in a clear voice, her eyes widening in horror at the soft voice of a child, "Death, god who killed us for my forefather's mistakes against the servants of their god, we know it's you." He pulled at her glove and threw it to the side, Sophie whimpering in pain as a sting washed throughout her hand. "We can tell by your brand," he explained, holding up her hand at her and showing the mark that had been created.

Sophie whimpered in fright, seeing an insignia of a large skull head intertwined with thorns weaving in and out of the skull on her hand. It was burnt on her hand as if a cow prong had been pressed into her skin and left her left hand red and pudgy. She clawed at the body and cursed at him, Sophie flopping her hand back on ground in pain. She whimpered, slowly bringing the hand closer to her body in an attempt to stop it from burning. "W-wha?" she trembled, looking at her left hand in terror. "Wha… what he…"

"_Who i- t-is man Death?_" the body moaned, the childlike voice gone from his lips as it began to speak in an eerie tone. "_You -ve all-ay- b-n Death –_"

"I am not Death!" she growled, glaring daggers at the body and trying to push the rotting bodies off of her. "I am not! Not! Stop it! I am not Anubis! Not Death! I am Sophia, Sophia Serbus! A human! A dead human soul! Now leave me alone!" she cried, sinking her teeth into the arm on her shoulder and pushing the bodies to the side. Sophie stood up to run for the door, only to be pressed roughly against the back wall.

Looking at the body carefully, she could see that had been mummified, but had been badly taken care of. Its eyes were all gone, skin peeling off and dropping onto the ground. Wrappings were all over its body, but yet she could see a faint trail of the outfit it is wearing. A white robe and… gold? Why was this ghost after her? She had never seen it before except in a nightmare, but even there dead bodies never came up and talked to her until now. What had Michael done to her? "Human?" its voice turned to a child's tone for a split second before it went back to sounding creepy. "_You… you ar- diff-ent_."

"I am," she growled roughly, "and I don't even know why you're here –"

"_We -ave alw-ys b-n h-re_," it huffed. "_-ways -ere in-ide of -ou. You do not kno- -is? You d-vour soo-ls all the -ime –_"

"I do not," she narrowed her eyes. "I don't do that anymore –"

"_-gard-ess you to-k away the -ife f-om my boody_," it growled, "_-nd we all dem-nd sat-s-action. We -ant your hu-an soo-l: give it -o us! –_"

"No! No!" Sophie screamed, its hand pressing itself against her mouth trying to silence her.

"Silence!" it growled at her, her eyes staring at him in terror as his hand reached out for her heart. "_You h-ve no po-er ov-r us a-ymore. You –pris-ned us -or -ears. We -ant to -e free_."

"F-free?" she mumbled in its hand, staring at it confused as it pressed its hand into her chest. Then she began to scream, feeling her heart beating out of her chest as the body tried to rip her soul from her body. Sophie didn't know what stung first, the hand by her side laying limp and burning up her arm or the bones and dead skin ripping into her chest and clawing at her body.

She whimpered and closed her eyes tightly, dreaming for this nightmare to go away. "Serbus can you hear me?" she heard a gentle whisper next to her, Sophie opening her eyes widely to see Fiona standing next to her.

"O-obki?" she shuddered, looking up and seeing that it was Jericho that had pinned her to the wall and not an undead body. "W-wha… what's –"

"Sophie are you in there?" Fiona stared into her eyes, Sophie seeing a faint blue, green, and yellow glow shining in the reflection in Fiona's eyes. "Are you still here?"

"Fi-ona," Sophie coughed into Jericho's hand, spatting up blood as her chest still felt that it had been ripped open and her heart exposed. She looked down at her chest and let out a relieved whimper, noticing that she had only been hallucinating the bodies. "W-hat is happening?"

"Let me see your hand," Fiona insisted, Sophie trying to raise her left hand up, but was feeling incredibly weak as the pain shot up her arm. Fiona grabbed Sophie's left hand and inspected it, pressing a gentle finger on to top, only for Fiona to flinch away at the pain that suddenly shot up her body by simply touching the marking.

"What is that?" Jericho asked, his hand wavering from her mouth as he tried to look at the marking.

"She has been marked," Fiona frowned, "as a bringer of Death. That's the skull head." Then she sighed, letting Sophie's hand drop aimlessly to her side, "and the thorns is the other soul inside of her. You know that she has another soul inside of her correct?"

"Yes I already knew that," Jericho nodded, "but how do you know this –"

"Someone I knew a long time ago had the **exact** same insignia," Fiona frowned, "but I never knew there could be others out there with the same markings –"

"What is happening to me? Fiona!" Sophie began to yell again, Jericho's hand swiftly coming over her mouth so they wouldn't bring about a scene.

"Your father told me that he had a soothsayer seal the other soul inside of him away so he never had this problem… Sophie what are you yelling about?" Fiona asked calmly.

"There's these bodies," Sophie whimpered and shook her head, "and they said I ate them, and they want my soul, and I only see them in my nightmares, but they never start walking up to me and communicating, and –"

"Calm down," Fiona held up her hand to her. "I don't know what is going on, but we'll figure it out. This has never happened, you see, and – Shit what is that?"

"What are you talking abou –" Sophie yelped, icy cold hands grabbing hold of her shoulders and pulling on her. She looked behind her and her eyes widened, seeing that deformed and decaying hands were coming from the back wall created by her black haze. "Fiona help!"

Jericho ripped at the hands trying to grab her, but they flung his arms away and shoved him to the ground. A hand wrapped around her mouth before Sophie let out a bloodcurdling scream, the sound not making its way to the shinigamis in the room as she was pulled into the wall. "Grab my hand!" Jericho yelled, grabbing Sophie's hand before she was pulled all the way into the wall.

Fiona grabbed for her hand, trying to pull Sophie out, but with a rough force they were thrown to the ground and the black haze on the wall diminished till there was nothing left. "No… shit no!" Fiona growled and slammed her hand into the wall. "Sophia are you in the wall!" she yelled, hearing no voices coming from the walls around them. "Blood hell!… Alex go tell the Undertaker that we need his help. Jericho you're coming with me. We have to go get the cinematic record of Centurion Maurus Serbus from the restricted part of the library."

"Yes ma'am," Alex nodded, pulling Rose out of the room as she shook in his arms. Jericho followed swiftly behind Fiona, who was grumbling under her breath about how idiotic angels are.

!#$%^&*()

"I know I read about this when I was looking over Maurus' record," Fiona continued to talk to Jericho as she took out a set of keys and began to open up an old, stone door. "When he was a child his parents thought he was possessed. They found a soothsayer or a warlock of some kind to seal away the possessed soul. It seemed to have work, since Maurus never had problems before… but what did Michael do to Sophia is something only she can explain herself."

"According to her current cinematic record," Jericho began to say as he read from Sophie's record, "The archangel had unearthed the seal inside of Sophie. How that seal moved on from generation to generation is fascinating, or could it be that the spell was never there and the soul inside of the Serbus family had sealed itself away?"

"Interesting notion Shezmu," she nodded, finally unlocking the door after turning several different keys in sequential order, "but we can't jump to conclusions till we read over his record." Walking into the room Fiona went towards the back of the room, grabbing a cinematic record under the S section before walking back out and closing the door behind her. "Okay," Fiona said calmly as she flipped through the pages to what she was looking for. "… It says here that the seal never worked, but there is an introduction?" she huffed, "there's never an introduction in records, or normal ones at least."

"What does that mean?" Jericho couldn't help but ask, Fiona ignoring his question as she flipped to the front and began to read aloud:

"I was born out from the darkness to be a bringer of Death to those worthy of such judgment. Over time I have been given the names Anubis, Osiris, Spirit, Death, but all of these names are not mine. I am not a demon nor an angel, but created to bring forth the Divine's ultimate will over the world. I was there when Styx was ordered to turn himself red, the sky became dark, and Plague sent her waves of disease among the desert dwellers. I was the final plague, hovering over the city like a cloud and taking the breath of life from the first borns throughout the land. Except for one, for he was the son of Death and was told to keep an eye on me. Because of him I thought of the idea: Can truly a being created out of sin and darkness ever attain light?

"It was on that day I made plans to depart Hell. I was able to make a deal to leave, severing the strings I had connected to the Divine in every form. Now I am on my own, searching for a body to take over for my own. I do not want to take over the body nor its soul as other souls do. Death, a dear companion, helped me find a strong body for he found my experiment intriguing. Now I will lay here for nine months, waiting for myself to be manifested as a human. My deal with the Divine is that I will lose all my knowledge, power, and mind to complete my task. Thus I am, writing my final moments in this soul beside me.

"I will seal myself away in this body and in the generations this human will create, but I know in the future that beings will be after me and try to devour my soul or turn me back into what I used to be. I will not have this. I will make sure they are away as long as my host wishes."

"… That's all it says," Fiona frowned. "Michael must have released the soul inside of her. I hope Sophie will be able to see this and be able to come back to us."

"Same here," Jericho sighed. "Is there anything else in there?"

"Well only the average stuff. A few prophecies and etcetera," Fiona shrugged. "There's nothing else in here that will tell us what happened to Sophia. We can only hope that she will come back and be able to explain to us what happened."

"Y-yeah," Jericho sighed looking down at Sophie's cinematic record and flipping to the back. Fiona nodded and put the book in her hand away, locking the doors securely so no one else would be able to enter without a key. "It's strange," he huffed, "how her record just vanishes at the end. Like our conversation with Sophie after she got back from talking to Michael never happened –"

"If she survives then they will appear," Fiona told him. "That's the thing with supernatural occurrences. They are… well supernatural," she chuckled lightly. "Come. The Undertaker should be here by now." Jericho nodded and followed behind her, keeping the record close to his chest as they walked down the white hallways and out of the library.

!#$%^&*()

"Mr. Undertaker," Rose looked over at him with fascination as they sat in chairs waiting in Fiona's office, "Do you think Sophie will be okay?"

"Little maiden will be _fine~_" he chuckled lightly. "She's a tough cookie. _By the way~_, would you **like** a cookie?" Undertaker grinned deviously as he took out an urn from under his sleeve and popped over the top, holding out the jar to her. "_Freshly baked~~_"

"Oh I'll take one!" Alex jumped up from his seat, grabbing two and handing one to Rose. "Go ahead and try it. They're like Sophie's cookies… in a sense," he shrugged.

Rose smiled and slowly munched on the bone-shaped cookie in her hand, an astonished gasp escaping her lips once the sweet taste brushed her tongue and rolled down her esophagus. "W-wow…" Rose smiled to the Undertaker, "I would expect nothing less of Sophie's father."

"Thank you my dear," Undertaker grinned happily, his mouth soon weaning as he wondered what happened to Sophie. It must have been serious if Alex insisted he come to the shinigami realm to talk to Fiona. Not only that, but when he showed up Rose was in a frightful mood. Undertaker knew he wasn't going to like what Fiona had to say, but he will have to keep calm so he doesn't scare Sophie's little friends any more than they had been. Talking about dead corpses coming out of walls and taking little maiden away from him. He chuckled at the thought, finding the idea of corpses coming back to life a lovely concept. He had seen occurrences like that only a few other times, but right now is not the time to reminisce on the past. Then their heads shot up as Fiona and Jericho walked in, Fiona hustling over to her desk as Jericho closed the door behind them. "My dear you look flustered," he giggled into his sleeve as Fiona gave him a faint chuckle.

"Of course I am," she sighed. "Let's just get to the point." Fiona grabbed the scroll from her desk and handed it to Undertaker, letting him read the proclamation himself before she started. "About two hours ago Sophia went to greet Michael about the accusations written in the scroll. She insisted no one should follow her and she disappeared on the edge of the realm just west of us," she sighed, sitting down on her desk instead of in her chair like you would expect a director to. "She was gone for a few minutes before stumbling her way back here. I knew something had happened by the way she was grabbing hold of her left hand tightly… Well Jericho can explain the rest," she huffed.

"When Sophie came back she went straight to her office. She wished that no one should disturb her, so we let her be for about thirty minutes. Seeing as she wasn't leaving her office, Alexander, Veronica, and I ventured inside to see what had happened. She was fine till she lifted her head, and at that point she started to shudder, scream, and yell in a hysterical state," Jericho explained as he leaned against a bookshelf for support. "Her eyes were sparkling blue, green, and yellow. I don't know what that means, but whatever was going on in her head caused her to try to dart out of the room. I trapped her against the wall and by that time Alex had gotten Fiona down there to investigate the situation. Fiona snapped Sophie out of her hysteria and she told us that there were moving corpses trying to grab her. Then, as we thought everything was fine, a hoard of decaying hands came out of the wall and grabbed her body. We tried to get them off of her and pull her out, but Sophie disappeared into the black haze set against the wall. And," he said as he flipped to the back of the cinematic record in his hand, "when we looked at her record, the events that happened in the office and even up to the point when Michael left her isn't in her records."

"May I see?" Undertaker asked, grabbing the record from his hand and looked at its contents. Then he narrowed his eyes before he let a giggle escape his lips. "_I see~_… that's you game is it?" He gently set the book on the desk, looking at Fiona with a wide grin plastered on his face. "My dear Fiona, you must have forgotten the old times of the paranormal. You will never understand everything, even if you are in the highest of orders." Undertaker stood up and turned around, grinning at the three other shinigamis in the room. "Do not worry about little Sophia. Either she will prevail or she won't, but I will go and find her. Everyone go back to their normal lives as if nothing happened," he giggled as he walked towards the door. "_Aw yes~_ I almost forgot," he lifted his finger as he paused with his back turned to them. "If you wonder if Sophie is back yet, ask Jericho. I think he knows because of a _little~ __**scent**_he put on her, didn't you?" he deviously grinned, opening the door and slamming it behind him.

"How did he know?" Jericho raised an eyebrow.

"It doesn't matter," Fiona sighed, "and Undertaker is right. Go back to work as if nothing happened, and Alex how about you go and clean up the mess in the room. If the council catches wind of this… well even if she does come back then Sophie will be tried as a demon and be persecuted."

"Right ma'am," Alex nodded, standing up and taking Rose's hand as they walked out of the room.

"Jericho," Fiona looked over at the man, who was looking to the ground thinking quietly, "I will put you in charge of watching Sophia Serbus' cinematic record. If anything shows up contact me."

"Yes Mrs. Obki –"

"And also," she raised up a finger, "don't worry about it. Undertaker will find her and take care of her. You'll see."

"I hope so," Jericho sighed, still unnerved at how Sophie fought him and did all she could to strike him.

"I know so," she smirked, "but honestly this all depends on Sophia. If she fails this test and punishment then she will be dead by the time Undertaker finds her. We just need to wait."

"I understand," he nodded, grabbing the book from her desk and heading to the door, "and I'll make sure that no one else finds out what happened to Sophie."

Fiona nodded as Jericho walked out and closed the door behind him, Fiona letting out an exhausted sigh and slumped down the desk and onto the floor. "You better find her," she growled under her breath, letting out another tired sigh as she looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes tightly.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie groaned, slowly twitching her body as she felt a migraine coming to her head. When she opened her eyes Sophie paused, only seeing pitch-black darkness around her. "O-oh god…" she realized, rubbing her sore head as she tried to stumble to her feet. She shuddered in pain, looking down at her left hand to find that the skull and thorns marking was still there. "Where am I?" she thought aloud, looking around her and trying to find a way out. Nothing. Just complete darkness with no signs of light… no signs of life. Everything around her was too calm for comfort, but yet she felt a chill down her spine that made her shudder. She put her hands on her arms and tried to rub them warm, her body being unaffected by her attempts. "Hello?" she called, her voice echoing around her. Deciding the echo meant there is a wall around her, she slowly took off into the dark, her eyes trying desperately to adjust to the darkness around her.

"_Dad! Dad!" Sophie called out, running as fast as she could in the dark. "Dad where are you – Daddy?" she frowned, slowly making her way to a body laid out on the ground. She crouched down, pushing the body over so she could see his face. Then she paused, confused as to who this dead body was. "… b-black raven hair?... you're not the Undertaker," Sophie sighed, standing back up and quickly taking a few paces back. She shook her head, rubbing her eyes and trying to look around for somewhere else to run._

_Then she heard a voice calling off in the wind, screaming as loud as it could for help. Sophie took off as fast as she could towards the voice, pausing as she watched the sight before her. Fire. Black hell fire rising up to engulf its victims in its fiery glow. "Miss Robin?" Sophie yelled into the fire, hearing children screaming for her to help. She ran up to the top of the stairs of the building, pounding on the door and trying to knock it down. "Stand back! I'll knock it down!" she told them, using her supernatural strength to knock down the door and fall inside. _

_She gasped as a whole in the ground opened up to her; Sophie falling and falling into the flames and feeling chains grabbing hold of her legs and pulling her down. She screamed with fear, her hands and feet being chained to a cement wall. She looked around, the sudden darkness hurting her head again. "So you're back for more," a deep voice in front of her chuckled, Sophie's eyes widening with fear as he grabbed her shirt and pulled her to her feet. Then he slapped her back to the ground, pounding her into the ground with his foot. She looked up in horror, amethyst and yellow snake eyes piercing deep into her soul and making her cringe. _

"_N-no," she closed her eyes tightly, waiting for another slap across her face as her body trembled. "N-no please not again… Not again –"_

"Hey wake up," she heard a soft child's voice call to her as she felt a small hand try to wake her up.

Sophie slowly opened her eyes, seeing a young boy dressed in a white robe with wide brown eyes and soft, short black hair. "W-who…" she groaned, rubbing her head and trying to regain consciousness.

"You new?" the boy smiled, grasping her hand and pulling her to her feet.

"N-new to what?" Sophie asked hesitantly, blinking in confusion as she looked around her and only saw the darkness.

"You taken by an evil death," the boy tried to explain, "and now your ba is trapped here in the darkness."

"I-I am?" Sophie frowned. "Well… are there more of you here?"

"Yes!" the boy giggled. "There are many! We don't get many new bas here," he explained, grasping her hand in his and began to walk. Sophie raised an eyebrow at the boy's actions, noticing a faint purple shining substance on his finger as they walked aimlessly in the dark.

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**A/N: Wasn't expecting that were you? XD All part of the idea in my head I suppose. Well I hope you guys enjoyed the story so far. It'll be a while till this part of the story ends (let's see… I think it's at least 8 chapters long) just hope I don't lose my files I suppose ^^ Well I'll see you later! =D (and now if you'll excuse me I'm going to finish my homework XO)**


	57. The Darkness

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Oh another chapter? XD Well now we get deeper into the darkness and see a bunch of events that Sophie has no clue about =O Anyways I hope you guys are enjoying this story. I don't know if you have or not… so yeah. We're going to focus more on Sophie in this chapter now. I hope you guys won't mind ^^ Oh! And now you see the origins of a few of these critters… Yep that's it! ENJOY! **

!#$%^&*()

"Hello Guardian."

"Guardian hi."

"Hi Guardi – we have another trapped soul here? Hello!"

Sophie heard the shadows around her speak, and with time they slowly became visible to her as souls and spirits. She was amazed at how many souls were walking around in the shadows, becoming their own person as they walked by. She looked down at the boy and wondered why he was getting so much attention since he was the soul of a young boy… right? "You must be confused," the boy chuckled. "As I said, your soul is currently in the shadows. We are slowly being devoured till there is nothing of us left… as is the way of the world I suppose."

"That sounds… sad," Sophie frowned, the boy stopping and shrugging at her.

"Not really," he responded. "I guess I can explain everything to you, but you have to promise to tell me everything about yourself too," he grinned happily.

Sophie gave him a smile and gave him a slight nod. "Of course."

The boy nodded and sat down on the ground, Sophie following along and looking at him intently. "My story begins in Egypt, my home," the boy began slowly, "I was the firstborn of my father's children and as such I was going to be the heir to his throne. Then… well to make the story short, a man came to my father demanding that the slaves be set free. My father found this ridiculous, but as time went by weird things started to happen. First our river turned red with blood. Next frogs started jumping around and tainting our food. Then gnats suddenly came out of nowhere and caused my head to be itching. Flies came around and became pests. Then my people started getting sick. After that we started to get boils on our skin… then the sky began to hail. Locusts came out of nowhere to diminish our crops and the sky suddenly turned back. Then… the very last thing… it was the worst."

"What would that be?" Sophie asked sweetly as she put a gentle hand on top of the boy's shoulder, noticing his nervousness.

"The death of every firstborn of Egypt, from young to old, from humans to animals," he frowned. "The next thing I know, my people and I are stuck here in the darkness. This is a scary place," he tried to explain. "Not only is there the darkness, which can be unbearable, but there are creatures lurking in the shadows that will come up to devour you. If devoured you will be transported somewhere else, leaving the group and being tortured in more ways than one." He sighed, shaking his head before giving her a smile, "So what happened with you?"

"Well…" Sophie thought quietly, unsure of how she could describe it. "I… I am not exactly human," she sighed, "I am part human and part grim reaper. I died and became a grim reaper, taking souls and evaluating them. Then… an angel awoken powers inside of me and the next thing I know I'm stuck here in the darkness. I never was a real fan of the dark," she huffed to herself. She looked around, watching as the souls passed in front of her and looked at her curiously. She could see that the lights of some souls were different from others, some brighter than others. "Why do they call you Guardian?" she asked inquiringly.

"… I protect them," he said simply. "I am a god you see, son of Pharaoh and –"

"You are **not** a god sweetheart," she chuckled interrupting him. "You are human, which is fine in my opinion. I don't see anything wrong with being human –"

"Yes, but I am son of Pharaoh," he huffed back, "and inherit his godliness from him. These souls see me as ruler and thus I act as their protector if anything bad happens. It is just the way it has been."

"W-wow…" Sophie paused before cracking him a small smile. "_Well~_ my name is Sophia young one, but you can Sophie for short."

"Sophie…" the boy answered quietly. "… My name is Oba," he grinned happily.

"Oba…" she smiled. "It's nice to meet you Oba. I hope I can get to know you and everyone else around here better," she chuckled lightly as they shook hands.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Could someone tell me what is going on around here?" Grell yelled, shaking Alex back and forth with murder in his eyes. "Where is Sophie? Where is she? Tell meeeeeeee –"

"Miss Sutcliff _please~_" Rose huffed as she pulled him off of her husband, "We are as clueless as you are on this. All we've been told is to keep calm and don't get hysterical –"

"I **will** get as hysterical till I find out where my little apprentice vanished to," Grell huffed back at her.

"Sutcliff," Fiona growled at him as she walked down the stairs with her hands in her pockets, "what are you doing with her –"

"You! You probably know!" Grell jumped as he rushed over to her to pin her against a nearby wall. "Where did Sophie go? She's been gone for days now! Where! –"

"Will I have to suspend you for disorderly conduct Miss Sutcliff," Fiona glared at him, causing Grell to flinched and let her go.

"N-no miss," he sighed as he stepped a few feet back, "but my question still stands. Where is she?"

"We don't know," Fiona sighed, "Undertaker went off to find her a few days ago –"

"Then she could be dead right now?" Grell huffed. "Why isn't anyone else investigating anyways? Isn't that what the Paranormal Operations was created to do is _investigat~_ –"

"It was by **my** order Miss Sutcliff," Fiona glared at him, "and Undertaker's too. Trust me; he'll be the only one who can find her anyways. Don't worry about it –"

"I will!" Grell snarled. "**You** may not care, but_** I~ **_care about her safety –"

"As so I," Fiona admitted in a small voice, "but we can't jump into things –"

"What things?" Grell growled. "You're not **telling** me! I need to know! –"

"Fine," Fiona sighed, "then follow me to my office and I will explain the situation." As she began to turn around she paused, Grell having to stop as to avoid running into her back, "And if you sass off to me **one more time** I swear to all the sanity I have left in me that you'll be demoted and thrown out. Understood?"

"… Yes," Grell answered as simply and cleanly as possible, determined to get his questions answered by the end of the day.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Guardian they're coming!" a little girl ran up to Oba and pointed to the shadows, Sophie feeling a strange familiar presence among those shadows.

"Thank you," Oba nodded, grabbing Sophie's hand and pulling her out of her trance as they made their way to the group of souls. "Listen up," he called to the group, everyone turning their heads before they could run off, "We need to stay as a group. Women, children, and elderly leave first with half of the men to protect them. The rest of the able-bodied men will stay here to fend them off to bide them time. Understood?"

"Yes Guardian," the group said meekly, the chaos commencing as everyone split off into their groups and ran off.

"… What are you still doing here?" Oba huffed at Sophie. "You may be new, but you're a woman and should go with the group departing –"

"I am staying here," she huffed back at him, glaring him down. "I have more power than you can anticipate. I may be able to help you."

"… Alright fine," Oba sighed, "but stand in the back. You may not like what you see."

Sophie nodded and headed to the back of the men, looking over and under them in an attempt to see the monsters the other souls were describing. When they came into view Sophie couldn't help but chuckle, recognizing almost every creature that was coming towards them. Knowing these _**men**_ wouldn't let her fight, she stood in the back trying to summon her scythe. "Again?" she huffed as her black death scythe wouldn't come to her call. Not even her guns would come. Then she started hearing screaming, seeing a large beast growl past her and run in the direction the group ran in. Sighing she ran as fast as her feet would carry her, jumping on top of the beast and grabbing hold of its ears. "Damn it settle down!" Sophie growled, the black beast jumping up and down trying to get Sophie off of it.

"Sophie!" Oba yelled, growling as he ran towards her with a handcrafted spear in his hand.

"Wait!" she yelled before he could throw it, "Let me handle this!"

"But –"

"Ahelie listen to me!" Sophie hissed in the beast's ear, "This is your master. Now settle down or else I'm not taking you with me ever again."

Slowly the giant black cat stopped, its growls slowly turning into whimpers as it settled down and lay submissive on the ground. Oba looked at them in shock, taking several steps back as he whimpered. "W-who are you?" he asked quietly, Sophie jumping off of Ahelie's back and giving her a pat on the head.

"Good girl," she chuckled, turning her attention back over to him as she glared at the other monsters behind him. "I will tell you later. Let's get rid of these other creatures, okay?"

"O-okay…" he stood there stunned, shuddering as a chill rolled down his spine as she walked past him. He could feel her aura and it felt very intimidating compared to his own. Turning around Oba followed after Sophie, dismissing the gigantic cat in the back of his mind as he stayed closed behind her.

Sophie smirked, feeling very confident with herself. If she could order Ahelie to stop attacking in her demon form, then perhaps the other creatures that were attacking would obey her. Who knows? Perhaps she was brought here for a reason. "Tibi, creaturas tenebras, mox pugna prohiberent," she said with great authority in her voice, standing tall and proud between the other souls and the demons.

Oba shuddered at her voice, feeling the sternness that passed her lips. At the sound of her voice the beasts slowly stopped, lying down in submissive positions as Sophie came up to them and glared them down. The men gulped, running past her and to the young boy. "W-who is this creature?" several of them said at once, the boy putting up his hand before they could continue.

"I do not know," he admitted, clutching his fists to his side as he let in a deep breath, "but I'm going to find out." Leaving the souls behind Oba walked forward towards Sophie, who was trying to communicate with the creatures. "W-who are you?" he growled at her, causing Sophie to turn around and raise an eyebrow, "Are you hear to kill us? Are you a beast also –"

"I am no beast boy," Sophie huffed, turning back around at the large black dragon that stood before her. "I am a human: part human, part God of Death, with a few other creature mixes in between. I am a soul like yourself, trapped here by events I do not clearly know, but I have authority over them and I will see that my questions get answered," she admitted. "Now will I have to let one of them devour you or can I do my job?"

Oba gulped before letting up a huff and crossing his arms over his chest, "Go right ahead, but I am staying here and listening."

"Be my guest," she cracked a smile before her face became serious once again and she glared at the creatures. "Quid facis hinc? Quid devora animae?"

"We were created in the darkness to serve the darkness," the dragon explained in a tongue Oba could hardly understand, letting a puff of smoke escape its nose and blow into their faces. "Which is you… Magister," it bowed, the other creatures' heads staying low to the ground, or what Sophie assumed was the ground.

Oba's mouth dropped at the only familiar word in the beast's sentence, magister. "D-did they just call your master –"

"You still haven't answered my question," Sophie huffed, "Quid facis hinc? Quid devora animae?"

"…" the dragon frowned, keeping its head low to the ground as it tried to keep out of Sophie's glare. "Do you know where you are Magister?"

"Actually no," Sophie admitted, "but perhaps you can explain this to me and to the little boy next to me. If I am **really** your master, then explain the situation to me in his native tongue."

"Very well," the dragon began to speak in ancient Egyptian, Oba's mouth dropping as he heard his own language being spoken by this beast. He looked up at Sophie in awe; both amazed and terrified by the power she must possess to be able to control these beings just by her words. "Master –"

"First tell me who you are," Sophie growled at them.

"Several of us go by names," one of them explained, "but most of us go by no name. Only by names humans have given to us over the years."

"Still say them," Sophie narrowed her eyes. "I don't like to be kept waiting…"

"You are in a place of Abaddōn, the lowest place of the low in Hell and in all creation. Where nothingness arrives from nothing and something becomes nothing," a half-goat, half-human being said, standing and bowing to Sophie in reverence. "I am Aza'zel, a creature destined to be sacrificed when this world comes to an end."

"As we said there are many of us who have no name," a large three-headed dog stood up and crept towards her, "but we are all here because we were created to be here. I am Kerberos, the dog that guards Hell as the Leviathan does, but I do not devour. I only make sure no one comes in and out unless I am told they can."

"I can't believe I can finally talk to you!" an excited cat jumped up and down and pushed Kerberos away, causing the mutt to yelp in surprise as it was shoved leagues away from them. "**You** named me. I am the only one that is named by master!"

"M-me?" Sophie pointed to herself with a huff.

"Yes you master," the cat smiled. "Ahelie, demon cat of the lowest reaches of Hell. Accompanies souls as they travel through the afterlife. Devours evil souls and rewards the good. To explain to the little Egyptian," the black cat chuckled, "I am like Ammit, but not quite her. That is a different creature entirely, but I have the same roles as her… she's somewhere around here, but is probably taking a nap or something," Ahelie shrugged.

"And I have been called several names," the dragon pointed to himself, "Apep by Egyptians and Dracul from the Romanians. I am simply a dragon, a serpent, who, like Ahelie, serves only you in your missions if you require us to, master."

"… Okay thank you," Sophie began, "but you still need to explain to me why you're trying to devour this group of souls… don't tell me it's because of **me**."

"We reward the just and let them move on to paradise in the afterlife, but if the soul is deemed unworthy then they are devoured by us… any of us master," the dragon continued to explain to Sophie, who supposed his name is Apep, "Our main role is to devour souls. These souls have been sent by your soul to be here in Abaddōn, thus they will forever be tormented and devoured over and over by us –"

"I see…" Sophie thought quietly. "Well how do you know I am your master?" she huffed. "**Why** do you call me master?"

"Your soul was created before us," Apep explained, "and we came from you. The darkness you see around you is your soul, master, and you can control what happens here. If you want this place to disappear then it can and if you want to create more of us then you can. We are creatures that serve and have no authority other than the authority **you** can give us. We do not know if you created us or we are only created from your side, but we are a part of you… but you are not a part of us."

"Let me get this straight," Sophie held up her hand, "You're telling me that my soul **is** the darkness? Does that mean my soul's name is Abaddōn? Is that what you're trying to say??"

"N-no master," he trembled slightly as she began to raise her voice, "Y-you miss understood –"

"You're only making everything complicated," Ahelie huffed and pushed Apep to the side, staring at Sophie with big sapphire/golden eyes and a gigantic grin plastered on her face. "No, you have no name master. In fact, even we don't know if you are Abaddōn or Abaddōn is also a part of you. It is a question within a question without an answer I suppose," the black demon cat shrugged. "Your soul is the darkness. It is _**the~**_ darkness. Not that you came from the darkness, but you **are** the darkness. Or perhaps you're not… I don't know," she shrugged. "Thus, master, we do not know you. We only come from you. Actually not even anyone in Hell knows where you come from. You're older then Hell itself. Older then the world itself. Heck, you may be older then the heavens itself! We just don't know… only you would know that."

"Huh…" Sophie thought to herself, keeping a stern glare on the creatures. "Then, as your master, this is my thoughts on the matter," she began, beginning to walk and kept a stern glare at each creature, "It seems to me that when I sent these souls here I did not properly evaluate them. Thus I want to review each soul that is here and evaluate their true destination for the rest of eternity. Some may stay here, some may go to Sekhet iaru, but if they can then I will leave it up to them to go. If they do not want to go to Sekhet iaru and would rather stay here for eternity then they can… I owe it to these souls that have been trapped for three thousand years to choose their paths." Letting out a sigh she scratched the back of her head, making sure Oba was still in her sights as she turned around and began to walk back towards him. "As your master this is my order: You will **not** torment these souls till I have done my evaluation. If you eat or touch one without my consent then you will be destroyed on sight. Once I have given my consent then you may resume tormenting these souls, but in the meantime I will not allow you to touch anyone of them. Understood?"

After hearing several grunts and roars Sophie nodded, wrapping an arm around Oba's shoulder protectively and pushed him away from the beasts. "There is one last thing," she began again, "is your obedience to me. If I call upon you in battle then I want you to come with no _**moans**_ and _**groans**_ on the matter. Sometimes I will need help, for I have chosen to not eat the evil spirits myself. So if you're called then come and in the world I can explain to you what I need to you do… understood?" After hearing more grunts and roars of approval Sophie smirked, "Good. Now you are all dismissed except for Kerberos."

"W-wait me!" the three-headed dog woofed at his name being called, keeping his heads low to the ground as Sophie walked up to him, grabbing him by the nose and tilting one of his heads so she could glare into his eyes. The dog flinched back, seeing the crystal blue, shinigami green, and yellow colors swirling rapidly in her eyes and barring at him.

"You know how to get out of here correct?" Sophie asked.

"Y-yes master –"

"Good," she huffed. "I need to get myself out of here as soon as possible. While I'm gone I want you to keep guard of the souls. I will not have one of them disappear on me before I can complete my mission."

"Y-yes master," it whimpered, Sophie letting out another huff as she shoved his nose to the ground and skipped over to Oba.

Sophie smiled at Oba, whose mouth was open in shock. "Y-you're not going to kill us are you?"

"I don't plan on it," Sophie shrugged before letting out a tired sigh. "I… I know I wasn't the soul responsible in trapping your soul and the other bas here in the lowest pits of the darkness, but my other soul is. The soul that grows inside of me did, I know that… a-and I won't be able to live with myself if I am able to leave this place, but everyone else is left behind. I can't accept this."

"T-then what are you saying master –"

"Don't call me master," Sophie huffed. "It's **Sophie**. Don't call me by any other name… unless you want to call me Sophia. That's fine too," she smirked. Oba flinched in fear before he gave her a slight nod of the head, a chuckle escaping her throat as she continued to think. "And what I'm saying is I need to bring a soul with me to earth who knows every soul that is trapped here so I can collect their records. Even a soul as old as you should have records somewhere… so I need to revise them and read each one of them over before I can permit some of you to leave. What I want to ask is… do you know every ba that is here and can help me?"

"R-really?" he gasped. "Yes! Y-yes I will!"

"Good," Sophie smiled, rustling up his black hair before looking over at the Kerberos that was keeping his heads to the ground. "Make the list for me here, but you can come with me to the living world to assist me. You will only be a ghost and must follow me around, but I don't see a problem with you tagging along. Since you're a _god~_ and all," she snickered.

"N-no I'm not," Oba sighed as he looked to the ground, "I-I'm not. You're right, I'm only a human… but if I can help you," he said as he lifted up his head and his brown eyes shined with determination, "then I will!"

"Then help me explain the situation to the rest of the bas," Sophie told him, pushing Oba along as the Kerberos followed obediently behind them, "because they will listen to you. You may not be a god, but you are their leader and must continue to act as such." Oba nodded and stayed close to Sophie, flinching away as the Kerberos breathed down his neck and barked at him.

!#$%^&*()

"And the Wepwawet family, the father and daughter," Oba told Sophie, a different soul writing down the information for them on a long scroll that spanned on and on and disappeared into the darkness, "who were with me in Egypt. That is the last of them," the young boy explained, looking over the scribe's shoulder and looking over the information.

"We had about 940,508 souls trapped here in Abaddōn when we, us Egyptians, were captured," the scribe began, "and –"

"There were about 6,600,600 souls trapped here in the beginning," Sophie interrupted him, "and about 1,099,400 since my father, Maurus, was created. That means there are exactly 7,700,000 souls that need to be evaluated."

"That's a **lot** of bas," Oba huffed at the large number, "How are you going to finish all of that?"

"It will be hard," Sophie chuckled, "but it's not impossible. I can get some help on this, but **I** will be the one and only being who evaluates the souls. You understand what you'll be doing, right Oba?"

"Yes," he nodded. "I'll be hiding in your body right?"

"You can say it like that," Sophie chuckled, "but don't worry. I'll let you stretch once everything is situated and I'm working on the cinematic records –"

"I-if you don't mind me asking," Oba asked, "b-but what's a cinematic record?"

"To make is simple," Sophie sighed, "a cinematic record is a record of a being's soul as it plays out over time. A human's cinematic record is simple, from their birth to their death. The records can get more and more complex as time goes on; if the being is supernatural or not can play a factor too. If they can time travel is or go to parallel universes are other complications. It all depends on the individual."

"Ah," Oba nodded, "Understood…"

"Yes," Sophie nodded back, using her powers to roll up the scroll into a tight ball and turn it into a small scroll. Then she stuffed it under her trench coat, tucked under her clothes and close to her heart so no one would find it. "Now come," she held out her hand to him, Oba quickly accepting the hand and gripping tightly to her side, "we have a long journey ahead of us. Thank you sir for writing the names down on the scroll."

"You are welcome miss," the scribe bowed to her, Sophie giving him a nod as she kept a tight grip on Oba's hand and pulled him along.

"… Are you scared?" she asked him quietly.

"Yes," Oba answered behind chattering teeth, "b-but I'm ready for whatever comes." Sophie nodded and put her hand in her pocket, Oba let in a tight gulp as his eyes darted around in the darkness as they slowly walked along.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Wow I'm having too much fun finding different names for this XD Anyways I hope you like this so far. I had a MAJOR case of writer's block and didn't know how to execute this. So I hope you understand everything… Well that's pretty much it. (I REALLY need to get rid of some of these chapters. Too many! XO) I hope you've enjoyed this so far. Tell me if you have! I don't get a lot of comments from this fanfic anymore it seems ^^'**

Oba – Egyptian – scepter holder; king

_Tibi, creaturas tenebras, mox pugna prohiberent _– Latin –_ I order you, creatures of darkness, to stop attacking at once_

_Quid facis hinc? Quid devora animae? _– Latin – _What are you doing here? Why are you devouring these souls?_

_magister_ – Latin – _master_

Abaddōn – Greek – derived from Hebrew abaddown, meaning "destruction, ruination." In the New Testament bible, this is the name of the place of destruction. And it is a name given to the angel of the bottomless pit, the Destroyer Apollyōn

Aza'zel – Hebrew – meaning "entire removal" and "scapegoat." In the bible, this word is found in the law of the day of atonement (Leviticus 16:8, 10, 26). It refers to a goat used for sacrifice for the sins of the people. In modern times, Azazel was interpreted as a Satanic, goat-like demon. The name has even been used for the "Angel of Death"

Kerberos – Greek – meaning "demon of the pit." In mythology, this is the name of the three-headed dog that guards the entrance to Hades

Ammit – Egyptian – female demon with a body that was part lion, hippopotamus and crocodile—the three largest "man-eating" animals known to ancient Egyptians. A funerary deity, her titles included "Devourer of the Dead", "Eater of Hearts", and "Great of Death"

Dracul – Romanian – "devil" or "dragon"

Sekhet iaru – Egyptian – "reed fields"; paradisiacal land of plenty where the dead hoped to spend eternity


	58. The Getaway

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well here's another chapter! =D I hope you enjoy this one too ^^… There's not much to say here so I'll see you at the end! X3**

!#$%^&*()

"Oba right there," Sophie whispered, keeping a tight grip on the boy's hand as they ran down to a flaming river. "Come on. There are demons after us." Oba yelped as he was startled by the yelling behind them, Sophie ignoring the sounds behind her as she thought about how she would be able to use the river. "Now… is there a boat or something around here – Hah there! Come," she pulled on Oba's hand, throwing him into a boat that was washed up on shore or perhaps waiting for them to jump on. Then she summoned her long black death scythe and used it to push off of the bank, a few demons finally catching up with them, but not in time as they departed away and began to float down the river of fire. Sophie chuckled happily, "At least my powers are starting to work once we left the lowest of the low," she smiled, frowning once she saw Oba huddled up on the bottom of the boat shivering. "Hey bud," she frowned, crouching down slightly, but keeping a firm hand on her death scythe that was stirring them along, "are you okay? Is this too much for you?... Should I bring you back –"

"No Sophie!" Oba told her, lifting his head up and holding his hands at her, "NO… just… I never knew how far under we actually were. The lowest place of the afterlife, where no life is supposed to live. Only the worst of the worst end up there –"

"And that's why I find that this mission of mine is essential," Sophie told him, standing back up and beginning to stir the boat along. "Most of the souls that I have trapped and the previous generations of mine have done to souls are not supposed to be there. Only a few, but most aren't. Perhaps they aren't going to the Fields, but at least they should be brought out of the bottomless guilt and pain that is there in the Darkness. You understand what I am saying boy?"

"Y-es I suppose," he shrugged, letting out a yawn and rubbing his eyes. "I haven't felt this tired in eons. Where are we going?"

"I do not know," Sophie honestly answered, "but I am only following my instincts. Somehow it led us to that gate, where we were able to get out and end up on this boat. I don't know if this is my boat or someone else's and I don't know if this river has a name, but I do know that we are getting closer to being free. Have to give everything some time I suppose."

"T-then can I take a nap?" Oba asked as he rubbed his eyes and snuggled tighter around his clothing.

"Sure I suppose," Sophie chuckled. "I'll tell you when I need you to awaken."

"Yes Sophie," he answered her, closing his eyes and curling up on the side of the boat. "… Why did they call you Darkness? And why did some of them call you Death?"

"I do not know," Sophie sighed. "It's easier for creatures to put labels on beings. That's why you call Osiris the ruler of the afterlife. That is why you have the goddess Ma'at with the Feather of Truth. Anubis involved with mummification and embalming. Perhaps these gods and goddesses were real or not, but you can never know unless they reveal themselves. As for I, I do not like being called names I know I am not."

"T-then what do you go by other then Sophie?" Oba yawned again, using Sophie's voice as a way to lull himself to sleep.

"My full name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus," she began. "My father is Maurus Serbus and my mother's last name was Ioreta. I was named after my mother's mother, who was Sophia Ioreta. When I was still human I was called White Swan because of a group of dear friends of mine all had nicknames and liked how I danced… gracefully…" she let out a dream felt sigh, continuing to speak even though she wasn't sure if Oba was still awake. "Well," she thought as she pushed the boat along, "the next nickname I got was the name Hehewuti because I was always working and unable to play. Also I was invited into their tribe, so they gave me a name that they thought would fit me. Over time I also got the name Wihakayda too. Then the Dark Rider came next because of the black horse I ride… which makes me wonder where that horse originally came from. If it's really Death's horse or someone else's," she huffed remembering the words the beasts had said back in the lowest pits of the darkness. "I gave myself the name Athena Ernest when I don't want people to know my real name," she continued, "because… because… I don't know."

She continued to row along in the fire, her scythe not becoming consumed by the flames as they drifted along. "I… I heard the name Athena several times I think… while I was asleep… I think from my father – No it was earlier than that, but I don't know," she sighed. "I wish I knew. I don't even know why I chose the name anymore." Looking over to her side she noticed Oba was sound asleep, a smirk coming to her face as she let out a hefty sigh. "I wonder how I'll get us out of this mess now –"

"Who are you?" she heard from a voice below them, a smirk coming to her face as she looked down at the waters. "You are not the boatman… though you feel like him –"

"Perhaps you should tell me your name before I tell you mine," she chuckled and grinned, amused that she was talking to water of all things!

"Phlegethon, the river of fire," the waters explained.

"Nice to meet you Phlegethon," Sophie nodded, "My name is Sophia Serbus, God of Death, but you can call me Sophie if you'd prefer."

"Serbus…" the river thought to itself. "… You are affiliated with Erebus? Perhaps Chaos? You seem to be like Chaos –"

"I am Sophia. Simply Sophia Serbus," she said again. "I do not know if I am associated with those beings, but even if I am, I am my own creature. Now that we're done with the introductions," she chuckled, "do you know how to get out of here?"

"What?... Hades?" the river asked her.

"That would be correct," Sophie told the river. "I am not accustomed to drifting along in your waters and I would like to leave before I am presumed dead –"

"Aren't you already dead–"

"No," Sophie tried to explain. "I am not dead yet. Even if I was I wouldn't have ended up here –"

"How would you know Serbus –"

"Because I am a God of Death," she huffed slightly annoyed with its constant questioning, "and it is my job to evaluate souls and send them off to the afterlife. Now will you tell me how to leave or will I have to ignore you?"

"… You are one powerful goddess," the river huffed back before going back to her question. "You will connect to the river Styx in approximately a hundred more miles. Once you do take a right, and by taking a right the Styx will let you leave if you talk to her. Don't get her angry. She's not a happy river if you make her angry. Then she will drift you into Oceanus and you will connect to the realm of the living."

"Thank you," Sophie nodded to the river, a chuckle escaping her voice as she thought. "I guess it may be a few more hours," she sighed, scratching the back of her head, and then pulled her black hood over her head as she pushed the boat along. "I wonder when the Leviathan will show itself," she thought quietly to herself in a whisper, just in case Oba was listening to her and began to get worried about this creature she was describing.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Jericho hummed lightly, sitting down at his desk and setting down a cup of coffee down. He flipped open Sophie's cinematic record, as what he was accustomed to doing every day since Sophie had disappeared, and looked towards the end expecting nothing to show up. Then his eyes went wide, almost spitting out his coffee as he jumped to his feet and ran down the hallway and up the stairs.

"Mrs. Obki! Mrs. Obki look at this!" he yelled down the hallway, slamming open the door leading to Fiona's office, where she was sitting contently reading a newspaper and sipping tea. "Her records are showing up!"

"Oh they are?" Fiona raised an eyebrow, setting her paper down calmly and grabbing the record from his hand before he could fuss. "Let me see then…" she coughed, looking them over with great interest. Slowly the smile on her face turned into a frown, reading the material over and over again as Sophie was trapped in the darkest reaches of the underworld. "Well…" she sighed, "Sophie is in her own little predicament isn't she?"

"Excuse me?" Jericho frowned, walking around the table and towards the record so he could read over her shoulder.

"From the looks of things," Fiona began, "she was sent to… I guess a place called Abaddōn. Just a place in the Darkness of the Darkness… but there's more." She sighed, "The farther up Sophie goes then her powers increase ten-fold. So by the time she's back on earth she could be… well I don't know," she shrugged. "We can only hope Sophie doesn't go crazy with power."

"I doubt that will happen," Jericho chuckled, "but just where is she now?"

"I-I'm not sure," Fiona sighed, "she stopped talking to creatures when she crossed over to the river Styx and is currently thinking to herself… nothing else is being written."

"I'll go and try to find her then," Jericho told her, about to dash out of the office till Fiona raised her voice.

"Wait boy," she huffed. "Don't be hasty. I don't think it's necessary."

"But –"

"Sophie has been able to make it on her own till that point," Fiona huffed, "and the fact that she found the boatman's ferry isn't a coincidence either. Let her be boy. If she needs us then her cinematic record will say so."

"… If you say so," he sighed, "but what should I do now –"

"Go collect some souls," Fiona shrugged, keeping the book open on her desk as she grabbed her newspaper and began to read again. "It will be a few hours till Sophie is out anyways. Who knows where in the world she'll pop out." Jericho nodded and turned back to leave, a sigh escaping his throat as he closed the door behind him. Fiona just shook her head, turning a page in her paper. "That boy," she chuckled lightly before letting out a sigh, "so foolish."

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Out of the mist of midmorning emerged a tall, frail looking man dressed in heavy black clothes and a large top hat. He skipped across the top of the hill as he chewed on some dates in his hand, jumping down from the hill and stopped just as he was about to fall off of a cliff that lead into the ocean. He giggled to himself, sitting down with his legs dangling off of the ledge as he ate his supper. "What a great day to be out and about," he snickered to nothing in particular, continuing to eat his food in haste as he saw the waters beginning to bend in a large vortex from a deserted island a few leagues away from him. "Just about time," he thought, watching the spectacle unfold as a large tentacle emerged from the water and drifted back into its hiding spot.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Oba it's time to awaken," Sophie told the young boy in the boat, who yawned and rubbed his eyes.

He looked around, noticing his surrounds had changed from complete darkness to a small hazy glow off in the distance. "W-where are we master?" Oba asked her in a groggy state, picking himself off of the boat and clinging to the side of the boat for stability.

"We are almost freed," Sophie said quietly, "and my name is Sophie remember?" she chuckled, Oba blushing at her statement as his eyes adjusted to the thinning darkness around him. He groaned; his head starting to spin as the light around them began to grow. "Come this way," Sophie told him. "Your eyes must be adjusting to the light that you have been kept away from for thousands of years. I don't want you falling out of the boat."

Oba nodded and did as he was told, crawling over to the sound of Sophie's voice and clinging to her leg. She wrapped a protective hand around his back, using her other hand to push the boat along the rest of the way. Oba cringed and Sophie shifted her head away from the sudden exposure to the light, their eyes wincing as Oba shuddered beside her. "I-it's bright!" he yelped, blinking in astonishment as Sophie began to chuckle at his comment.

"Yes," she laughed, "but go ahead and take a look."

Forcing his eyes to stare up at the light, Oba gasped in disbelief as he saw the clear blue sky above them and the smell of the ocean before them. He stood up in astonishment, a smile growing on his face as he heard the seagulls caw from overhead. "S-sophie. Sophie look!"

"Yes isn't it beautiful up here?" she responded, letting in a deep breath before letting out a happy sigh. Then she looked behind her, holding up her left hand and closing up the hole that the river Styx had created for them. Reorienting herself on her intended mission, Sophie continued to use her scythe and pushed along the ocean floor, causing the boat to drift away from the island they must have popped out of and towards a soul infested island she could tell from afar. "Now we're not out of trouble yet," she told Oba, who looked up at her with a frown on his face.

"W-what do you mean Sophie?" he asked her.

"There is a creature that guards the entrance and exit of Hell," Sophie explained, "called the Leviathan. Perhaps if it was only me we wouldn't have a problem, but now that I've brought you out of the bottomless pits of Hell… well the creature is liable to show up –"

"Does that mean I should have stayed behind?" he frowned, letting out a frightened squeak as Sophie began to laugh at his question.

"Oh no my boy," she chuckled heartedly, "I still stand by my decision for you. No, that's not the problem. I knew the Leviathan would make its way here… and honestly it will be easier now that you're here for him to find me." Oba stared at her confused, waiting for her to continue explaining the situation to him. "Once I dock to boat on land, I want you to wait for me at the top of the hill among the trees. Why? If the Leviathan gets to me then I don't want you being dragged back to Hell with me. I will come back, that's for sure, but if you end up being thrown in with me then we're going to have a problem," she huffed slightly, "but not to worry. Your master will defeat the Leviathan, and then I can start my plan on freeing and evaluating everyone to their appropriate destinations." She chuckled again, once she remembered something that had happened that had been on her mind since she was thrown to the underworld. "Which reminds me," she smiled at him, "I need to thank you."

"W-why would you thank a silly creature like myself?" Oba sighed at her.

"Because you were the one that brought me down to Hell in the first place," she shrugged, "and I never knew there are souls trapped there for many years… and it's my fault and I need to correct the situation." She rustled up his hair; bring the boat up onto the shore and using the butt side of her scythe to push the boat up farther, "So I should thank you. Thank you little Oba, son of Pharaoh."

"Y-you're welcome," he chuckled lightly, jumping out of the boat followed by Sophie. "What should we do with this boat?"

"I don't know," she shrugged. "Perhaps it will go off on its own or someone else will take it. Let's just get you up to a safe place –" She paused, pushing Oba up farther on the beach and glaring off into the waters.

"W-what is it Sophie?" he frowned.

"It's the Leviathan," she huffed under her breath, "I can sense that he's about to emerge… Oba go and run for the hills and wait for me. I'll show up when I'm done. **Don't look back**."

"Y-yes master!" he exclaimed, running as fast as he could up the beach and not daring to look behind him because of Sophie's warning.

Then Sophie set her eyes on the waters, were tentacles emerged out of the water to grab a hold of her. She pulled her black cloak tighter around her body and her black hood tighter on her head, the only thing showing from her face was her devious smirk and an eerie blue, green, and yellow glow coming from her eyes. "If you're going to fight me then show yourself!" she yelled into the water, slamming her black scythe against the sand before looking around for the creature. "Come on Leviathan," she began to taunt it, "I know you want to show yourself…" She waited till the tentacles emerged again, this time the top of the Leviathan's head showing itself with its eyes glowing brightly at her. She grinned, letting out a battle cry and jumping up high into the air with her scythe raised to slash it into half. The Leviathan roared back, sending its limbs at her to grab a hold of her.

The sounds of slashing and the cry of the beast was all that could be heard from the land, Sophie dropping down onto the creature as its limbs fell around them. Grabbing hold of its head she threw it up into the air, slashing her scythe at the sky as she fell into the water. The Leviathan let out another cry, its body being ripped apart by the dark energy that she sent towards it. The Leviathan fell in after her, its body aimed at grabbing a hold of her as she tried to swim underwater. Sophie did the best she could as she swam around in the water, frightened that she was at a disadvantage since she never learned how to swim. She yelled at the Leviathan as it roared back at her from the water, her scythe slashing the body in half again and again till there was nothing left. Blinking in confusion and waiting for another attack that never came, her body slowly floated farther and farther into the darkening water, Sophie unable to swim out from her watery grave. A hand grabbed a hold of her, pulling her out of the waters and throwing her onto the land.

Sophie let out a hefty cough, a mixture of water and blood coming from her mouth and she looked up at her savior. She blinked with uncertainty, never before seeing a human whose eyes bore the same brightness the Leviathan did. "You are Darkness yet you do not know how to swim?" he chuckled, "That's pretty funny! Hey landlubbers this powerful creature doesn't know how to swim –" The Leviathan let out a surprised yelp as he was grabbed by the tip of Sophie's scythe and thrown off of her.

She threw him farther up the beach, not giving the creature time to think as she appeared in front of his face and snarled at him. "Enough games Leviathan," Sophie growled at him. "Now do you want me to destroy you or will you let me leave?" she snarled, pushing the blade of her scythe up at his neck.

He whimpered slightly, letting out a huff as she slit into his throat millimeter by millimeter. "Okay alright," he growled, causing Sophie to stop and hold her scythe at his neck, "You win. I will let you go… Dang it. Having to listen to you, Erebus… how drone –"

"My name is Sophia Serbus, Leviathan," she sneered, digging the blade deeper into his neck, "**Not** Erebus, **not** Abaddōn, **not** Anubis, Chaos, or Death: just Sophia Serbus, servant of Darkness and God of Death. Now do you want me to explain this farther by embedding my scythe into your head or can I go about my own business silently?"

"… You're no fun," he huffed, "You were more fun when you were defenseless."

"Hey I can still be fun!" she huffed back, letting go of his neck and stepping away from him, but kept a stern glare on is eyes. "It just took me a couple of days to get out of the lowest reaches of Hell."

"Oh really?" the Leviathan stood up, giving her a slight bow. "Then my apologies _o tired one_," he grinned, Sophie shaking her head as he creped around her and back towards the water. "I will promise that this is the last time you will be seeing me from the order Michael sent out to me. You are free to go back to the human world Serbus, but do know this: I will be back."

"And I will look forward to the reunion," she answered with a smirk. Slowly, but surely, the Leviathan walked back into the water, slowly turning back into the sea monster and disappearing into its watery depths. Once she was sure the Leviathan was gone she collapsed on the sand, unable to keep her eyes open as she fell into a state of unconsciousness.

)(*&^%$#!

Hearing a low groan coming from the woman, who had washed up on the shore, Oba's eyes blinked trying to not tear up as he continued to shake her. "Come on master," he whimpered, "Y-you need to get up –" He suddenly stopped, seeing a long shadow cast across their bodies and stretching into the water. Oba whimpered as he slowly turned his head around and looked up, feeling a dark and overwhelming presence behind him. The man snickered, the boy letting out a surprised yelp and holding his hands up in defense. "Don't eat me!"

The man couldn't help but laugh, running a long black nail over the boy's cheek and causing him to jump back startled and fall off to the side of her body. "I will do no such thing," he giggled at the boy, Oba's eyes widening in fright as the creepy man crept towards his master. He sneaked forward at the creature he was waiting for and knelt down beside her, running a nail over the woman's face as she began to regain consciousness by his touch.

Sophie let out another tired groan as she slowly opened her eyes, her glowing blue, green, and yellow eyes still shining as she flinched away from the bright sun. "… U-undert-aker?" she asked the man, Undertaker chuckling as he shifted his head in front of the sun to shield her stinging eyes.

"This is he," he giggled, his features softening as he ran a nail over her hair and cuffed her face into his hand. "I was worried about you," he said in a soft voice, "and I wasn't sure if you would come back."

"D-dad I –" she flinched, feeling a sting going up her arm. Sophie looked down at her left hand and groaned, the skull and thorns marking still visible and glowing on her hand. "H-how long was I gone?"

"Seven days, but I'm not going to let you out of my sight till you rest," he giggled, pressing his lips upon hers, but flinching back slightly as an explosive shock ran up his mouth and down his spine.

That's when she noticed Undertaker frowning, her face turning to worry as she raised her hand up to grab his cheek. "W-what's wrong?" she trembled, her hand still shaking as he grabbed hold of her hands and kissed them tenderly.

"Nothing," he said quietly, "I will explain later." Then he turned his attention over to the soul staring at them, a wide grin on his face as he gestured the boy to come over with a wave of his finger. "Who is this _lovely~ _soul you've found little maiden?" he chuckled as the boy crept sluggishly towards them.

"Oba, son of Pharaoh," she groaned, closing her eyes and turning her head to avoid the bright sun shining on her face. "A-as you I will explain later," she grumbled under her breath, "b-but first: Oba come here."

"Yes Sophie," Oba explained, rushing over to her side and trying to avoid the eerie set of green/yellow eyes that seemed to be shining from behind the other man's silver bangs.

"H-here… possess me body now," she told him.

"W-wait what?" Oba huffed.

"Oh you know," she chuckled, "when I told you that you would be staying in my body while you're up here? Well come on now… I can't keep awake any longer." Oba did as he was told without complaining, his soul disappearing into Sophie's body as she closed her eyes and let in a breath. Once Oba was inside of her Sophie looked up at the Undertaker and smiled, chuckling as she tried to come up with an excuse for what she had done. "L-let's just talk about this later," she sighed, "b-but I don't even know why you're here."

"I came to pick you up," the Undertaker chuckled, finding that her actions didn't need an explanation yet as he picked her up and walked to the edge of the shore. "I knew where you went and knew where you would end up popping out of the underworld."

"Y-you did?" she blinked, her head flopping over to the side as she watched the Undertaker kick the boat she had used to ride the rivers of the underworld back into the middle of the ocean.

"Yes," he giggled, "and I found it entertaining to just watch then help you."

"Oh thanks," she huffed disgustedly, feeling in the back of her mind that he was keeping something from her. She was pushed out of her thoughts as she felt another sting go through her arm and up around her body, shuddering as she shifted her body closer to the Undertaker for comfort.

He cooed softly into her ear, running a comforting hand along her cheek as he brought her left hand up into his hand and pressed it against her chest. "It's okay little maiden," he talked to her softly as he walked up the beach and towards the hills above, "I will get rid of your pain soon enough."

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Jericho I was just wondering if you knew if Sophie got back yet?" Rose asked as she came into his office, setting down a collection of papers on his desk as she looked at his tired face.

"She did," he sighed softly, "but her powers have increased by ten-fold… or even more than that. I'm worried she may lose control if she stays in the land of the living longer then she has to –"

"Don't worry about silly details like that," Rose huffed as she took a few steps backward towards the door. "Sophie is a strong woman, a strong spirit. You need to put more faith into her." Then Rose chuckled lightly, playing around with a black feather keychain hanging off of her side, "I know I had to learn to do that… and so do you," she huffed back. "Now do you have anything for me to send out?"

"Nope I'm okay," he told her. "Tell Alexander I send my regards."

"Will do," she nodded, closing the door behind her and walking down to Alex's office. "Hey муж dear," she peeked her head into the office, "I'm going to go talk to Miss Sutcliff about something."

"Oh okay," Alex smiled as he signed forms and set them off to the side. "What about?"

"Sophie made it," she giggled happily, "but, of course, she won't be coming to work for a while."

"Ah I see!" Alex chuckled happily. "Well this **is** exciting news to hear. Let's give her a few more days before we start bugging her," he snickered, "since we don't know what type of state Sophie could be in right now."

"Yes'um," Rose smiled back, blowing him a goodbye kiss as she closed the door behind her. "Seven days…" she thought as she walked down the hallway towards the stairs, "You can't just think that's ironic right?" Rose chuckled lightly, skipping down the stairs and eventually reaching her destination.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: BAM DONE! I hope you guys have enjoyed this last chapter ^^ I'm starting to like this Leviathan character. I don't know if you guys do or not, but he's fun to write up! Heh. I can't wait to introduce him better =3 I guess I'll see you guys next time. As always comments are welcome!... OH! And if you guys have an OC you'd like me to add I'll do so. If not then… then yeah. Enough ranting. See you!**

Phlegethon – the river of fire

Erebus – "darkness"; the first recorded instance of it was "place of darkness between earth and Hades"

Chaos – "emptiness, vast void, chasm, abyss"; formless or void state preceding the creation of the universe or cosmos in the Greek creation myths, more specifically the initial "gap" created by the original separation of heaven and earth


	59. The Seal

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Here's a new chapter… heh. It seems you guys were excited to see what happens next. Well here it is! ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"_Come on run, run!"_

"_What is that thing?" _

"_It's coming closer Sophie! Help us!"_

"_Help! Help!"_

Sophie whimpered, twitching her eyelids as she tried to open them. When she opened her eyes she moved her head away from the sudden light, the darkness in the room overwhelming her. Usually the damp bedroom in the morgue was comforting, but her head was still processing darkness without any shadows and murkiness. She cuffed her head into her hands, turning her body to the side as she groaned in agonizing pain. She sat in a curled up position on the bed, refusing to take her hands away from her face as she tried to build confidence to move her hands away.

"_Sophie~~_" she heard a low murmur from the door, a giggle escaping the Undertaker's lips as he crept over to her and poked her on the cheek. "I know you're awake," he snickered, Sophie groaning in response as she refused to let Undertaker pry her hands away from her face.

"It hurts," she huffed at him, rolling away from him and trying to avoid his hands.

She let out a frightened squeak as she felt long bony hands grab hold of the top of her chest and the bottom of her stomach, pinning her up right on the bed. She could feel him move on top of her, pinning her down farther to the point where she couldn't move around. "_Little maiden~_" he whispered softly into her ear, "you need to open your eyes if you want to last here in the land of the _living~_" Sophie answered him with a groan, slowly moving her hands away but wincing and covering them again as soon as the moonlight shined into her eyes. Undertaker chuckled lightly, taking her hands into his as the tense expression on her face slowly became calm. "_Trust me~~_" he hummed into her ear, gently prying her hands away from her eyes. Slowly Sophie opened her eyelids, her bright crystal blue eyes staring up into Undertaker's dazzling emerald and golden eyes.

They both exchanged smiles to each other, Undertaker smiling his famous Cheshire cat grin and Sophie beaming back with a tender smile on her face. "D-dad…" she sighed happily, "I-I thought I had fallen asleep back in the underworld."

"How are you feeling?" he asked with a grin on his face, placing her hands down on her chest and smiling down at her sweetly.

"E-everything is sore," she explained, "e-especially my hand… I-is it still g-lowing?"

"I'm afraid so," he smiled as he brought her left hand to his lips and tenderly kissed the top of her hand, "but I can easily fix that… if you still consider that I own you."

"Of c-course I do," Sophie huffed lightly at him, "n-nothing has change si-nce I left."

"Good," he exclaimed, "I will set up preparations then –"

"What preparations?" Sophie blinked at him confused.

"Nothing," he giggled and kissed her nose, "nothing at all."

She huffed, shaking her head at him and looking over at the wall. "… I'm still tired," she sighed.

"Then I'll let you sleep," he chuckled, "**if** you tell me something."

"Hmmm?" she tilted her head to the side.

"What happened down there?" He sighed, gently squeezing her hands in his palms, "Are you different? Why did you bring a soul with you?... Do you know what you are now?"

Sophie smiled, shifting her body so she could see Undertaker's eyes better. "I was shoved into the lowest pits of darkness," she began to explain, "or that's what they told me. No, I'm still the same old me. I doubt I changed… I-I think. Even if I did I wouldn't want to… you know that." She sighed, "As for the soul that is Oba, son of Pharaoh. A firstborn child that my soul had absorbed four thousand years ago… I plan on evaluating every soul that is trapped there, seeing as it was me, my father, and my soul that trapped them there. I don't know if it's guilt or an inner impulse of mine, but I feel that every soul needs to go back to their original destinations. I can't live with myself if I let them stay there… knowing the darkness is slowly eating away at their souls." That's when she looked away from his gaze, looking over at the gray wall hidden in the shadows of the night. "I do not know who I am and I do not want to find out," she exhaled her breath in a tiresome way. "They kept calling me different beings: Darkness, Anubis, Erebus, Chaos, Death UGH!" she groaned, "It was infuriating. I just want to be Sophie… is that too much to ask?"

"No little maiden," he chuckled, "no… I'll _always~_ call you my little maiden, Sophia, you know that."

She smiled looking up at him as her eyes looked into his, "T-thanks dad," she chuckled, shifting her weight as she got comfortable on the bed. "I-I don't even know how I would get this far without you."

Undertaker smiled, planting a kiss upon her lips before pulling away and sitting off to the side of the bed. "Let Oba out," he told her, "I'll keep an eye on him." Sophie nodded as she closed her eyes, letting out a deep breath as the spirit of Oba left her body and stumbled onto the floor. "Great," he chuckled, "Now go back to sleep and when you awaken we will get rid of your pain." Without giving him any comments Sophie cracked a smile and descended back into her slumber, trusting that Undertaker would take care of the soul. "So boy," he chuckled, "would you like to help your master?"

"Y-yes mister," Oba nodded, pushing himself off of the ground and following Undertaker out of the room and down the dark hallway.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"What is today now?" Oba asked astounded.

"May 19, 1888," the Undertaker chuckled as he decided to work on one of his guests as they waited for Sophie to wake up again.

"What is a May?" Oba huffed. "Why do you call this 1888?"

"It is obvious that the years have changed since you have been alive, young one," Undertaker explained, "I don't see why you need to complain. Why not sit back and listen to the conversations before speaking? You will learn more than asking questions every single time someone speaks."

"I guess sir," Oba sighed, looking up from his seat on the coffin towards the curtain the led into the hallway. "… Do you know what master is sir?"

"I never have," Undertaker giggled lightly to himself, "even with her father, which is why I find her so fun and fascinating to keep around."

"Are you her biological father or did you just adopt her?" he asked suddenly. "Because I noticed you're being affectionate to her… will she be your wife?"

"My boy," Undertaker chuckled, "in this time and age marrying your daughter is strictly frowned upon."

"Oh…" Oba huffed, "That's weird. My mama was my father's sister. I don't see a problem in that. Why? She does not like you?"

"I don't know boy," he sighed, "and no, we are not related –"

"Then more of a reason to be wed right?" Oba asked, sitting on the edge of his coffin and waiting for Undertaker's answer.

"Why are you pushing the idea for us to be mates?" Undertaker asked as he pulled tightly on the string in his hand and cut the thread loose.

"… You helped her," Oba explained, "knew where we were, and you seem to know what is going on with master. Master loves you, you love master… I don't see why you shouldn't," he shrugged.

"Because boy," Undertaker responded as he began to put his needles and thread away in their proper places around the room, "If little maiden doesn't want an intimate relationship with me then I will grant her that wish. I would rather see her happy then be bound to me and all my whims. There is a thing called _love~_, boy, and perhaps you should look into the idea farther. You may like what you_ find~_"

Oba shrugged, "I-I guess…" Then he looked up, suddenly being alert before a soft rustle came from the end of the hall. "Master is waking up." He looked over at the Undertaker as he finished putting his tools away, closing the coffin lid before bringing his sleeve to his face and giggling insanely. "Y-you… what are you going to do?" he asked as he looked to the middle of the room where a large table had been moved with candles surrounding the place.

"_You'll see~_" the Undertaker snickered before he put his sleeve down and walked over to the main door. Locking the door he flipped the sign from open to close and closed the blinds, which was usually held open so pedestrians can become frightened by the sights within. "Or perhaps not. If you would like to go somewhere else you are welcome to –"

"No," Oba huffed, "I am old enough… are you going to perform a ritual or something?"

"You could say that," Undertaker smiled as he walked past him and towards the hallway, "now either walk into a different room or sit in the corner. If something happens I don't want you to get hurt." Oba nodded as he got up and sat down on a coffin in the far off corner of the mortuary, listening as the Undertaker's boots _**'clanked' **_across the floor as he came near the bedroom.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

'_**Poke' 'poke' 'giggle'**_ Sophie could hear in the back of her mind as she groaned in her sleep and tried desperately to stay in the eternal rest she was able to keep herself in. "_Little maiden~_" she began to hear, her cheek being poked again as she let out a grumble in response. Followed by another chuckle, a hand reached around her head and set her up.

She woke up groaning as her crystal blue, shinigami green, and yellow eyes pierced with hatred at the older man that was waking her up. "D-dad, come on," she frowned, keeping her body limp as he tilted her chin up so he could see her expressions clearly.

"You want to get rid of the pain?" he asked, Sophie giving him a weak nod as she closed her eyes in a tired manner. "_Then come with me~~_" the Undertaker instructed her, helping Sophie lift her body off of the bed and walk down the hallway.

Sophie sighed. The more she was here in the land of the living the weaker she began to feel. She was feeling sluggish, slow, and machine-like. Everything she was doing was mechanical; by the way she walked down the hallway and the way she clung to Undertaker's arm. She felt she had been asleep for many years, like a mummified body that had arisen from its grave and began to walk on the earth. This was the consequence of staying in the darkness for so long… even though the time she felt was two days while the rest of the world had moved seven. Perhaps that's how the darkness is, a place with no real time or motion, where everything is nothing and nothing is the darkness.

Walking through the curtain she peeked inside, taking a few cautionary steps back as she looked at the scene before her. "W-what is this?" she shuddered frightened. "W-why an altar – are you going to sacrifice me?" she whimpered, looking up at the Undertaker as she waited for an answer.

"Sacrifice?" Undertaker began to laugh, the walls beginning to shake as Sophie tried to back away from him. Then he roughly grabbed her hand, stopping her in her retreat as she let out a frightened whimper. "I would never to that little maiden," he said in a quiet voice, kissing the top of her hand gently, "never…"

"T-then why?" she whimpered as she was forced to stay in the room under his grip.

He sighed, running his other hand over her cheek and gently cuffing her face. "We need to keep your powers at bay," he said softly as he loosened his grip on her hand as he slowly cornered her into the wall. "Since tu mihi, it is my responsibility to keep you safe. Not that I need to seal your powers away, oh no," he chuckled lightly, "but disguise it… make your scent mine… that's what needs to be done." He let go of her hand and wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing the top of their foreheads against each other as he grinned at her happily. "Even after Michael released your powers you _still~_ don't know your own strength. My little maiden, I thought I raised you better," he teased her and giggled at the expressions she was making with her face.

"And how will you do that, _hmmm~_?" Sophie pouted. "What are you really, a demon? –"

"No," he answered sternly, pressing her body closer to the wall as he pressed his chest into her. "I am no demon. I am strictly a shinigami, legendary shinigami I suppose," he giggled before letting out a weary sigh. "I promised I would take care of you, promised to keep you safe, and in turn you promised me yourself. Do you know who you are? Of course not," he chuckled lightly, "Nor did your father. Nor do you want to find out who and where your soul comes from. That is fine, but you must know by now that your soul is a daimon soul?" He questioned her, Sophie giving him a slight nod of the head as she looked up waiting for him to continue. "You know how word daimon souls work, correct?" he continued to ask.

"Y-yes," she nodded. "Daemons are evil creatures that –"

"No that's where you're wrong," he chuckled lightly. "I wasn't referring to daemons, but dai-mons. They are good or benevolent natured spirits with the same natures as both mortals and gods, which is still being debated if they are forces of nature or gods themselves. That's what your soul is, **not** a demon. Do you understand?"

Sophie had to process the new information for a few moments. Not a demon? That's all she's been hearing all her life… there is something the Undertaker must know that other beings don't, but why does he? That's what she was beginning to get afraid of, how he knows all of this. "I-I understand," she shuddered, turning her head away and letting out immense gasps. Even if she didn't quite understand everything he was trying to tell her, she was going to trust his word about the subject. She honestly didn't want to hear about the subject anymore, even if the questions about herself continue to pile on top of each other in her mind.

"Good," he snickered, letting go of her waist and tilting her head up to look up at him. "Now," Undertaker whispered quietly, holding onto her hands and rubbing them in the palms of his hands, "let's rid you of this pain. You must be _starving~~_"

Sophie froze, feeling his hand run down her side to her stomach and gently rubbed it back and forth, causing her to whimper slightly. "I don't know what you mean," she sighed, turning her gaze down to her stomach as she felt an unnerving feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"How about this," he huffed, "I tell you step by step what I'm doing… alright?" he grinned happily at her.

She cracked a smile then, glad that she wasn't going to be kept in the dark no longer. "Alright," she giggled, "I like that idea."

"Then promise me you'll follow my directions _precisely~_" he breathed into her ear, causing a chill to roll down her spine.

"Y-yes Undertaker," she answered as her body began to tremble, "d-ad… father. Yes."

"Take off your clothes," he whispered, his hands gripping around her waist as he began to pull her pants down. Sophie shuddered as she felt his bare hands drifting down her legs, her hands going up to her white shirt and undoing her buttons one by one. He smirked, throwing her clothes off to the side and leaving her in nothing but her underwear. "Now come," he smirked, wrapping his hands around her waist and picking her up into his arms. Undertaker walked over to the table he had laying in the middle of the room and set her down on top, crawling on top of her as the candles mysteriously lit around them in an eerie orange glow. "Cross your hands over your chest with your left hand on top," he told her, Sophie doing exactly as he told her and waiting for further instructions. He let out a low breathe and picked up her left hand, Sophie's arm trying to move him away as a painful surge of pain swept through her body. "It's okay," he said calmly, "I won't harm you…" Undertaker brought her hand up to his lips and he gently kissed her marking, the skull glowing intensely as Sophie began to whimper in pain.

He stuck out his tongue and licked her hand, first licking up from her fingers down to her wrists and then from one edge of the thorns to the other side of the thorns. Sophie bit down her bottom lip as she shuddered underneath him, the pain starting to become unbearable. He continued this routine till the marking began to vanish, withdrawing into her hand and diminishing till it was nothing but a black faint glow. "_That's a good girl~_" he cooed as a way to reassure her, resuming till the marking had completely vanished on her hand. Then he gently set her left hand back on top of her right hand, pressing her hands together as he lifted himself up a tiny bit, holding back pant sounds as Sophie huffed and puffed below him. He grinned at her, showing off his Cheshire cat grin as she smiled weakly back up at him. "Are you ready for _more~_?" he smirked wearily.

"T-there's more?" Sophie huffed, flinching as his face crept uncomfortably closer to her own.

"You smell as powerful as the darkness and as grim as death," he snickered, pressing her body up off of the table and closer to his face. "You also have a _horrid~_ scent of gory perfume, and for that I need to _punish~ you~~_" Sophie whimpered in fear, her body subconsciously shifting away from him as she tried to pull away. "_Awww~_ you scared?" he giggled, Sophie's eyes closing tightly as she tried to inch herself away from him. "Don't worry," he chuckled softly, running a nail through her hair and down to her cheek, "I won't hurt you." Undertaker gently pressed his lips against her own, running his tongue over her mouth and asking for entrance. Hesitantly she opened her mouth to him, letting the Undertaker explore the inside of her mouth as his hands drifted up and down her body sensually, one of his hands cuffing her chest and fondling her breast while the other drifted down to her panties and intertwined his fingers into the lining.

Letting go of her mouth she let out a gasp for air, his mouth running down her neck and down her collar bone. "W-wait," she shuddered, the Undertaker pinning her wrists above her head before he stopped and grinned up at her.

"Why little maiden?" he cooed at her, her face starting to blush wildly. "_Drained~~?_"

"N-no," she continued to shudder, "I-I… I c-can't see your eyes." He raised an eyebrow as she shyly moved her head into her arm, panting deeply as she felt her cheeks continuing to turn heavy with a red-tint color. "Y-you're scar-ing me… I-I can't see you," she trembled.

"Oh I am so sorry little maiden," he stared at her stunned for a few moments before he gently smiled at her and let go of her wrists. She pulled her arms quickly into her chest, watching as he ran his fingers through his long silver hair and staring at her through his intense shinigami green and yellow eyes. "I should have been more considera –" he paused, looking down at awe at the sweat-stricken beauty under him as she stared up at him with piercing blue, green, and yellow eyes. Never before had he seen her this way, the way her eyes held tenderness in them and the sweat rolled off her body making her glisten under the candle light. He had to fight back all urges to take advantages of her in this state, chuckling to himself as he took his mind off of her body and back on his true intentions. His eyes leisurely stared down at her as she smiled happily back, putting her life into his hands as she blinked and waited for whatever came next.

Undertaker sighed, leaning back on her chest and nibbling on her collarbone, causing Sophie to close her eyes and let out a soft moan. He slipped his hand back under her panties, slipping her underwear off as his free hand roamed around on her breast and twisted her nipple. She gasped, arching her back as he wrapped his mouth around her other breast and began to suck and fondle with her chest. She wrapped her arms around his neck and whimpered as he continued, letting out a surprised gasp as he pressed a nail against her entrance. "My dear you need to calm down," he giggled, Sophie shuddering as she shook her head and bit down on her bottom lip. "Oh? Refusing my instructions now?" he smirked, pressing his teeth into her skin and grazing the top of her breasts. She yelped as he did, intertwining her legs around his hips as she tried to stay responsive. Leaving her chest he drifted down to her hips, gently removing her legs around him and pressing her pelvis back down on the cold table. His saliva trailed down her chest and down her stomach, the Undertaker stopping as he rubbed her belly and gave her a quick kiss. Sophie brought her hands up to her face as she trembled at his touch, unsure if she was really enjoying him or enjoying the foreign sensation he gave her.

He grabbed her legs and sneaked his head in between her, kissing her gently as she quivered. He softly rubbed her thighs as he stuck his tongue inside of her, Sophie letting out a startled yelp as he kept her down with his hands. She continued to yelp and shudder as he stroked her insides, eventually looking up at her with a devious grin on his face. She could barely keep her mind on him as she tightly closed her eyes, the Undertaker leaving her pelvis and licking down her thigh and down her leg. "You're so delicious my dear," he giggled at her, looking up her body and at her bright red cheeks. Setting her feet down he crawled back on top of her, looming over her as she shied away from him and tried to hide her blushing. "Adorable," he smiled, pressing his lips against her own and moaning into her throat.

Sophie gasped, delighted as he pressed his body on top of hers and held her close to his chest. "A-are we done?" she looked up at him, her crystal eyes shining into his bright green and yellow eyes.

He smirked, pressing his lips against her own again before holding her close to him. "Yes," he chuckled, "we are. Why? You weren't enjoying it?"

"I-I don't know," Sophie huffed, blushing red mad as she buried her face into his shoulder. "I-I'm still confused w-why you had to do t-hat."

"Well," he whispered into her ear, "you'll feel the effects in the _morning~_" His gaze left Sophie's for a moment, looking over at the spirit watching them from the corner. "So boy what do you think?" Undertaker giggled at Oba as he continued to blush and hide away behind a coffin.

"Oba!" Sophie yelped, gripping Undertaker's jacket tightly as she tried to hide herself beneath some clothes. "W-wha – mmMMMPH!"

She was silenced as the he pressed his lips roughly into hers, oddly enough calming her down to the point where she laid exhausted on the table. "You don't seem to understand how life worked in the past, do you little maiden?" he giggled at her as she lay panting underneath him. "Children learn from their parents the basics of life," he whispered into her ear, "since we used to all live in a tight living space." He looked down at her and giggled, brushing a nail over her red cheek before giving her a quick peck on the lips. "Let's get you to bed," he smiled, wrapping his arms around her body and tenderly picking her off of the table, "you must be _exhausted~_ little maiden."

"Y-yeah, yea-h," Sophie breathed into his ear, still blushing intensely as she kept her hands wrapped around his neck and her body pressed up against him.

Undertaker chuckled at her clinginess, pausing at the curtain and grinning at Oba. "We can talk later," he said simply, the candles burning out with one light gust of wind as he brought her down the hallway and back into the bedroom.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: You know I don't even know how I end up writing this smut… Meh. Don't know if I should find that a blessing or a curse XD Anyways next chapter we're going to wander back to the main plot ^^ SEE YOU LATER!**


	60. The Collection

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Meh I'm bored again so I'm going to post another chapter (plus I have a bad case of writer's block and don't feel like writing right now). Anyways here's the next chapter! I bet you guys are excited to see the next installment so here it is. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a soft groan, her eyes slowly flickering open as she looked up at the ceiling. She shifted her body and curled up in the sheets, a thin ray of bright sunlight shining into the room. Then she felt tight arms pulling her backward, the Undertaker snuggling his head into her back. She looked over and smirked, closing her eyes and letting out a yawn. "Are you awake?" she asked, staying still as the Undertaker shifted in the bed and set his head atop her shoulder.

"_Hmmmmm~_… Something the matter?" he responded, gently kissing her ear and then her neck.

"Yes," she sighed, shifting her weight and turning her body in the bed to look at him. Undertaker noticed the worried look on her face, watching as Sophie lifted her left hand and looked at her skin. She blinked in confusion, the marking gone. "H-how…" she thought, then shaking her head and deciding it wasn't a question she needed answered. "I… I need to leave," she told him as she slowly lifted her body off of the bed and groaned as she felt sore all over her body. "I-I –"

"Little maiden sit back down," he told her roughly, sitting up in the bed and grabbing hold of her shoulders. "You are in no state to take off."

"B-but…" she sighed, looking down at the sheets and biting her bottom lip. "N-no. I need to take care of this right now –"

"And what is **that**?" he asked.

Sophie looked up at him, concern in her eyes as she trembled in his arms. "I-I keep seeing them… in the darkness… I… I can't take it dad. I feel like my heart will break in two if I don't help them," she told him with an uneasy tone in her voice. "I n-eed to go collect their records and –"

"Not right now little maiden," he told her, "You're still recovering –"

"Well I don't care!" She yelled, tears starting to fall down her face as she continued to tremble. "I don't! I want to help them and the s-sooner I do so the quicker the dreams will go away… I hope…"

"Hmph," he thought, running a finger through her hair and tilting her chin up so she saw the light shining in his green and yellow eyes. Sophie's trembling increased as she stared into his eyes, feeling an unnerving feeling in the back of her throat. "You still need time to recover," Undertaker repeated himself, grabbing a sheet from the bed and gently wrapping it around her body. "But," he grinned, "it doesn't mean _you~_ have to collect the records, does it?"

Sophie blinked in confusion, looking down at the gray sheet that lay on her body as she clutched it closer to her body. "W-wait… oh," she realized with a light chuckle. "I-I don't know if I –"

"Call on him," Undertaker told her softly. "You are more powerful than ever… so call on him, _hmmm~?_"

She gulped, circling around on the bed and looking to the empty space in the room. "Marius?" she called out, looking around for him to show up. "Marius?" she thought in her head, her brother suddenly showing up in a blink of an eye.

"You called?" Marius tilted his head, looking at Sophie as she trembled under the sheets. "W-wha?" he frowned, "W-why do you seem different?"

"I-I'll explain later," Sophie told him, "but right now I need you to do something for me."

"Yeah anything," Marius nodded, watching as she grabbed something from under the sheet and pulled out a small scroll.

Undertaker raised an eyebrow at this, Sophie handing the scroll to Marius before tightening her hold on the sheets. "There are 7,700,000 souls written in that scroll. I want you to go and find their records and bring them to my office."

"B-but why?" Marius looked at her worried. "You… did you… what did that angel do to you?"

"I have been marked," Sophie sighed, raising her left hand and showing her hand. Marius watched as the marking on her hand slowly became visible, gradually turning into a faint crimson red and black glow on her hand. "Michael said something about 'releasing' that spirit that is inside of us… well I can feel it moving throughout my veins. It hurts Marius… it hurts…"

He reached out for her hand, suddenly being stopped at the Undertaker held up his hand to him. Undertaker grabbed hold of Sophie's hand as she looked up at him confused, the marking on her hand vanishing by his simple touch. "Continue little maiden," he whispered in her ear, Sophie nodding as she coughed quietly before looking back at Marius' worried face.

"I was sent into the lowest depths of the netherworld," she continued, "and… I saw them Marius. The souls that are trapped there because of us."

"Wait," Marius stopped her, "you're saying that the souls you destroyed weren't obliterated –"

"No those souls were," she told him, "but… this is different. Souls that are trapped and unable to be freed unless by my hand. They told me that father had been down there also, but he didn't want to save them and left them there." She sighed, leaning back on Undertaker for support as she thought to herself. "I don't know **his** reasons, but mine are simple. I'm going to do my job and evaluate every soul, even if it takes me the rest of my existence. Then I'll send them to their proper eternities or let them stay in the darkness where they've been for centuries. It's up to them."

"W-well alright I suppose," Marius said as he looked down at the scroll in his hand, "but… I don't understand your motives –"

"You can't feel their misery right now Marius," she explained. "You can't feel them calling out for help. This isn't the evil and damned souls I hear… it's pure. Bright light trying desperately to not be dimmed by the darkness around them. We may be demons or may not be, but either way I am making my choice to help them." She let out a huff, curling up in Undertaker's arms and grumbled to herself. "I know once I finish this I'll still feel souls, but at least then I'll know that I was able to send them off to their correct destinations. You understand me Marius? Probably not, but I wonder if even father knows what is going on," she told him honestly, "because this has never happened to us before… so… could you help me?"

"Okay," he nodded, "I'll grant your request –"

"I'll let her go when the sun goes down," the Undertaker told the boy, "… well? Go. You'll have a lot on your plate if you don't start now," he snickered.

Marius nodded and disappeared, Sophie letting out a tired sigh as she gripped Undertaker's clothes and closed her eyes. "W-where is Oba –"

"Don't worry," Undertaker told her, "he didn't escape. He's still here, but I'd advise you to sleep."

"Sleep, sleep," she grumbled as she shifted out of his arms and flopped onto the pillow, "always sleep. You're not letting me do **anything** anymore."

Undertaker wrapped his arms around her waist, pushing her body into the bed as his fingers stroked against her bare skin. "Don't act that way," he chuckled lightly. "You have to take it easy –"

"Well **you** need to let me go," she huffed at him as she pushed her head into the pillow and grumbled under her breath. "I'm older now. I'm not a child –"

"The last time I let a child go she died," Undertaker huffed sternly, tucking Sophie in before getting out of bed and began to put his coat back on. "I refuse to let it happen again… _Sophia_…" Sophie frowned, hearing the sadness in his voice when he used her name. Then he turned around and gave her a grin, such a false grin that she wanted to slap it off of his face. "I'll wake you up when you're ready. Now go back to sleep."

Sophie sighed and shook her head, shifting her head to the side so she'd be able to breathe in her sleep. "Whatever," she huffed at him, "good day."

"Good day," he chuckled back, standing up and leaving the room.

Sophie watched as he left, curling up in the sheets once he had walked into the hallway and whimpered quietly. "Just what aren't you telling me?" she mumbled under her breath, closing her eyes and trying to get back to the comfortable sleep she had been in while in the Undertaker's arms.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Ready?"

"R-ready," Oba gulped, disappearing into Sophie's body as she let in a deep breath. She looked over at the Undertaker and stood up, slipping her coat and hat on before walking out the front door.

She took her time as she made her way back to the shinigami realm, those leaving work late barely noticing her except for the loud _**'clinks' **_and _**'clanks'**_ her shoes made across the white tilled floor. Once she made it to her office everyone had left for the day, leaving her to grumble at the stacks of books, scrolls, and stone slabs all over the room. "Oh great," she sighed, closing the door behind her and locking it as she walked in. "Better get started," she told herself, sitting down at her desk and starting with the first stack of cinematic books in front of her.

)(*&^%$#!

"Serbus I –" Marius paused, scratching the back of his head as he noticed his little sister passed out on her desk. "Sophia wake up," he shook her, Sophie letting out a snort before yawning and gradually waking up.

"O-oh I feel asleep?" she frowned, looking down at her watch before closing it and letting out a sigh. "S-sorry. I must have passed out after the first few stacks."

"Here's some more of you," Marius smiled setting the stack down on the floor and noticed Sophie letting out a tired groan. "… If you hate this so much then why continue –"

"Because I have to," Sophie huffed as she grabbed the top book off of a stack and began to read through it. "I wouldn't have to do this if only our father did, but since he didn't _**I**_ must do it. Alright? So don't tell me I shouldn't because I should –"

"Then would you like some coffee," he offered, "or tea?"

"Oh?" Sophie paused, a chuckle escaping her throat as she scratched the back of her head. "Y-yes coffee would be good… a-and some breakfast too?"

"Yeah sure," Marius nodded as he unlocked her door and began to walk out, "I'll have everything to you in a second."

Sophie smiled and looked back to the book, suddenly feeling a light knock against her forehead as she shook her head and groaned. "I-I'm sorry mast – Sophie for interrupting you, but you seem tired. Can I help with anything?"

"Well you actually can't since I need to fill out all of these records myself and Marius is collecting everyone on the list," she thought, "but hey I have an idea. You can organize the records if you want so I don't lose track of records I've filled out and records I've not."

"Okay," Oba cheered happily, dissolving into the room and began to walk around. "Oh wow! So many…"

"Yep," she nodded as she kept her eyes on her work and scratched her eyes. She groaned, feeling that she'd have to put glasses on soon enough if she didn't want to go blind. "I finished with those books over there so put them off to the side away from the others."

"Alright," Oba responded, walking over to the books and pushing them off to the side.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"So I was – Marius what are you doing here?" Jericho raised an eyebrow, setting his papers down on a nearby desk as Alex did the same.

"Yeah why… wait is Sophie here or something?" Alex realized walking over to her office door and trying to open the door. He grumbled under his breath as the door wouldn't open, Jericho looking over at Marius as he only shrugged and went over to her office door.

"If you _excuse~_ me, but I have to work," Marius huffed, opening up the door and slamming it in their faces before they could look inside. "Here's the rest of the books," he sighed, setting a bunch of books to the side and sitting down in a chair. "… You've been at this consecutively for a week now. Perhaps you should take a break –"

"Not yet," Sophie huffed, "not yet." She grabbed the cup of coffee next to her and took a large gulp down, yawning as she set her pen back to the paper and continued writing. "The plan is you'll stay here while I go down to hell and get the souls. I'll probably lose a bunch who are destined for the fields, but if they prefer to stay in the dark then I will not stop them –"

"Hey Sophie," Oba pulled on her shirt to get her attention, "I-if a soul wants to stay here in the human realm then what would they become –"

"A ghost," Sophie shrugged, "or eaten by demons."

"Oh…" Oba frowned and shied away slightly.

"Why do you ask?" she asked him as she grabbed another form and signed it.

"… What if, and I'm just wondering of course, if a certain soul didn't want to go to the afterlife yet and wanted to stay and help… could they?" Oba responded.

"_Hmmm~?_" Sophie chuckled. "Well no one ever asked."

Oba nodded and looked over her shoulder before running over to Marius with a grin on his face. "Oh master," he began to ask Marius, "could you possibly bring me out today –"

"Why would I do something like that –"

"Because Sophie told me to ask you," Oba smiled happily, Marius looking over at Sophie who only grinned at him as she wrote on a record and set it aside. "_Pleeeeease~? Pleeeeaaase~ master_ –"

"For one, little soul, I'd rather be called Marius or Serbus than master," he huffed, "and second… well if soror doesn't mind then I guess I can show you around." Marius stood up and scratched the back of his head, hearing yelling outside the door since no one could open up the door. "What exactly do you have in mind little soul –"

"I want to know this world," Oba told him. "Everything… how is it different? Is there a high power among you?"

"Why –"

"I-I… I want to stay," Oba mumbled meekly. "I want to stay with you or more with Sophie. I think I should, until I live out my life at least –"

"Well I don't see a point in that Oba," Sophie explained. "You're a mere child. You're life was destined to die three thousand years ago. To ask of a request is like giving Death a slap in the face –"

"Yes, but I'm not saying I'm cheating death," Oba huffed, "but only… I want to help you. Serve you master –"

"I can see why you think that," Sophie sighed, "but I would rather you don't. You have no business in staying in this world. Your soul should move on… you deserve sleep."

"… but –"

"How about you think about it little soul," Marius responded. "Perhaps a walk around will give you a different perspective. Vale soror."

"Bye," Sophie waved as she signed a form with her other hand, "and if anything goes wrong alert me." Marius nodded and ushered the soul into a shine of light, disappearing out of the locked office as she heard yelling outside. "SHUT UP OUT THERE!" she growled, the voices going silent as she mumbled insults under her breath. "I can't even think…"

"SOPHIE IS THAT YOU –"

"OF COURSE IT IS. WHO DO YOU **THINK** IT IS! –"

"WHY IS THE DOOR LOCKED –"

"ALEX I'LL EXPLAIN LATER. JUST… just let me work," Sophie sighed and shook her head. Then she heard shuffling outside the door before someone gently knocked on the wood.

"Hey Sophie," Jericho called into the room, "are you okay? –"

"Not really," she told him honestly, "but right now I just want to do some work, alright? I've fought off the beasts of the deep and now I have to explain myself to **you** guys? Come on now, that's not fair."

"… Alright," he sighed, "alright. Just don't kill yourself –"

"I won't," she snickered. "Now go run along and work, but if I hear someone knocking on my door again I'm **not** going to give them a good time –"

"Yeah, yeah," Jericho chuckled, "just don't rip out their lungs or something." Sophie giggled as she heard him leave, a sigh escaping her voice as she went back to the forms she was signing.

!#$%^&*()

"Hey master _guess~_ what!" Oba jumped around, rushing over to Sophie's side as she pulled her glasses higher on her nose to look at him.

"_Yeeess~?_" she asked as she looked over at Marius and then back down at Oba.

"So he showed me the city and it's **very** gross," Oba stuck out his tongue, "but then he showed me to the square and the cemetery and we had a great time. Oh! Then he brought me to Egypt and I have to say it changed. I was amazed… everything is so cool!"

Sophie chuckled, "I'm glad you liked it," she said before looking back to her work.

Marius glided over to her side as he looked over her shoulder, watching as she dripped wax onto the back of envelopes and sealed them with a press upon the hardening wax with her ring. "Y-your father's ring?" he decided to ask.

"Yep," Sophie looked down and inspected the ring on her hand, "lovely isn't it? His ring from Rome I'm guessing… A large thronus in the middle with the symbol of luna on top with the symbol of deus in the middle of the crest. Next, a smaller symbol is exercitus with a lituus sticking through it. I wonder why his family chose the symbols they did…" She let out a sigh and pressed the silver crest into the wax again, setting forms off to the side as she continued to fold them and add wax to the back folds.

"… Does this mean you're almost done?"

"I suppose," Sophie sighed and let out a yawn, "but I'm not done yet. There are still 6,569,741 of these forms I have to do."

"At least the cinematic records are completed," Marius offered.

"Yes that's right," Sophie chuckled. "At least… so you can go if you'd like. I'll finish up in another few hours and then –"

"Nihil, I don't think so," Marius shook his head. "I'm going to stay here till you're done… or at least till someone else shows up."

"Who would **that** be?" Sophie huffed. "I don't see why someone else needs to be involved –"

"This is a matter of Death here," Marius explained, "and you can't expect a human to complete this task on their own… you're a _human~_ aren't you?"

"Of course I am," she grumbled under her breath. "_Geeze~_… pushing my buttons aren't you?"

"Yep," he grinned happily. Sophie huffed and pushed her black rimmed glasses closer to her face, rubbing her eye as Marius turned back to the door. "Is there anything you need before I go and grab some more coffee?"

"… I think I have something for you," Sophie looked up with a smirk. "Go talk to Margaret."

"E-excuse me?" Marius gulped with surprise on his face.

"You heard me," she huffed. "Go talk to her for a few hours to keep yourself busy. Don't make me wink at you."

"Wink? What are you talking about –"

"Never mind," she rolled her eyes and pressed her ring more than necessary into the wax, "just go and talk to Margaret for a while. _I insist~_" Marius sighed and left, leaving Oba as he walked over to a chair and sitting upon it bored. He looked up before letting out a dramatic sigh, making sure Sophie didn't pass out with her face pressed into her desk again.

!#$%^&*()

"… and now I'm stuck here," Marius mumbled under his breath as he leaned against the side wall and talked to the receptionist behind the desk.

"Aw you were _forced~_?" Margaret pouted.

"W-well if you say it like **that**…" Marius mumbled his words under his breath as he shied his head away and blushed.

Margaret could only snicker, causing his cheeks to turn redder. "I'm happy to have you around Marius," she beamed. "If you need something to do I could use someone to sort files for a bit. It's not very hard."

"Yeah okay," he grinned, opening the door leading behind the desks and walked over to her. "So what would you like me to do first?"

"… How about start with the paperwork over there?" Margaret suggested pointing to large stacks of paper atop a desk. "Sorry about this, but I usually don't get help and I'd rather spend my evenings going home then staying here all night."

"Overexerting yourself isn't good for the soul. Just look at Sophia for an example," he chuckled under his breath.

Margaret giggled in response, "Yeah I guess… but she tries."

"_Oh I know~_" Marius snickered, "but some days I wonder if she'll die from overexerting herself."

"Let's hope not," she smiled, looking back down at the paperwork in her hands and filing it away in drawers next to her. Marius nodded and followed her lead, keeping his eyes on his work without looking up at anyone who passed by.

There was one person that would make his head spin, but he was too late to call her when he was grabbed from behind by a shorter woman. "_Maaaariuss~_" Sophie mumbled into his back as she kept a tight hold around his neck.

"You're done already?" Marius chuckled. "I'd think you'd be another few hours –"

"Uuuummbph," Sophie huffed, interrupting him as she nuzzled her nose into his back. "Let me just," she yawned loudly before smacking her lips together and pressing her head back into his back, "sleep."

"Oh you weren't kidding about Sophie being tired," Margaret chuckled as she set her paperwork down and wandered over to them. "If you have work to do I'd better leave you to it –"

"Nah it's okay I'll stay," Marius smiled. "I promised you so I'll finish the work I started. Fine with you soror?" Sophie only mumbled him a reply, keeping a tight hold around his neck as he stumbled backward slightly before going back to work.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… Where's Oba?" Sophie asked, rubbing her eyes as she looked around the white walled room she was sitting in.

"What?" Marius turned to look at her, a sigh escaping his him as he turned back to the stack of forms in his hands and put them away into filing cabinets. "Don't worry he's fine. I think Alistair stumbled upon him… or maybe Sasha. Either way he went out. Why?"

"… No reason," she sighed, standing up and letting out another yawn, "just… have you ever had a dream of falling?"

"Falling?" he looked at her puzzled, "How? — don't tell me you…" He quickly set the forms down and walked over to her, sitting down beside her and wrapping protective arms around her. "Pray, do tell me what happened in this dream soror."

"Okay," she answered him, putting him away as she turned around and stared into the corner of the room. "I can't tell if this was a dream or a memory, but… I was high in the sky, floating among the clouds and catching the dewdrops in my hand. I remember being in a rush, making my way across the blue sky towards setting of the sun. All of the sudden I was thrown down, tumbling from the highest heights to the earth below. I had looked behind to find gigantic white wings behind me, slowly turning gray as I approached the ground. I felt like a clipped bird and could not fly away, eventually closing my eyes and feeling lost and forgotten." Sophie coughed, gripping her hands tightly on her lap as she began to shake. "The sky was turning black, not the beautiful dark blues and white of the stars, but pure black. Fire reigned down from on high as I fell, a gust of the wind blowing me off course and landing upon the ground. I stood up and tried to brush the tainting color on my wings, but the color only progressed as it turned from gray to black. I began to panic, this couldn't be true. I… I had fallen, but why?" She rubbed her eyes and kept her back away from Marius, afraid to look at him as she choked back on the tears trying to recede down her eyes. "I-it was scary Marius. The light went away and I began to fall again, but this time it didn't feel like falling… I kept going. I felt a cool shadow wrap around me and suffocate my lungs. I could hardly breathe. I couldn't feel the ground anymore. It frightened me –… then I saw it," she gulped, "or it saw me… or perhaps I was **it**. I couldn't tell… a shadow glided around my head and took me graciously by the hand, pulling me along and whispering something into my ear… I couldn't tell what it said… I vanished, and then woke up." She sighed, "What could this mean Marius?"

"… Have you had other dreams like this?" Marius asked.

"Yes," Sophie looked over at him, "when I'm not having my usual nightmares. This dream doesn't feel like a nightmare though, but still… it has meaning to me for some reason. I don't know. I used to have this dream when I was younger, when I was with mom and papa… I don't know Marius." She chuckled nervously and gave him a reassuring smile before looking back at the wall, "It was nothing really. It reminded me of Oba or some reason," she shrugged.

Her back stiffened as he wrapped arms around her back, pulling her close. "If you would like," he whispered into her ear, "I will tell you what that dream means, but you mustn't tell anyone that I have told you." She nodded and turned around, staring up into his crystal blue eyes as they sparkled into her own. "… That is the story of a soul," he began, "that was destined to fall. It had to do so to reveal the Creator's works. The soul had two parts: good and evil. The good had fallen and the evil had risen to come together in the world… they are one in the same." He looked down at his trembling sister and pulled her tighter to him, running a comforting hand through her head as he continued to think to himself. "This soul is many things. Some have called it Death, others Hell, or perhaps Darkness and Chaos. This soul has no name, for it does not need one. When one becomes part of this soul they may lose themselves into it, either falling or rising from where they once stood. You should know that the minute Michael had released that soul inside of you a feeling of despair came upon you because you are a pure soul… an angel if you will. Perhaps this is Destiny or the Fates, but either way you must be careful. We do not know anything about this soul and it will do all it can to pull you with it. Thus you should resist everything it does and –"

"Marius w-wait," she gulped, "I don't think you should say that." Sophie lifted up her head and looked up at him, leaning her hands on his shoulders as she bit down on her bottom lip. "This soul was either created in the darkness or **is** the Darkness. Whatever it is, it wants to go into the light. I know I won't be the one who can do that, but someone after me may… which is why I feel this is my mission to put those souls back into their rightful places," she smiled. "I don't know where you came across this information, but I would hope that you'll stay by me even when I make the wrong mistakes. Is… is that alright?"

"Of course," he smiled. "I don't see why you'd think I'd leave you."

Sophie smiled, quickly giving him a kiss on the cheek before standing up and walking towards the door. "I-I'm going to head back to my office. When you're done do come by so we can finish the forms."

Marius nodded and stood up as she was leaving; going for the forms he had laid aside and went back to filing. "How do you know what her dream means?" Margaret asked, leaning against the door and startling him.

"Oh Margaret," he chuckled before letting out a sigh. "… I just know some things… Death told me – or I'm sorry. You call him Father here don't you?"

"I guess," she shrugged as she went into the room and grabbed his hands. He gulped, a giggle escaping her lips as she smiled back at him. "Let me help you finish. If she falls asleep again you're going to have trouble on your hands."

"Yes indeed," he chuckled, Margaret grabbing a stack of papers by his side and quickly placing them into drawers with a content smile on her face.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes, standing up and clicking the light switch off. The bright glare from the white walls were irritating her; a sigh escaping her lips as she made sure the door was still locked as she stumbled over to her window and closed the blinds. She looked at the palm of her hand, a frown on her face as she graced her hand in thought. Even though the marking had disappeared physically it was still mentally there, plaguing her thoughts as she stumbled backwards and sat down. She let out a frightened squeak as she felt something in her chair, a growl escaping her lips as she realized what, or she should say _who_, was sitting in her chair and grinning at her madly. "Why are you here Undertaker," she pouted, deciding it was unnecessary to try to figure out how he got into her office without her noticing.

"Noticed you were done," he giggled, lifting his long boney hands and grabbing her arm, "so I decided to let you rest for a while. Come, sit."

Sophie sighed as she sat down on his lap, tilting her head back and closing her eyes. "You know I want to get this done –"

"You have been at this for a week and even longer since you've been back, you need to _rest~_" he cooed into her ear. The grin on his face waned as she only sighed at him, her hand gracing the top of her left hand as she continued to frown. "… Why are you so sad little maiden?"

"Sad?" Sophie huffed. "I'm not _sad~_… just annoyed, confused – Undertaker," she suddenly turned around and looked up at him, her crystal blue eyes sparkling as shinigami green began to swirl around her black pupil, "Why do I have to be **this**?"

"This?" he tilted his head playfully, "whatever do you mean –"

"This! Why, out of all the souls and bodies that could have been chosen, why do _**I**_ have to be cursed with this other soul?" Sophie bit down on her bottom lip, tears starting to fall down her face. "I-I can't stop seeing them… I don't see why I have to be this. Why me? I-I'm so sick of seeing death and destruction… I just want to disappear…"

"Now, now," he sighed, keeping the grin on his face as he ran a nail through her auburn hair before tilting her head up to look up into his eyes. "_Is that all~?_"

"What do you mean by **that**?" Sophie grumbled under her breath and pouted. She let out a yelp as lips graced her own, the grin of a madman still plastered on the Undertaker's face.

He giggled at her before the expression on his face began to leave, a sigh escaping his face as he ran a hand though her hair again before cuffing her cheek. "Have you forgotten that you've asked those questions when you were a child?"

"W-wha –"

"_Ah~ _you must not remember," he chuckled lightly, "regardless you don't have to worry about those questions. If you want an honestly answer: you can only find the answer to your existence inside yourself and nowhere else. Others can say they know what you were made for, but it's for **you** to decide if they are correct or not, alright?"

"I-I guess," Sophie sighed, a smile coming to her face as she pressed her cheek into his hand.

"Good," he grinned, kissing her forehead before letting go of her head and letting her lean against his chest. "Now _how about a nap~?_"

"Nap?" she giggled lightly. "_Well~_… I guess I can spare a few minutes." Sophie shifted around on his lap till she was comfortable, her legs dangling off of the side of his lap as she curled up against his chest and yawned. He smiled as she quickly passed out, wrapping her hand into his and pressing them into her chest.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"So Sophie I – Oh Undertaker you're here?" Marius nodded, closing the door behind him and letting out a sigh. "It is about time she gets some rest, right?"

The Undertaker only giggled at the boy, tilting back in Sophie's chair and keeping a tight grip around her sleeping form. "Yes I suppose so," he grinned as he set his feet up on her desk. "If you'd like to be of service you can start sending the records back to their proper places. Knowing little maiden she'll be up soon enough and won't sleep till everything is done."

"… I guess," Marius shrugged, setting down a cup and walking over to a stack of slates. "… You be good to her okay? I-if I'm going to go off and deliver these I can't keep an eye on Sophie… just… just make sure she doesn't do something crazy," he sighed, "Death warned me that she may and –"

Undertaker silenced him by holding up his hand before it disappeared back into his sleeve as he held her close. "I will," he told him with a stern voice, "I promise you I will."

Marius nodded before giving him a smile, chuckling as he scratched the back of his head and picked up the slates. "Alright," he continued to chuckle, "I trust you, better than that Jericho boy for sure."

"Why not?" he playfully tilted his head to the boy.

"Oh?" Marius chuckled nervously slightly caught off guard. "Because… because even though Sophie trusts him he's only been around to disappoint her," he shrugged, "but perhaps she likes that mystery for if he'll do the right thing or not. I don't know… but if it's between life and death I want her to be taken care of, so that's why. Also he wasn't able to get into this room and gave up. I don't know what his goals are, but for what soror is looking for in a mate she isn't finding it in him."

"I find it best to let the cards fall as they will," Undertaker smiled to him before giggling to himself. "I know that you won't want her to leave your existence as she yours. So let her make her own choices. It's not like you're perfect either little Serbus."

"… Yes Undertaker," Marius bowed his head as he thought to himself. "I'll keep that in mind…" Then he quickly left, the Undertaker giggling again into his sleeve and causing his chest to rise suddenly.

Sophie groaned as her head suddenly moved, rubbing her face in his chest and gripping his clothes tightly. "Hehe, _sorry~_ little maiden," he grinned, gently running a hand through her hair as she smiled in her sleep and shuffled closer to his hand.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: _Aww~_ more cutesy stuff I should say XD As always I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry. NOW we move on to the plot =3 or I'll say EXCITEMENT =D I think… hmmm I'll have to look back at the next chapter I suppose ^^' Anyways SEE YOU LATER!**

_thronus_ – Latin – _throne_

_luna_ – Latin – _moon_

_deus_ – Latin – _god_

_exercitus _– Latin – _army_

_lituus_ – Latin – _staff_


	61. The Transformation

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Annalise © Grimm The Undertaker

**A/N: Well it's about time I show another chapter right? ^^ Anyways I hope you enjoy this one. It seems Sophie doesn't have a lot of time to rest, huh? XD (I'm so mean to my characters, I know) Well… yeah ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie let out a gasp as she felt a sudden pain in her chest, her eyes darting open as she lifted her head and looked around. "Oh little maiden you're awake?" Undertaker yawned, Sophie quickly getting off of his lap and dashing for the window. "My dear what are you doing –"

"Oba?" she frowned, opening the window and sticking her head out. "… W-wait I have to –"

"Don't go flying out the window now," the Undertaker chuckled as he pulled her back into her office and held her close to his chest. Sophie began to struggle as she cried out at his tight grasp around her, her movements tight and constricted as tears began to fall down her face. "Oh little maiden what's –"

"Oba! He's in trouble!" she gasped as she tried to move away from him. "Let me go! Dad let go! –"

"No," he pouted, keeping a tight grip on her body as she fought back sobs.

"B-but it hurts…" she frowned, keeping a hand on her chest as she tried to calm down. Thinking Sophie wasn't going to fight back anymore Undertaker slowly loosened his grip, but she suddenly pushed him away and ran out the door. She didn't look back as she heard her name being called, jumping off the railing and falling down the stairs to the A level. She had been awoken from a jolt in her chest; the only meaning to it was that one of her black feathers was calling to her. Since Oba wasn't carrying one of her feathers it couldn't be the case, but for the moment she was in charge of his soul and it was her responsibility to take care of him. She landed on her feet and flew past the shinigamis passing by, running out the door and dashing as fast as she could with her hand clutched to her chest. She flinched, feeling the call growing intense. Sophie jumped down until she made her way across London to the outskirts, a growl escaping her lips as her eyes narrowed on the disgusting creatures known as demons. "Get away from him!" she yelled, her scythe appearing into her hand as she raised it up and slashed it in front of herself. The demon screamed in pain as it was split in two, Sophie staggering to her feet shocked as she almost dropped her death scythe. She hadn't even touched the demon with her blade, but yet he was split in two?

Sophie shook her head and yelled, running into the mob of demons and throwing them off. She reached out her hand and grabbed hold of Oba's soul, pulling him away and throwing them backward. "S-ophie?" Oba gasped, gripping her sleeve tightly as she held him to her chest.

"I-it's alright," she whispered into his ear quietly as she jumped back and landed on the cobblestone street, "your master is here…" Sophie looked up and growled, keeping a deadly glare on the demons as they looked at her and snarled back.

"Who's this? A shinigami?" A demon laughed as he began to advance towards them.

"Oba stay here," she set him down, gripping her scythe tightly as she snarled.

"W-wait Sophie –" he gulped, watching as she glide towards the demons with a black fog growing behind her back.

"You picked with the wrong soul to mess with swine," she sneered, "because he's **my** soul, got that?" She yelled and held up her scythe, slashing into the air as a powerful gust of air flew towards the demons. They yelled in surprise, their limbs separating from their bodies as several demons were split in two. Sophie stepped back startled, looking down at her hand before looking back at the demons with a devious grin. "… Heh," she snickered, watching as the outline of thorns began to appear on her left hand. "You are _all~_ in a world of trouble." Then she ran at them at lightning speed, a flash of dark shadows streaming by them and ripping them in pieces.

Oba gasped in horror, taking a few steps back in fear as demons were being ripped apart left and right by a mist of black. "M-master?" he gulped, holding his hands tightly to his coat as he felt a chill in the air. "S-top it."

"Now you're all going to die," Sophie laughed in a dark voice, her foot landing on top of a demon as she smashed his head into the ground. Her eyes were glowing an intense yellow as she held a wide grin on her face, a crazy look in her eyes causing most of the demons to flee. She persuaded them and caught them only a few inches away, ripping at their backs as skin and blood flew around her. The demons screamed in pain as she slammed her fists into their backs, sending a few of them through the wall and slamming into the ground.

"M-master stop –" He gulped, falling backward on the ground as he felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"**Die wrenches die**," she growled, her scythe raised over her head as she slashed into their chests. The demons yelled as a wave of darkness overcame them, disappearing into the ground as Sophie began to laugh. She held her side as her scythe dropped to the ground next to her, the blade clanking on the ground as she clutched her chest. "It hurts," she paused, continuing into laugh hysterically as her body flopped over onto the ground and she rolled around in the fresh blood. "Take me!" she laughed, "Why won't you take me away? Damn it! Death take me!" She hissed in pain, feeling a sting surging through her chest as she rolled on her hands and knees and began to get back up. "Death why…" she growled as she stood back up, "Why won't you kill me why?" She looked up to the sky and clutched her chest, her left hand twitching as the thorns glowed on her hand, "Do I have to kill everything? I will! You jerk! I need to die damn –" She yelped as a hand covered her eyes and her chest, pulling her backward into a sea of black fabric.

Undertaker clutched her close to his chest, refusing to let go till she settled down. "Sophie…" he whispered into her ear, "my little maiden… this isn't you. Come back little maiden. Don't let this soul take you over."

"_**You**_… you –" Sophie squeaked in pain, her hand gripping her cloths tightly as she felt another sting. "D-dad help," she cried to him, her body falling into his arms as she began to cry in pain. "_Daddyyyyy_ it won't **stop**."

"Hush now," he responded gently, "close your eyes and concentrate." Sophie followed as he commanded and closed her eyes, feeling his hand leaving her face and rolling down to her left hand. He held it tightly, Sophie groaning as the skull began to show itself on the palm of her hand. Undertaker lifted up her hand and kissed it, the thorns disappearing as she let out a sigh. "There," he giggled, spinning her body around and holding onto her waist, "_feel better~?_"

Sophie slowly opened her eyes, the moonlight blinding her as she groaned and looked up at him. "D-dad?" she gulped, her crystal blue eyes staring up at him as he held her hand and waist tightly. "Daddy…" she said as she put her head on his chest, "I'm sorry."

"It's alright," he smiled as he rubbed her back, "as long as you're alive everything will be fine."

She blinked before she groaned and shook her head, holding a hand to her head as she felt a ringing in the back of her head. "W-what's going on –"

"Your other soul was trying to take over again," he sighed, "but don't worry. It won't be bothering you if you stay here with me –"

"Wait no I'm sorry," Sophie pouted as she pushed away from his chest slightly. "I-I… I still need to help those souls," she groaned as she felt a ringing in her ears. "Oba? Oba you still here?"

"M-aster?" Oba gulped as he slowly walked over to them and looked up at her.

Sophie gave him a smile and ran a hand under his chin, a sympathetic look on her face as she gripped the Undertaker's clothes tightly. "I-I'm sorry for this –"

"Sophie you have nothing to apologize for," Oba smiled, grabbing hold of her clothes and burying his face into her dress pants. "As long as you're back…"

"I am a-and I'm sorry," she sighed as she tried to pull away from the Undertaker. "… Undertaker let g –"

"No," he huffed sternly. "I won't let you hurt yourself –"

"Father I can take care of myself," she frowned as she gripped his clothes and buried her face into his chest. "… I can, I swear. I can't move on till I do this. Let me go. **Come on**."

Undertaker gave her a tender kiss on the lips before pulling away, letting Sophie stumbles to her feet as she collected herself. "… I will," he began, "as long as you come back to me."

"I will," she smiled, wrapping an arm around Oba and grabbing hold of his hand, "I will be back when I can…" She looked down to the ground in thought, her head swimming with questions that seem to never get answered as the two souls disappeared into a sea of black fog. Undertaker let out a frustrated sigh as the fog began to lift, shaking his head as he scratched the back of his head and began to walk away from the scene.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"See Hathor I **told** you we'd be back," Oba chuckled happily as he kept a firm hand on Sophie's arm.

Sophie let out a tired sigh, the pain and dizziness in her head going away as she walked around in the darkness. "Great!" A little girl giggled as she ran up to Oba and hugged him tightly. He let out a yelp of surprise as she buried her head into his chest, giggling happily and jumping up and down. "So… so Master correct –"

"Sophie," she sighed. "I wish you guys would stop calling me _**master**_."

"Right sorry," Hathor chuckled nervously. "You are the one who is leading us out of here?"

"I –"

"We were at it for days! My goodness Hathor, the world is brighter then I remember," Oba smiled happily and swinging Hathor's arms back and forth. "There are great buildings as far as the eye can see – well not like our pyramids, but still at a grand scale. They don't do mummification though. I was disappointed in that," he pouted.

"Mummification is best done in hot, dry places like Egypt," Sophie explained, "and it's easier to just bury our dead in less than 3 days… before the smell you know?"

"Yes," Oba chuckled happily. "Anyways it was **great**. I hope you can see it with me."

"I-I'll see I guess," Hathor smiled meekly, Sophie raising an eyebrow at the blush that was forming on her cheeks.

"… Anyways let's get back to the mission," Sophie interrupted them, walking past them and towards the other souls looking up and noticed her. "Listen up!" she yelled as she crossed her arms over her chest. "It took me several earth days, but I have filled out all your cinematic records. Now here's what will go down: I will escort all of you to your individual destinations. If for some reason you want to come back here just say the word and you will be sent back. Understood?"

"Yes!" she heard from them, Sophie giving a nod as she scratched the back of her head and sighed.

"We will start from the bottom and work our way up," she continued to explain in a calm voice. "You are all at the lowest of the low, but most of you souls don't belong here. Now if everyone understands me we can begin. Oba?" Sophie looked over at the boy, the young prince running over to her and taking out a long list. "Now let's begin," she said as she began walking down the line and causing the souls to turn their attention to her. "Come, follow," she instructed, the souls turning to her and following obediently. Sophie pulled her black hood closer to her face, feeling the chill coming from the first room they entered and left the darkness below.

)(*&^%$#!

"… Kemnebi Nsu, Norbert Waclaw, and Tryphosa Gallus Fulvia," Sophie let out a huff finishing the list she was reading in her hand. "Well Oba," she looked down at the boy next to her, "how many souls?"

"We started with 7,700,000," Oba answered, "and we have 3,839,946 left –"

"More than half can't even leave Tartarus," Sophie chuckled lightly shaking her head. She looked down at the boy, letting out a sigh before she tightened the black cloak over her head. "Let's keep going I suppose. We'll have to get to every place in Hades before we see the light again –"

"M-master?" Hathor pulled on the bottom of her white dress, "W-where are we going now?"

"Well," Sophie shrugged, "let's get out of Tartarus first and then I'll explain everything else." She walked ahead of the other souls, making her way down to the river and stopping them before they went in. "Now let's see… we'll need a boat –"

"Oh there's one!" Hathor pointed, Sophie looking up to find a boatman coming by dressed in a long dark cloak covering his face.

Sophie bowed, watching as the man gave her a nod and crashed the boat up on shore. "You must be the earth dweller that stole my boat," he raised an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry sir –"

"No need for apologies," he interrupted her. He looked behind at the other souls and then back to her. "What do you plan on doing with these souls maiden?"

"I'm just returning them back to their individual destinations," Sophie looked behind her with a smile and then back at him. "It's my fault really. The other soul inside of me –"

"I already know about all that," he answered her, holding out a hand for her to shake. "I have been called Charon, young Serbus. Your father passed by here once with the same aura as you… not exactly, but close enough." He gave her a quick smile before frowning again, hiding under his cloak as he stepped off of the boat. "You have my permission to use my boat temporary. Kick it back into the ocean once you're done –"

"W-wait," she interrupted him. "How will you gather the souls that pass by without this boat –"

"Don't worry about that." Charon smirked, "I have others. Just use this one."

Sophie chuckled and nodded, ushering the souls into the boat as she summoned her death scythe to her hand. "Ummm… should I pay you –"

"There is a way you can pay me," he told her as he rustled under his cloak and handed her a bag of scrolls. "These are letters to several beings on earth. Their names are written on the ribbons. It's only a few. Death, yourself, and the shinigami council. Oh! And also there's one for the angels. You can give it to your brother or your guardian angel, Zerachiel Hariel, if you wish." Sophie nodded and climbed into the boat, stopped by the man's hand before she could push away. "One more thing," he remembered. "Do not show the scrolls to anyone else except for the names on the ribbons. Especially not Henry Lorelei. He **cannot** get this letter."

"O-oh alright Charon," Sophie answered as the bottom of her scythe turned into an oar and she pushed away from the shore. "I will keep that in mind."

"Do return one of these days," he chuckled as she disappeared into the fog, "We get lonely around here." Sophie smiled and nodded back, using her scythe to steer as the boat disappeared into the darkened fog.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie smiled, letting the souls venture off of the boat and go towards the river Lithe. As they drank and wandered away, she sat down on the edge of the boat letting the few other souls she had with her walk off and stretch their legs for a few moments. "This is the last place till we go back?" Oba asked.

"Yes Oba," she nodded, "and how many souls do we have left?"

"240,618," he told her, "since we dropped 170,308 souls right here at the river Lithe and went to the other places here in Hades."

"Good," Sophie nodded, taking out an apple to eat.

"… Is that from here?" Oba asked before Sophie could take a bite.

"No," she shook her head, "I brought it from above. I know what happens if you eat food from here. You have to stay here forever."

"Great! Go right ahead," he sat next to her, listening to her munch on her food as the deafening silence haunted his mind. "… Why did you choose me?" Oba decided to ask, looking up and noticing that Sophie didn't turn her head to look him in the eye. "I mean… Why did you choose **me** to go up to earth with you? Do you want me to serve you master? Because… because of my father –"

"I don't _choose~_ beings because of their parents," she huffed, "but who they are individually. If I were to choose the path that was provided for me, I would have been killed by a demon and my soul ripped away from my body… but I fought back. I chose you because of whom you have become, the Guardian. You are strong Oba. Honestly I never considered that you would come with me to earth and help me. I just wanted to give you a reason to keep going, a justification, if you will, for the souls you have saved in Abaddōn for all these years. It must have felt like eternity for you or even longer for all I know."

"Ah I see," he smiled, a giggle escaping his throat as he looked to the ground. "… You gave us choices correct?" Oba began to ask her, "Where we can go right? Well… what if a soul would like to stay on earth to help you?"

Sophie looked down at him, wiping the juice from her mouth before sighing. "If you are talking about yourself then explain what you reason."

"Okay," he nodded. "I want to stay on earth with you, Sophie. I want to continue to help and I know what will happen if I do, but… I still want to do it. Please master, let me stay. I will become a shinigami like yourself if you'd like. I'll become a demon that serves you if you wish. I just… I want to help. If I go to my final destination **now** then I won't be able to be comfortable with my choice. If I am destined to go to the Field of Reeds then I want to go to earth instead… if you will let me master –"

"You request is daunting," Sophie huffed as she threw the apple behind her onto the ground. "A soul that wants to stay on earth? You have no reason to Oba."

"But –"

"Nevertheless I will think about your request," she interrupted him, "because your request isn't farfetched from others souls that have asked me before. If you want me to answer your request then you will have to prove yourself. A reason why I should let you become a being of death. Understood?"

"… Yes Sophie," Oba bowed with a smile, "I understand."

"Good," she chuckled, "now gather up the rest of the souls so we can take off. Styx is getting restless again. I can _feel~_ it." Oba nodded and took off, ushering the souls back onto the boat as Sophie held it on shore. She looked behind and raised an eyebrow, noticing a deity making their way over to the boat. Before it could get too close she held her blade out at the being, preventing the being from getting close to the souls. "What are you doing here? State your business."

"**I** must state my business?" the deity huffed as she made her way to the boat, but stopped in front of Sophie and the shore. "You are the one trespassing _servant~_ or perhaps you have forgotten."

"… The name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, daughter of the Roman Centurion Maurus and the Baroness Ellen Ioreta Serbus," she said with a bow. Then Sophie looked up, keeping an eye on the woman as she set her scythe back to her side. "You are?"

"Oh," she chuckled to herself. "I _see~_… I heard you would be coming here. Didn't believe my servants when they told me –"

"Please miss," Sophie frowned, "may I have a name?"

"I am a goddess of death and the daughter of the harvest," she explained, "and as for my name… well. Perhaps if you were to come back I'll tell you." She smirked, tilting Sophie's chin so she was looking deeply into her eyes. "… You are different from your father. I can tell even with your extra soul," she explained, "but yet there are similarities. Very beautiful eyes. Vibrant crystal blue. I can see your father in there too with your shinigami green eyes, but I can see why Death loves you so." She let go of Sophie and took several steps back, pointing up the road, "My home is up on the top of the hill," she smiled, "and if you have time you can come and visit me. I can get awfully lonely at times."

"I'll keep that in mind," Sophie smiled as she climbed into the boat. "Thank you… miss…"

"Its misses," she smirked. "I'm married."

"I'm dreadfully sorry," Sophie chuckled. "If I'm ever here once again I'll make my way to the Palace of Hades to see you. For now I must take my leave. There are souls I must deliver."

"Of course," she nodded looking to the ground before giving Sophie a smile. "I will see you later." Sophie smiled and pushed off of the shore, watching the woman while they drifted away as her body disappeared into the fog.

)(*&^%$#!

"Okay we're almost there," Sophie told the souls beside her, "steady…"The boat rocked against the waters, Sophie pushing against the rocks and against the rapids.

Oba looked up, his eyes lighting up as they neared the end. "Hey close your eyes!" he yelled to those in back, "or you'll be blinded by the sun." Everyone followed his instruction and closed their eyes, Sophie having to keep her eyes open as she defended the boat. She knew they weren't coming out of the Mediterranean, but she chose it this way and so it would be easier for her. She yelped in surprise, the bright light casting upon her crystal blue eyes and causing them to shine brightly in the darkness. Sophie groaned, blinking in confusion as she pulled her hood closer to her face to shield her eyes. Oba squinted and looked up, gasping at the sun starting to set over the horizon. "We're here!" he jumped up excitedly, yelping as he was thrown back to the ground by the force of the waters.

"Yes, but we're not done yet," Sophie huffed as she pushed back against the sea, wiping the fog away with her hand.

"Oh god this is beautiful," someone from behind her gasped.

"Yes the sun is so bright," Hathor giggled at the sight.

Sophie smiled and pushed against the calming waters, looking around for a place to dock the boat. "Hey master where are we?" Oba decided to ask.

"The Thames I suppose," Sophie shrugged, "but all I see are… hmmm… Sorry this isn't the cleanest place to see the world but –"

"Hey don't worry about it," Oba chuckled. "You live here. It's comfortable to you. Us… we all live in different parts of the world. It'd just be easier to rendezvous where you're used to."

"Heh," Sophie smirked, "thanks kid."

"Yeah no problem," he nodded, pointing over to the edge of the boat. "Hey, what's that?"

"What?" Sophie asked him, looking over at noticing a dark shadow against the wall. "Oh… shit," she growled, narrowing her eyes and pushing against the current even harder. "We have to get to the shinigami realm –"

"You need help?" asked a voice from under the boat, Sophie looking down to notice that the river was speaking to her.

"Yes it would be appreciated," she chuckled lightly. "We need to get to the shinigami realm before the demons come after us –"

"Then I'll speed up," the river told her, the waters starting to turn as a large wave emerged behind them and pushed them along.

Oba yelped, grabbing hold of Sophie's leg as they were carried along. She looked behind to see the shadows appearing and disappearing, trying to catch up to the boat. "Please keep going," she told the river, taking her scythe out of the water as the end became shorter, "and I'll take care of this… Oba keep an eye on the souls."

"Alright," he nodded, letting go of her leg and standing up in the boat. Hathor kept a tight grip of Oba as he grabbed hold of the front of the boat, looking behind him as Sophie stood at the back.

She held her scythe at the ready, holding it behind her as a demon jumped out of nowhere with its claws stretched out. She yelled and slashed it in half, its body splitting cleanly into two as it fell into the water; her face and cloak splattered with its blood as the souls yelped in fright behind her. "Don't worry," Sophie narrowed her eyes at the demons showing up on the shoreline, "I'll protect you." She slashed her scythe into the air, the wind slashing several demons apart as the others jumped away in fright. They kept appearing and disappearing into the fog, Sophie's eyes swirling with blue, green, and yellow colors as she saw their auras in the fog.

With one last slash she ripped into the ground, the dirt tumbling into the waters as the demons screamed out in fright. "We're almost there!" Oba yelled, the souls clinging together in the middle of the boat. Sophie looked up to see a demon flying down upon them, a black haze surrounding them in an instant. The demon let out a screech as it ran into the haze, ripping up into pieces and disappearing into the haze. Sophie only stood there, her hands crossed over her chest with the scythe in her hand as they passed from the human realm into the shinigami realm.

She let out a tired sigh and waved her hand over the haze, letting it disappear over the souls. "Sorry that I had to let you fall into darkness again," she frowned, "but it had to be done –"

"Don't worry about master," a soul smiled to her. "You saved us." Sophie smiled back and gave it a nod, the bottom of her scythe turning back into an oar as she pushed them along in the river.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

A young shinigami hummed to herself, looking at a map in her hand as she tried to figure out where she was. Her silver-neon green eyes darted around till she heard an ominous sound coming from the river next to her, the woman looking into the fog as she gasped suddenly. Her head began to ring loudly at all the sounds that she was hearing, a growl escaping her lips as she pressed a hand against her forehead. She barely heard a boat dock onto the shore, souls passing her as they were led along a road. "_Hello~_" the shinigami looked down to see another shinigami dressed in a long black cloak pushing the boat back into the river. The shinigami came towards her, a chill going down her spine as she held a long black scythe against her shoulder. "Who are you?"

"T-the name is Annalise," she gulped, quickly shaking her head as she let out a huff and continued to talk more confidently and held up her map, "and I'm here looking for the London Division –"

"Oh you're a new recruit then?" The woman nodded in understanding. "Well alright. Oba!" she yelled up the hill at the soul of a young boy, "Keep everyone together. Marius is waiting for you on the other side of the realm. If you have any problems don't be hesitant to call. I'll be there in a few moments."

"Understood master," he saluted her and pushed the other souls hastily along.

"Hey it's not master it's –" she paused as Oba only giggled and they disappeared, "Sophie…" She shook her head before a chuckle escaped her throat. "Sorry I'm not in the best of sorts," Sophie explained, "but if you can kindly follow me I'll take you to our facilities and get you started." The woman behind her nodded as she followed behind, eyeing the souls that had disappeared over the hills as they walked in a different angle from them. Annalise noticed a strange smell on her, a dark but mesmerizing smell of a powerful soul.

Sophie hummed as she walked, making her way up the hills towards the white buildings. As they walked Sophie noticed something about this other shinigami. Perhaps it was the long blood red neon of her hair or the silver neon of her sword, but more was her aura and scent. It smelt demon, but Sophie knew her demon scent was only as strong as her shinigami scent. "If you don't mind me asking," Annalise began again, "but what is your name?"

"Sophia," she answered her without looking behind her, "but you can call me Sophie." She looked behind with a smile, noticing the tan the woman had on her body, must like her own. "If you need any help don't be afraid to ask. You can find me on either the level E or N of the Dispatch Management section of the building. Just ask around and you'll find me." Then they stopped at the white building, Sophie leading the woman inside first to let her look around the grand building. "And if you don't mind **me** asking," Sophie leaned over her shoulder, "but what division did you come from?"

"Division?" Annalise coughed before chuckling lightly. "I came from the French Division close to Paris. I'm part of dispatch too."

"Ah you are?" Sophie smiled, "Well that's great. I'll be seeing you around." Then she turned her head out the door, thinking to herself before turning her attention back to the shinigami. "Now all you have to do is talk to the secretary and they'll help direct you around the building. I'm sorry I can't help you any further, but I must get back to work." Sophie gave her a nod as she turned around, opening the door and closing it behind her. Annalise let out a sigh and turned her attention back to the secretary, rustling into her bag and getting her forms ready. Whoever that woman was she would have to avoid her if she found out her origins of her past and her life as a demon, or perhaps from her strong smelling aura she'll have to get closer – Annalise shook her head roughly and let out a huff, dashing over to the window and slamming her papers onto the counter.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… Juho Yrjänä, Kleitos Philo, Kyriakos Alolos, and Sergius Decimus Fabricia." Sophie let out a sigh as the last soul walked into a beam of light, rolling up the scroll in her hand and handing it to Marius along with a letter from her pocket. "You now have 240,618 souls in your charge," she told him, "and they're all listed here… OH! Almost forgot." She chuckled lightly as she went into her bag and took out another scroll, handing it over to Marius. "Only have Death read this scroll. Charon put me in charge of giving it to him, but I figured you could do that Marius."

"Okay," he nodded as he slipped the papers into his pocket. "Thank you Sophie –"

"H-hey master," Oba tugged on her dress, "so what's your decision with me?"

"You?" she raised an eyebrow. "Wait one moment Oba." Sophie took out another scroll and handed it to Marius, his eyebrow rising at the name on the scroll. "Almost forgot, but Charon told me I could give this scroll to you to give to the angels," she smiled, "and I don't know what's in them, but I'm guessing it's something to do with the souls in Hell."

"Understood," he smiled. "Now I'll let you discuss what you want to do. In the meantime I'm going back. I will see you soror," and with a nod Marius walked into the light, leaving three souls behind outside the edge of the shinigami realm.

Sophie let out a sigh looking over at Oba and Hathor, who were looking at her intently expecting an answer. "... Oba you must forget me," she sighed, "but I don't think I can. Plus look, if I was in your shoes I would go to the fields... and you know I can't. Why must you be difficult –"

"I have spent three thousand years in the darkness," Oba huffed, "and I will **not** go. I refuse okay? I have dreamt of coming back to this world and I'm not leaving it now! You can't do this!"

"But you have no powers," Sophie frowned, "and even if I let you stay what can you do? Haunt people? I'm sorry, but even if you were a guardian for the other souls you haven't truly proven yourself to me –"

"But miss master," Hathor raised her hand, "I-it's not like we – or I suppose Crowned Prince wants to stay then you should let him."

"And why should I?" Sophie huffed.

"... B-because," Hathor gulped, "because if he stays I want to stay. If master wants to become a ghost and so will I and if we have to become demons then I will –"

"My dear you are mistaken," Sophie interrupted her. "You are not his servant anymore. You are free to go on –"

"B-but," Hathor stomped her foot, "I have my reasons okay? I have made vows as you must have master. Plus I... oh never mind!"

"Now wait a second," Sophie frowned. "Continue. What vows?"

"W-well I was a priestess-in-training," Hathor gulped, "a-and Prince he... he..." She looked over at him and gave him a smile, Oba's face starting to blush as he quickly turned his head. "He is my friend," she decided to say, "and I won't leave my friend here –" She suddenly let out a yelp, holding her hands to her mouth as Sophie and Oba turned around only to be swatted away by a large hand. She yelled as she was thrown the other way, flying into the shinigami realm as Sophie and Oba were still stuck on the other side.

"Another demon?" Sophie growled, grabbing hold of Oba as they were swatted yet again and thrown into the trees. "Oba hang on, I've got this," she growled, her death scythe summoning into her hand as she let out a yell and slashed at the demon. It roared and fell backwards into the trees, several branches plummeting to the ground as it let out a surprised shriek.

They covered their ears in pain at the high pitched noise, the two souls being swiped yet again. Sophie let out a scream as a claw came down on her from behind and slashed up the whole right side of her body, gripping Oba close as she fell to the ground. "HATHOR!"

"MASTER!" Sophie heard from the soul, closing her eyes tightly as she held Oba to her chest.

Then she gasped, feeling a bright trembling presence behind her. Sophie slowly turned around at the feeling, her heart feeling as if it will soon pound out of her chest. She looked behind to find a colorful flaming bird behind her, just as large as the demon and letting out a squawk as a reply. "Phoenix," she coughed, the gold, purple, blue, green, and scarlet colors shining upon her cape. "No wonder..." The bird rose up into the air and flew down, leaving a trail of fire in its wake as it flew into the demon. The demon roared in shock as it was brought down, disappearing into the ground as it did. Then other demons began to show up, slashing and clawing at the bird as it flew up into the sky and back down upon them.

"Hathor you can do it!" Oba called to her, pushing his way out from under Sophie's arms to watch her. Sophie could only stare up in awe, the bright light shining upon her face. Tears began to fall down her eyes as she wiped away her tears with her cape, looking down at her hands with disgust and envy at what the young soul really was. "S-sophie?" he turned to her worried. He gave her a cracked smile and walked over to her, grabbing her shoulders and giving her a hug. "Thank you," he told her, "but you should take a rest. Hathor can handle everything –"

"N-no," Sophie began to cough, pulling away from him. Oba frowned as she began to cough up blood, grabbing for her back and scratching at her shoulders. "No, w-hat is this f-feeling – AAAAAAGH!"

"Sophie!" Oba gasped as he tried to run to her side, Hathor unable to pay attention as she defended them against the swarm of demons. "Master! Master!" he cried, only to be pushed away by her hand as Sophie knelt on the ground and screamed in pain. He watched in horror as the events unfolded around him.

Sophie groaned as two lumps on her back began to form, the bird looking behind her in shock. Biting down on her teeth painfully blood began to drip from Sophie's mouth, trying to endure the pain in her back. The invisible symbol on her left hand began to glow intently, illuminating her stomach with its glow. "Run! Run damn it!" Sophie called to Oba one last time, letting out a gasp as she felt something ripping out of her skin. With a loud cry she bent onto her knees and screamed at the top of her lungs, two bloody stubs ripping out of her skin.

Oba was petrified in fear as he watched from behind, seeing large feathers ripping out from Sophie's back and blood splattering his face. "M-master?" he gulped, seeing a combination of white and red as large wings grew out of her back and spread its limbs out from the force. Sophie continued to scream until she could no longer, her hands gripping the ground so tightly that her nails were causing her fingers to bleed. She tried to stay awake, but pass out on the grass as she looked up to see a blur of reds and yellows in front of her shinning upon her trembling bleeding body.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And there you go. Actually a lot of stuff happened in this chapter =3 Anyways I hope you enjoyed it. Too bad Sophie is in pain, but wings. What's with that? XD See you next time X3**

Hathor – Ancient Egyptian – House of Horus

Tartarus – The infernal regions, described in the Iliad as situated as far below Hades as heaven is above the earth, and by later writers as the place of punishment for the spirits of the wicked. By the later poets, also, the name is often used synonymously with Hades, or the Lower World in general

Charon – ferryman of Hades who carries souls of the newly deceased across the rivers Styx and Acheron that divided the world of the living from the world of the dead. A coin to pay Charon for passage was sometimes placed in or on the mouth of a dead person

Phoenix – mythical sacred firebird; has a 500 to 1000 year life-cycle, some stories say that the phoenix embalms the ashes of its old self in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis, it is said that the bird's cry is that of a beautiful song; ability to be reborn from its own ashes implies that it is immortal, though in some stories the new Phoenix is merely the offspring of the older one; few stories say they are able to change into people


	62. The Bloody White

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Annalise © Grimm The Undertaker

**A/N: Meh I'm bored again so here's another chapter. I bet you were wondering what happened to Sophie. Well here it is! ENJOY! (geeze I'm running out of things to say here ^^')**

!#$%^&*()

"Hmmm…" Alex looked around sniffing a strange smell in the air, getting interrupted as Rose walked into the room. "Do you smell that?"

"Smell **what** dear?" She chuckled and set down a stack of paperwork for him. Rose frowned at the expression on his face, his nose up in the air as he noticed a strong smell of blood. "Alex?" she said rushing over to him and shaking his shoulder, "what do you smell?"

"Blood," he said standing up and pushing his chair into his desk, "a **lot** of blood. Smells like Sophie's. Come on."

Rose nodded and threw open his door, rushing down the stairs with her husband behind him. "Shoot Sophie what did you get yourself into?" she shook her head in frustration, letting Alex pass her as they dashed to the lower level and took off out the door.

When he opened the door he had to cover his nose, a flood of nausea overwhelming his nose. "Ugh! Blood and smoke!"

"Smoke?" Rose asked, looking over and noticing that the forest outside of the realm was starting to catch fire, but yet it wasn't burning; only seeing flames surrounding the corner of the realm. "Come on Alex," she pulled on his arm, rushing him along as he started to get lightheaded. She looked over and noticed another woman rushing over to the scene, narrowing her eyes and noticing it had the scent of a demon. "Hey you!" Rose called, leaving Alex on his own and chasing after the woman. She took off in haste and took out a sword, slashing it at Rose who only held her arm up and snarled. In haste she dashed and pinned the creature to the ground, the woman screaming at her to let go. "What are you planning on doing coming out here?" Rose growled as she narrowed her eyes and pinned the woman's hands above her head and straddled her legs so she couldn't squirm away. "Well? Answer!"

"Okay, okay!" she yelped, blowing her neon red hair from her face in a huff. "I smelt blood and I couldn't help myself, alright?"

"I-it's okay Rose," Alex groaned as he made his way over to them and drank down a heavy amount of water. "You're half demon and half shinigami correct?"

"Like I'll tell **you**," the other being huffed back, letting out a fearful squeak as a blade was held against her neck.

"Fine have it your way," Alex huffed, "but if you're here as a shinigami then don't eat anything. I own that blood—"

"Wait now," the woman yelled back, "how can you own blood –"

"You just can!" Rose sneered, roughly throwing the woman's head on the ground and standing up. "If you don't know **that** then you're don't know anything _demon_. Now stay away from my жена or so help me you'll be flayed and your internal organs ripped out of your body and set on a platter!"

"What the hell –"

"God Rose you're turning into Sophie," Alex laughed, giving her a kiss on the cheek before grabbing her hand. Then he looked over at the woman, his eyes glowing red as he sneered at her. "… Who are you anyways? Did you just transfer or something?"

"Actually I did," she huffed as she brushed the dirt off of her clothes. "The name is Annalise, but if you want to call me **demon** then fine, _demon~_" she looked over at Alex with a smirk.

"… Then come if you want," Alex glared, "but if I see any funny business from you then I'll kill you."

"Fine," Annalise shrugged as she stood up, "but don't blame me if that body is dead."

They froze, turning around and glaring at the newcomer. "What do you mean by that?" Alex growled.

"I can smell the blood too," she explained, "but I can hear music –"

"Music?" Alex asked. "What does that have to do with anything –"

"When I reap I hear music and see ribbons of color, **not** cinematic records," Annalise explained. "I don't know. It's strange for me compared to what you see I suppose, but if there's two different types of music in the air then those souls are dying –"

"Thanks for the heads up," Rose smirked, "but we know our Sophie. She won't die that easily."

"W-wait Sophie?" Annalise raised an eyebrow, trying to recall the name as the other two took off. "Hey wait!" she yelped as she ran after them, "wait up for me! –" They all paused as the fire stopped, the scent of blood growing stronger as they came near. Annalise had to over her nose from the smell, trying to keep her demon senses at bay as the smell began to overwhelm her. At last they came upon the scene, only seeing splatters of blood and several dead demons everywhere. "W-what happened –"

"Angel," Alex explained, kneeling down and picking up a bloody white feather on the ground. He sniffed it and gasped, looking over at Rose in horror. "It's Sophie's," he gulped, "but… b-but her wings have never turned white like this –"

"I'm just as confused as you are," Rose looked around for more evidence. "Look here," she pointed, "It looks powerful. A large gust of wind pushed the trees away and the blood splatter is over here. Something must of happened to Sophie… she was here I can smell it –"

"And there were souls here too," Alex explained, "and –"

"Sorry am I interrupting something?" Marius tilted his head to the side as the three shinigamis jumped back in fright. He chuckled as he held out his hands in an attempt to calm them down. "Don't worry Sophie will be just fine," he smiled, the others noticing blood on his hands, "but I want you to relay a message to Undertaker."

"Sure," Alex nodded, "Go."

"Sophie…" Marius looked over at Annalise hesitant to say something, but continued, "Tell Undertaker that the souls Sophie was leading are back to their original destinations. Just… something happened that we weren't anticipating."

"What could that be?" Rose frowned. "Is Sophie okay –"

"I already told you she is fine," he sighed, "but she's in a lot of pain. The only beings that can help her right now are myself. I have to get back to her right this second –"

"Then go!" Rose shooed at him.

"I will when you let me finish woman!" Marius shook his head. "Okay, sorry. Go tell the Undertaker that… well Sophie can explain things later I'm guessing. Just say she's with us and she'll be back in a few moments. Alright?"

"Okay…" Alex frowned. "How will we explain **this** though –"

"It was a battle against demons trying to eat souls," Marius told them. "That's all I'm aloud to say." Then a bright light shined behind him and he turned around, the three shinigamis shielding their eyes as he walked into the light and disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" Annalise growled in surprise, her finger wiping off a trickle of blood from a nearby tree. Rose growled as she brought it up to her lips, Rose gripping Annalise's arm tightly to stop her and wiped the blood on her sleeve. "Hey –"

"Look Annalise," Alex sighed, "right now things are complicated. For now how about you go back to the buildings. Don't talk about this to **anyone** and in a few moments I'll try to explain to you the situation… Alright? Just get situated and whatnot and –"

"Alright I get it," she held up her hand in defense. "Geeze you guys are grouches and why the hell was an angel here –"

"Once again I'll tell you later," Alex huffed, "now go."

"You can't order _me~_ around," Annalise huffed back and turned around, "I can leave on my own accord if I wish." She frowned as the other two turned their backs on her and talked among themselves, Annalise shaking her head and heading back to the buildings. How she was going to explain to her new supervisor why she ran out on him she doesn't know, but there was something in the back of her mind that was keeping her on edge. Sophie… she recently heard that name correct? She shook her head and scratched her forehead, trying to remember where she heard the name. She groaned as she threw open the door and walked into a building. The ringing of hundreds of souls was still ringing in her ears – "That's it!" she snapped her fingers and jumped up excitedly, startling a few shinigamis that were walking past her. It was that delectable looking soul that had showed her to the buildings! Her name… Sophie! Yes that's it! Annalise giggled happily with glee as she ran down the hallway, wanting to get to the bottom of things before her mind exploded with suspense.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"… _Isis… Isis… master_… Nephthys, master, wake up!"

Sophie gasped in surprise, letting out another scream in pain as her back felt sore and numbing from the pain. She groaned and looked around, seeing the winged bird still in front of her trying to shield them from the demons as Oba was by her side trying to shake her awake. "O-oba?" she looked at him, gripping her arm as she stumbled around and looked at him in the face. "W-what's going on –"

"I don't know," he huffed, "you tell me. You have wings! Why do you have wings?"

"W-wings?" Sophie stared at him confused, looking behind her and noticing the bloody white feathers falling to the ground behind her. "W-wings wHHHAA…" She tried to think as to why she had suddenly sprouted wings, but feeling a gust of air flying past her she looked up to see Hathor hit the ground and transform back into a human. "Hathor!" she yelled, pushing her legs from the ground as she dashed to the fallen soul. She jumped onto her body to shield her from a demon, which roared and slashed down on them. "You let them go!" Sophie yelled, her wings fanning out behind her and spraying the demon with blood. A white energy came from her back as her wings opened up, suffocating the demon as it screamed in pain before it disappeared into its light.

Sophie groaned as the energy left her, the only pain she had was in her hands where she held Hathor. Everything else went numb, especially the pain in the back. "Master!" Oba cried out, running into the light and grabbing hold of Sophie's waist. "Don't go! –"

He stopped calling to her as Sophie pulled him into her chest, Oba looking over to find Hathor still on fire. "I-it hurts –"

"Don't worry you'll be okay," Oba smiled, gripping Hathor's hand as she began to scream.

Sophie looked down and gently let them go, holding onto Hathor's shoulders with an eased look on her face. "A-a pho-enix is what you are, I-isn't it?" she asked, Hathor trembling as she looked into her bright crystal blue eyes. "Calm down," she rubbed her shoulders, her eyes beginning to flicker as her energy was slowly being drained, "_calmmmmm_…"

"Master?" Hathor gasped, watching as Sophie's head dropped as she passed out again, falling onto Hathor's lap. Then Oba and Hathor looked around, seeing the devastation they all had caused upon the land. Oba looked over at Hathor and gasped, seeing that the fire that had consumed her was completely gone and the demons had been destroyed. "… Master did this didn't she?" she asked him.

"Y-yeah I guess so," Oba chuckled. "I never knew… that master…"

"Hey what happened here?" Marius asked, appearing out of the light and jumping onto the ground. "Little souls – … s-soror?" he gulped, reaching down for her and picking her off of the ground. "… What did you do?" he growled down at them.

"We don't do anything!" Oba yelled in defense. "Hathor turned into a bennu to protect us and master started screaming and wings came out of her back. You tell **us** what is going on –"

"Sadly I'm as confused as you are," he frowned. "Come," he nudged them to the light, "your time has come to pass –"

"Not yet!" Oba yelped as he was pulled along. "Sophie promised –"

"It will be better to discuss this in the other world," Marius told him in a stern voice. "Right now we need to make sure Sophie is okay, alright?"

"… Yes…" Oba nodded, Hathor following behind them and quickly catching up as she felt more demons coming closer to them.

When they passed into the light the souls were walking around the fields, Oba and Hathor gasping is astonishment as Marius smirked at them. The souls looked over and gasped in horror, noticing that their master had fallen. "It will be alright," he said aloud, not bothered by the fact that Oba and Hathor was still following him. "Your master will be back in a moment." He jumped up the stairs leading up to a large building, instructing Oba and Hathor to stop. "We will take care of Sophie," he told them, "and I will tell you when she is well."

"Wait!" Oba raised his hand to stop Marius. "Why should we trust you –"

"I am her brother," he told him, "and you have my word as a Serbus that your master will be returned to you. For now let her sleep. We need to tend to these wounds."

Then he opened the door and walked in, quickly being greeted by a young maiden dressed in white with long-wavy burgundy hair whipping past his face. "Marius you're back – My gosh what is this? Savta!" she ran, leaving Marius at the door as he waited for permission to continue into the house. He frowned at the blood dripping down onto the ground, knowing that he'll have to clean that up later.

"Inaya called me and – Marius who is this?" a small woman came up to him asked, her long silver hair blowing in the breeze as the door closed shut behind him. "Don't tell me another angel had fallen into our district –"

"No it's Sophie," he explained looking around. "Is Death here –"

"No he's not," she frowned, "but come in! Go to the guest room at the end of the hall. Make haste!"

Marius did as he was instructed as the two woman moved out of the way for him, using his foot to open the door as he dropped Sophie on the bed and she groaned. He sighed and began to run for supplies, being stopped by the older woman as she instructed him to sit. "Don't worry we'll take care of her," she smiled. "I sent Inaya to get supplies. You sit down and tend to her. I'll be back."

He nodded and grabbed a chair, frowning at the sight of his little sister in agonizing pain. He grabbed her hand and she gripped it hard, shivering as the blood seeped into her wings and down her back. "Marius here!" Inaya called to him, the man looking up to grab the pot of water, rags, and a few small combs and set them on the side.

"Come we'll have to strip her to get to the wings," the woman instructed as Marius leaned her body up, letting the others untie Sophie's cord and slip her white dress off from her body. He fiddled with the back, careful to not touch her wings as he gently set her body down with her back facing them.

Then he took out a warm rag and began to clean her back, Sophie shivering as she let out a yelp. "It's alright," he cooed as he gently wiped the blood from her back, "I'm here… your brother is here… don't cry." Inaya grabbed a rag and walked to the other side of the bed, helping Marius as the other woman left the room at the sound of a doorbell.

"D-do you think she will be okay –"

"She will," Marius told her. "Sophie is a fighter. This happens when bodies grow wings. Why this happened to her I don't know…"

"… How did her wings come out anyways?" Inaya decided to ask.

"The black haze," Marius sighed as he dipped the rag back into the water and ringed out excess brownish-red water, "so… does this mean she's an angel now?"

"It must have been this mission you told me about," Inaya responded. "Something must have happened for this to happen. I know your father doesn't have wings so… who knows –"

"Marius may I speak with you?" a deep booming voice came from the doorway, a chill going down his spine as he stood up and set the rag into the pot.

"Could you continue?" Marius asked.

"Of course," Inaya giggled, watching as he left and she went back to scrubbing the caked blood from Sophie's back.

Marius walked into the hallway and stared up at Death, the man ushering him to follow him away from the room to a quieter spot in the hallway. "What happened –"

"Sophie had gone back into the underworld and emerged with the souls destined to come here," Marius began deciding it was best to not keep him waiting. "I left her and two souls back on earth, since she wanted to talk to them. I came back and there was blood everywhere, demons dead or destroyed on the ground with the two souls circled around Sophie. When I came near I noticed that she had sprouted white wings –"

"White wings?" Death interrupted him. "… We will have to find out the details later. For now tend to her aid, but first I want you to go back to earth to tell the earth dwellers of the situation. I don't want your family to get into trouble over this."

"Yes sir," Marius bowed, looking into the room at the bloody white wings as he quickly tore his eyes away and ran out the house. If he was ever going to get Sophie better he will have to find out what is going on, but to see her in pain made his stomach turn.

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you for helping me," Marius sighed as he combed the blood out of Sophie's long white feathers.

"Hey no problem," Inaya chuckled, "we're family after all –"

"I'm sorry," he interrupted her, "but I don't see **how** we are even close to being related. I am just some servant boy who works for you –"

"That's not true Marius," Inaya huffed. "We brought you into our home and raised you since you were a tot. You are free to leave whenever you want. Heck, you can go live on earth if you wish!"

"… Really?" he chuckled lightly, "You may think that Inaya, but I doubt Death would ever want me to."

"Why don't you ask him?" Inaya pointed behind her, Marius turning around as he was startled by the man standing behind her.

He sighed. How Death can sneak up on him **every** time? Marius wished he knew. "I am not keeping you here," Death told him, grabbing a chair and sitting next to Inaya, "It is your choice to stay. You are free to leave as your sister can, but if you don't take the opportunity presented for you then you will not be able to go back to earth once Sophia is dead. You know this correct?"

"I do," Marius sighed in frustration, "but… I'm not supposed to! I'm an unborn baby soul –"

"So you reject when an offer of life when it's given to you?" Death commented, Marius looking over with a glare before turning his eyes back on his sister's wings. Death brushed a gentle hand over Sophie's wings and she winced, the man rubbing the blood on his hands and watching as it coated his fingers. "… The fact that your family can survive when I touch you means the soul inside of you is more powerful then I. Thus the soul is greater than even Death itself."

"Why are you telling me this?" Marius pouted.

"Isn't this why Sophia went back for those souls," he said as he stood up, "to find out who she is? Whom **you** are Marius. Your sister is risking her entire existence to find the answer to that question, so perhaps you should help her." They watched as Death walked out of the room, Marius huffing as Inaya giggled at him as he left.

"… I truly love her Inaya," Marius told the other, "and to put her whole life at stake every day…"

"She's like your father you know," Inaya smiled happily. "Yeah…" she sighed as she combed through Sophie's feathers to get rid of the blood, "Like her father…"

"… Is there something you want to say –"

"No," Inaya chuckled. "I'm alright. I was just thinking of the past, that's all… and a promise that seems to never get fulfilled."

"Oh I see," Marius nodded. "What's the promise?"

"That my mother would show up again," Inaya slumped back in the chair and set the comb aside, "but I know she won't."

"Ah yes your mother," Marius sighed. "Just disappeared one day –"

"When I was a baby," Inaya frowned before giving him a smile, "and your father raised me for a few days till my father came back."

"Oh he did?" Marius chuckled. "I never would have guessed…"

"… Well I should help savta with dinner," Inaya smiled as she stood up and set the comb down in the tub of water. "I'll be back with some food for you. Don't starve yourself."

"Heh," Marius chuckled lightly as she left the room, "I won't!" Then he paused and ran a hand through Sophie's auburn hair, feeling the sweat coming down from her brow. "Oh Sophie," he sighed as he combed through her hair, "I love you so much. Don't leave."

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie groaned, her eyes slowly flickering open as she looked around. She was in an unfamiliar room; not as bright and white as an infirmary, but yet not as dark and black as the mortuary either. She felt a hand upon her chest and turned her head, seeing Marius passed out on the edge of the bed. "M-marius," she groaned again, moving her body to the side and looking at his sleeping face.

She poked his nose and he sneezed, getting a giggle out of her. "Soror?" he shook his head, giving her a smile and lifting his head off of the bed. "You're up? Good."

"Y-yeah I suppose," she turned again in the bed, letting out a gasp of pain as she uncomfortably squished a wing under her back. "My god – … So I wasn't dreaming?"

"Nope," he chuckled, lifting up her head and grabbing a glass of water from the bed stand. "Don't worry. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since you passed out."

She looked up at him and smiled, drinking down the water and gagging slightly as she tasted blood in her throat. "Ugh," she groaned, choking on the awful taste as Marius brought the glass down and set it back on the bed stand. "W-where am I? What happened –"

"Before that I have a few questions for you," Marius interrupted her with a smile.

"Oh?" she responded, pushing her body up and resting her back on the wall of the bed. "W-ha is it?"

"What happened?" he reached for her hand, Sophie looking down as he gripped her hand tightly, but in a comforting way.

She let out a sigh and looked around the room, the room feeling authentically familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where she really was. "Okay," she nodded as she let him hold her hand. "… You left right? S-so I could talk t-to Oba – Where is he a-nyways?"

Marius chuckled, noticing that she was getting sidetracked again. "I'll tell you once you answer my questions," he smirked, Sophie frowning at him and letting out an agonizing groan.

"Fine, fine," she huffed and looked at the wall. "Well… y-ou left and O-oba wanted to convince me t-hat he needed to st-ay. Then a h-hoard of demons came out and w-we were attacked. You'll like this," she chuckled. "Hathor… h-hathor turned into a phoenix."

"Really?" Marius raised an eyebrow.

"A-and when she did… m-my back started to hurt a-nd… and this," she looked at her back and tried to move her wings. She grits her teeth before sighing, her wings drooping behind her. "Could it be… t-he light? I-I don't know w-hat happened… I'm as con-f-fused as you are," she sighed again before looking over at him with a glare. "So? W-where am I?"

"… Oh!" he chuckled nervously. "Yes I didn't tell you. You're in Death's house."

"I-I am?" she looked around as a chuckle escaped her throat. "S-hould have noticed by the déc-or," she smiled before the smile on her face began to fade. "… Y-you brought me here?"

"Yes," he smiled, "and I've been judging those souls for you that you have brought here while you've been out… How's your back?"

"Hurts," she sighed, flopping on the bed with her white wings fanned behind her back and her arms crossed under her head. "… I want t-o go home…"

"Hey I'll tell you what," Marius sighed as he gently grabbed her hand and gripped it tightly, "stay here and recover. Undertaker knows you're here so you don't have to worry. Go ahead and rest easy and when you wake up we'll discuss the situation… alright?"

"Alright," she sighed again, looking at the gray carpet on the floor, "…gratias."

Marius nodded and stood up to leave, turning off the light and closing the door as he left the room. "How is she?" Inaya asked she tried to peek into the room as Marius closed the door.

"Fine," he sighed, "but I wish she would be careful… did you get the book?"

"Yeah here," she smiled as she handed it to him and followed him down the hallway. "I found it on the shelf in the back."

"Thank you," Marius nodded, sitting down on a couch and opening the book.

"Though why you would want a book called _The Chronicles of the Divine_ is strange," Inaya huffed. "How would that help you find out what happened to Sophie –"

"Death recommended it," Marius explained, "and said that there may be beings described in here that can help us… Did Briana want me to do something?"

"No savta told me to leave you alone," Inaya sighed and flopped down on the couch next to him, "but I'll be _bored~_ if I don't do something! Need help?"

"Well sure I suppose," Marius nodded. "You can find more information if you want or go question the two souls involved. It's up to you."

"Great!" Inaya giggled. "Call me in when dinner's ready! I'll be back!" She dashed out of the house and slammed the door behind her; Marius concentrating as he slowly flipped through the pages looking for the information he seek.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: There you go. That's what happened to Sophie ^^… Well sort of. More will be explained later. And as always I hope you enjoyed this chapter. SEE YOU!**

Nephthys – Egyptian goddess; daughter of Nut and Geb. Nephthys was typically paired with her sister Isis in funerary rites because of their role as protectors of the mummy and the god Osiris and as the sister-wife of Set

Bennu – bird serves as the Egyptian correspondence to the phoenix, and is said to be the soul of the Sun-God Ra

_savta_ – Hebrew – _grandmother_


	63. The Chronicles of the Divine

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I figured I'd review another chapter to try to get out of a slump I'm in. Darn finals. I don't even know if I'll pass math. Plus I'm trying to catch up with this story before I write more, so I'll probably post at least one or two more chapters… maybe more if I feel that it's necessary. Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Ciao! **

!#$%^&*()

"Hey father? Papa I have something," Alistair jumped up and down, holding a large and dusty old book in his hands.

"Can't you see we're busy –"

"I know!" He explained, "But I found something in this book I think you should see."

"What is it дети?" Rose asked as she picked up the book and set it down on a nearby table. "_The Chronicles of the Divine_ by Renu Elektias? Where did you get this?"

"Oh Тетушка recommended him," Alistair smiled. "He actually has a lot of accurate information on supernatural beings even though his books are a thousand or more years old!"

"Well go on then," Alex ushered his son. "We can use all the help we can get."

"Okay," Alistair nodded as he climbed up into a chair and opened the book. "This is a combination of diaries than an actual book, but the information still holds true. Let's see… 3805… here!" he pointed to the lines and letting out a cough.

"…I was told about a time in an age out looking a woman's past when she was still young and chaste (see pg. 5023). She had set herself on a mission into the underworld to collect souls who had not been truly evaluated at the time of their deaths. She came across many beings that helped her along the way, including the help of Kharon and his boat. It had been the first time she met Kore, whom spoke to her wondering why she was there and how she was like her father.

"When she had emerged to the land of the living and sent the souls to the light of the afterlife, she held back to speak to two souls whom wanted to stay in the land of the living to assist her. While they spoke demons approached them, as they were called demons at the time, but they were only evil spirits that were trapped and unable to pass on to the afterlife. The soul of the girl defended her and the other soul, turning into a phoenix and setting the demons ablaze. Upon its flaming fury, white wings suddenly grew from her back to take over her body. That was when her powers became pure, obliterating the demons in her glow without lifting a finger against them. She could not stay awake, for she had not taken control of her new powers yet, but she lived on for many months later. She remembers being asleep for many days, staying in Death's hospitality till she was well, but when she returned to the land of the living only a few hours had passed. She asked me why this could come to pass and I explained that the afterlives have different timeframes. I suggested going to the being called Time (see pg. 5145) if she didn't understand my explanation, but she trusted my judgment on the perplexity of time. She told me that the Paradise and the Nightmare have two different timeframes. The time in Paradise goes by faster than in the land of the living, and the time in the Nightmare is slower than Paradise, but quicker than the Land of the Living. The Nightmare can either be long or short for the soul, depending on the reasons why you are sent below. I did not argue, for I have never been forced down below and up above as frequently as she, but never tried to come up with an explanation for –"

"How is this supposed to help?" Alex sighed.

"Doesn't this **sound** like what happened to Тетушка?" Alistair explained. "The wings ripping out from the body… get it? It's about a God of Death, a shinigami, so if she can survive then Тетушка will too."

"Is there anything on how to heal dear?" Rose asked him. "That is what we're looking for."

"Oh yes!" Alistair nodded. "I read it somewhere… a few pages from now," he explained as he flipped through the book. "Sorry," he chuckled, "but this author rants a **lot** –"

"_My my~_ a gathering," the Undertaker spoke from behind them and startling the family. "Sorry to startle you," he answered as he tipped his hat to Rose, "but you requested me to show up. Is Sophia back yet?"

"No," Alex explained, "but it has only been a few minutes. Marius said he'll bring her back when she's ready, but I don't understand what is going on –"

"Well if you'll let me _finish~_ I'll explain what he wrote!" Alister huffed. Alex chuckled nervously as the Undertaker leaned into the book curiously, reading over the boy's shoulder as he continued.

"… How a being can acquire wings varies from being to being. Some beings were born with wings, some grew wings over time, and others use their abilities to form wings. Her wings were different, or I should say, they were different for me.

"I will have to explain at the beginning. When I first saw her (see pg. 5023) and her wings they were large and black, but as we became familiar she would show her true wings to me, white and pure. The black wings came from the other soul living within her. Whenever she uses that being's energy then she can grow wings that are black. They are made out of the dark aura from that soul, so those wings aren't truly hers. She can control this form better than the other, though we still do not understand why. The other wings are white. She described to me how she was able to hide them, for they are attached to her body and can only be hidden away by her own will. As I said earlier, she had acquired these wings when she was younger. She described to me that the white wings are more like angelic wings, as angels and daemons have wings that are physically attached to their bodies, unlike earth dwellers that use their own powers to acquire wings. We discussed how to take care of the wings, as she has to brush through her wings every morn and every night to make sure no dirt and grime will discolor her wings. They can change colors from how her soul is; turning from pure to tainted if there is sin in her heart. This is how it is with every being with wings as she, and if the sin of the soul outweighs the purity then the angel can fall down to earth and become fallen. Her own soul is very pure, but it is the other soul inside of her that is tainted. This soul will turn her wings charcoal black, but yet the sin doesn't cause her to fall for she still holds the purity in her heart. Thus, I learned that day that the large black wings she held in battle were actually large white wings whose feathers would turn black from the use of her other soul –"

"In other words she's an angel now?" Alex thought aloud.

"I suppose," Rose sighed, "but how did that happen?"

"Maybe it was that phoenix," Alistair suggested, "or because that she completed her mission? Like Тетушка I suppose. You told me that the soul that is trapped inside of her was set free, right Дядька?"

Undertaker chuckled and nodded, "Right my boy."

"Yeah," Alistair thought as he looked to the book, "so… if her mission was to go into Hell and collect those souls, then when she completed that mission her wings came out? Isn't that right papa? That Тетушка's mother has angel blood in her veins? The possibility of Тетушка acquiring wings isn't farfetched, seeing as her father is the Dark Centurion and her mother had angelic influence."

"Wow I… I never would have thought of that," Alex chuckled as he rustled up his son's hair. "Great job Al! You solved the mystery!"

Alistair pouted and combed his fingers through his hair, lifting the book and closing it. "Well if this is all done I'm going to find Sasha," Rose smiled. "She's with Тетушка Sutcliff I believe."

"Oh alright," Alex smiled back and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll clean up here."

Rose nodded and took off, Alex turning his attention back to his son as the Undertaker pressed his finger to the lettering and chuckled lightly to himself. "What's so funny Дядька?" Alistair decided to ask.

"_Nothing~_" Undertaker snickered, "Only thinking of the past." Alistair looked up at Alex and he only shrugged, looking over at the Undertaker and letting out a tired sigh.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"My dear you're up!" Briana giggled as she held a stack of boxes and set it down on the dresser. "How are you feeling?"

"F-fine I suppose," Sophie stretched and yawned as she rubbed her eyes and stretched her wings. "How long have I been here?"

"Ten days," she explained, "but nothing to worry about. While you're up would you like some supper?"

"Oh uh," she chuckled nervously, "I-if it's alright with you I suppose –"

"Great! I'll give you the leftovers from the other night!" Briana giggled, poking Sophie's nose as she grabbed the boxes and left the room.

Sophie watched as the woman left before letting out another yawn and stretching. If she had been in bed for nine days then she better get moving before she starts getting lazy! Lifting the sheets she set her feet on the ground, gently lifting her body off of the bed and stumbling over to her clothes. She hadn't even noticed that she was nude till she looked in the mirror, but luckily there were some clothes left out for her to wear. A nice long gray robe that reached down to her ankles with two slits in the back for her wings. A smile came to her face as she looked in the mirror, grabbing the rope hanging from the side and tying it around her waist. My, how large her wings were! A little bit longer then herself, but not enough to cause any problems when walking. She grabbed a comb and combed out the tangles in her hair, knotting her hair in a little side braid as she slipped on the silver sandals that were laid out for her and she walked out of the room. As Sophie walked down the hallway she chuckled lightly at the images on the walls and the blandness of the place. Still, the shingiami buildings were blander than this place. Making her way to the end of the hallway she spotted Marius, who had his nose stuck deeply in a large book as he took notes and flipped through the pages. "Hey Marius," she lifted her hand, the man looking up startled before he smiled and flipped the page.

"Salvē Sophia," Marius said to her, his nose still in the book as she sighed and flopped down beside him.

"What are you reading?" she pointed, Marius lifting the book so she can see the title. "… By Renu Elektias huh? _My my~_ must be an old book… but yet doesn't look old."

"Well Death has a collection of books that he has me feather dust every week," Marius explained, "and they're usually not opened."

"A waste then," Sophie shook her head, "if no one reads them –"

"Oh we do," Marius chuckled, "and if a soul wants to read something they come here. So there are beings reading the books… I've been making a list for you."

"List?" she raised an eyebrow, "For what?"

"There was another being that had the exact same problem as yourself," Marius explained, "and from the book she gained the wings because she completed an important mission –"

"So the hold our soul had in the netherworld was released because of the souls that I returned," Sophie thought, "and thus… I grew wings?"

"I think the reason was Hathor and perhaps even Oba," Marius continued. "Maybe Hathor held the contract and once the terms were met your powers were fully released… or your soul was fully released. It says here that the white wings were her actual soul and the black wings were the other being's soul. Perhaps the whiteness in your wings is telling us how pure your soul is, or it hadn't been tainted by anything I suppose."

"I see…" Sophie thought as she looked down at the book. Then she let out a tired sigh and leaned her head on Marius' shoulder, a light surprised yelp coming from him before he chuckled and ran a hand over her cheek. "You have wings too?"

"Yes," Marius explained, "because I was born with them –"

"But yet I can't see them?" Sophie raised her eyebrow. "Why?"

"I keep them hidden," Marius sighed. "I use my powers to keep them out of sight and thus it looks as if I don't have any wings. I can always feel them in my spine, but by putting a… shroud I suppose would be the term, by putting a shroud over my wings I can go about my business without being bothered. Like how your eyes change colors and you can reside your aura just by thinking about it. That's how powerful our souls really are."

"Huh," Sophie chuckled as she snuggled tighter into Marius' arm, "I'll figure it out later. You continue reading. Sorry for bothering you." Marius smiled and nodded, picking up the book and continuing the read the giant old book.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie skipped out the door and ran down the steps, dashing over to the large black horse neighing out in the fields. "Hey there!" she waved, the horse neighing happily as he dashed to her and let his nose be rubbed by the woman. "Oh I'm sorry for not taking you out for a while," she sighed as she closed her eyes and set her head on the horse's nose, "but I haven't needed a horse to ride. I hope it doesn't bother you." She giggled as she was licked on the cheek, the black horse neighing happily before slowly trotting away to the apples he had been munching on.

"S-sophie?" she heard from behind, looking over to find Oba and Hathor making their way to her. "Are you okay master?"

"Never better," she smiled at them and gave them a tight hug. "… So let me _guess~_. You're still curious to what will happen now?" When they both nodded she chuckled, plucking an apple off of the tree as she sat down and ushered them to sit by her. "I discussed the situation with Death and Marius and I've come to the conclusion to take the two of you back with me, but there are requirements first." Shifting her weight and spreading out her white wings she thought to herself before continuing. "… Oba you are allowed to come back to earth if you change your name and not speak of the heaven that you have seen. Hathor, you can come and accompany Oba, but you will return in the form of a plain large, dark brown golden eagle. From what Death has told me, you are the only phoenix that has been seen since the medieval period. If you wish to continue the destined cycle of a phoenix then you may, but if you would rather stay to protect Oba for the rest of his life I will not object. Actually it will be better that way, seeing as Oba will need all the help he can get," Sophie chuckled lightly. "I will give you time to come up with your terms, but for now let's just stay here for a while and rest."

The two souls giggled as Sophie spread out her wings and flopped over onto the ground, letting out a tired yawn as she stared up to the light coming from the sky with a smile on her face. "Is there anything to decide?" Oba asked.

"No," Hathor chuckled, "not at all… as long as I get to stay with you I'm happy."

"Great!" Oba chuckled. "Now my name… how about Set –"

"Let's make it modern Oba," Sophie sighed, "and modern to the place you want to work at –"

"I want to stay with you," Oba smiled, "so I'll come up with an English name… how about Giles Walter – No sounds weird," Oba huffed to himself. "Ummmm… oh! How about Gilbert Hadwin Helling or Gilbert H. Helling for short?"

"Hey I like that," Hathor giggled, "and you can just call me something like Heather. Simple right?"

"Right," Sophie chuckled at them as she kept her eyes closed and let out another yawn.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Gratias," Sophie smiled happily as she shook Death's hand, "for letting me stay in your household."

"The pleasure is all mine young one," he nodded. "You are always welcome here if you need anything."

Sophie chuckled and let go of his hand, looking over the side and letting out a sigh. "I **have** to jump?"

"Yes you do," Marius explained, leaning over the side with Sophie and looking down on the earth below. "If you can't fly then it shows how weak you are –"

"Hey I've flown dozens of times!" Sophie pouted. "I just don't know how these wings will be…"

"… I don't think I can do this," Oba gulped.

"Don't worry about it," Marius chuckled, "Sophie will catch you before you hit the ground –"

"Or he should **hope** for that," Sophie smirked, letting out a deep breath before exhaling weary. "Okay, let's go. Come on Gilbert and Heather. Our time awaits!"

"W-what I – aaaaAAAAAGGGGHHHHHH!" Oba yelled, Sophie pushing him off of the side and pulling Heather with her.

"W-wwwwwoh!" Hathor laughed, wrapping her arms around Oba as they fell. "Look at this! Isn't flying glorious!"

"No it's terrifying!" Oba yelped as they continued to fall.

Hathor looked up to find Sophie flying straight down as they were, but she was having trouble flapping her wings. "Come on Sophie!" she called to her as she flipped around in the air, "You can do it!" Sophie yelped as she lifted up her wings and she began to spin, unable to control the expansion of her wings as she sped past them. "Oh no," Hathor frowned, letting go of Oba as her wings came from her back and she transformed into a golden eagle. She sped to Sophie, trying to show her how to use her wings and flap them.

"I can't!" Sophie gulped. "My wings aren't responding –" Hathor had to lift herself up away from her in order to avoid slamming into the ground, flying up to Oba who was getting hysterical above them. "Agh!" she yelped, holding her hands in front of her eyes as she awaited impact. Slowly opening her eyes she gasped, noticing her wings were flapping behind her as she skimmed the waters of the ocean. "Oh… oh WOOT! I DID IT!" she laughed, flapping her massive white wings above her and lifting herself up from the water. Sophie flapped up into the sky and circled around them, laughing happily as she did.

"Yeah that's great," Oba huffed, "but now could you help **me**?" He yelled as he almost fell into the water.

He let out a yelp, being stopped by Sophie's hand as she gripped the back of his shirt. "_Sorry Gilbert~_" she smirked slyly, "but you're supposed to go **this way**!"

She threw him in the opposite direction into the air and he screamed, Hathor chasing after him as he flew high up into the air and fell into the trees. He yelped as he covered his face with his hands and Hathor tried to pull him up, but was only able to slow his decent as he fell into the open fields. Sophie laughed hysterically as Oba groaned, standing up and pulling the leaves from his hair. "It's not funny!" he huffed, Sophie covering her mouth in an attempt to stop the laughing.

"Sorry Gilbert," she snorted, "but it's funny!" He shook his head and rolled his eyes, letting out a huff as Hathor landed on his shoulder and cuddled up against his cheek. Oba smiled as he rubbed the bird's head, Sophie's giggles slowly turning silent until she let out a sigh. She looked up to see the shinigami buildings, showing that they were back on the edge of the shinigami realm. "Well let's try this out," she huffed, looking behind at her wings and closing them behind her back. She closed her eyes and concentrated, following the ideas Marius told her as she thought about her wings disappearing.

Oba gasped in wonder as her wings disappeared behind her, fading away into the light of the sky above. "W-wow…" he gasped again.

Sophie looked behind and chuckled, still feeling the bones attached in her skin as she turned and tried to see her back. "You're right… wow…" She took out her watch and looked at the time, seeing that it was almost two in the afternoon. "Well let's get you registered," Sophie said as she walked past Oba and rustled up his hair, Oba letting out a mumble of discontent as he followed behind her up the hill to the white buildings.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Thank you for everything Miss Serbus," Oba smiled happily, "I-I really appreciate that you're giving us another chance."

"Hey no problem _Gilbert H. Helling~_" she chuckled lightly before sighing yet again. "I-it was nothing. I'm just glad the two of you are content."

"Yes!" he giggled, watching as she turned away from them as she began to walk down the hall. "W-wait master…" he said quietly, grabbing her hand and causing Sophie to turn around with an exhausted expression on her face. "Ummm… take this," he said as he pulled off a ring from his right thumb and set it into the palm of her hand.

"W-what's this –"

"It's my family ring," Oba explained, "indicating that I'm the royal prince. I think you should have it –"

"No I can't take this!" Sophie huffed. "This is yours –"

"Take it," Oba instructed with a smile. "I have no use for it here and you can use it to keep an eye on us… well I'll see you. I have to still get my room number," he said as he turned around and gave her a wave. Sophie smiled and waved back, looking down at the amethyst gemmed ring in her hand.

She slipped it on her right index finger, a smile upon her face as she ran a finger over the green gemmed ring around her neck while she turned around and walked down the hallway. Sophie still had a letter to deliver to the council, but she didn't know whom to give the scroll to. Looking up the winding stairs she lifted her body and levitated into the air, using her black haze to make her way to the top levels where Fiona's office was. She walked down the hallway with her black hood over her face, the shinigamis looking over at her confused as a glimmer of blue and green shone from under the hood. Knocking on the door she let herself in, Fiona looking up slightly startled. "Is that you Maurus –"

"No," Sophie chuckled as she lifted her hood up from her head and casually walked towards her desk. "Everyone seems to be associating me with my father lately," she smiled. "I was given this letter and was instructed to give it to the shinigami council, but not to Henry Lorelei. Do you know where I can hand it off to?"

"Oh yes!" Fiona nodded, "You can give it to me if you wish, but please sit! Tell me what happened."

Sophie took out the scroll and handed it to Fiona, letting out a huff as she plopped down in a chair. "Not much," she shrugged, "just went down into hell and sent 7,700,000 to their rightful afterlives. Oh and did you hear? I have wings now and they're white."

"Wait what did you say?" Fiona set the scroll aside and looked at her confused.

"… I should just start at the beginning huh?" Sophie smiled before staring at the wall. "There was a soul of a phoenix among them and when I completed the mission white wings sprouted out from my back. Marius brought me to Death's household and I was there for a several days – Oh I forgot to ask, what day is this?"

"March 30, 1888," Fiona answered.

"What?" Sophie gasped. "I was only gone for a few hours?... Heh. Well whatever. I have wings now like Marius," she shrugged, "but he said that mine are bigger. I didn't notice that. I was in too much pain to notice something like that."

"So that's what Mr. Agon's report was about," Fiona nodded. "… Well I'll keep this hush," she shrugged, "and seeing as you must be exhausted I'll let you go about your way."

"Thanks," Sophie chuckled as she stood up and gave her a wave. "Wait. Why did you think I was Maurus?"

"You have the same aura," Fiona shrugged, "and you're wearing the same outfit he wore after he had gone from the land of the living to the land of the dead. Only assumed he was back."

"Oh… I see…" Sophie sighed as she walked to the office door and closed it behind her. Fiona smiled to herself before running a hand through her hair, cutting the ribbon off and opening the scroll. As she read the contents she let out a gasp and quickly stood up, but decided against her idea and slumped back down into her chair.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And now another moment ends for Sophie… well sort of. It never truly ends for her does it XD I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Tell me what you think! Especially those who I have OCs for. I don't know if I'm writing your characters in correctly ^^'**

_salvē!_ – Latin – _welcome! (to greet someone)_

Gilbert – English – pledge

Hadwin – English – friend of war

Heather – Middle English – flower name: evergreen flowering plant that thrives on peaty barren lands, as in Scotland


	64. The Discussion

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Annalise © Grimm The Undertaker

**A/N: And now here's another one! (as I said I'm trying to catch up. So I've been posting a lot it seems ^^) Now some average stuff, just a bit of a filler for the next part. I think I had writer's block at this point too so everything will be rocky, but that's alright. As long as I'm writing =3 Well… ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Grell!" Sophie raised a hand to him as she noticed Sasha sitting with him next to his cubical. "What's up?"

"_Nothing~_" Grell giggled.

"… You seem different Тетушка," Sasha noticed.

"Oh?" Sophie chuckled. "How so?"

"… You smell different," Sasha stood up and sniffed her black cloak. "You smell… well you have a weird scent on you."

"Have you been sleeping with other men?" Grell gasped, a snicker escaping Sasha's throat at Sophie chuckled lightly.

"I'll explain," Sophie held up her hand, grabbing her chair and swinging it over to Grell's desk. "First off is this," she sighed, holding her left hand to Grell as the marking on her hand slowly became visible.

"W-what's that?" Grell yelped, grabbing her hand and pulling her roughly towards him.

Sasha looked over Grell's shoulder at the visible mark, a gasp escaping her throat as she pressed a finger upon it. "S-so this is what mama was talking about…" Sasha realized, "but hang on. You don't smell like a demon Тетушка –"

"The archangel, Michael, unleashed the other soul that had been buried away inside of me," Sophie decided to just explain if they hadn't heard yet, "and this is the visible marking that shows he had done so." She set her hands down on her lap and sighed, the mark disappearing on her hand as she scratched her nose and thought. "I started seeing corpses coming for my soul, but really they were souls that were trapped by that other soul. I went into Hell and came back here to evaluate them… then just this morning I sent each soul to their rightful destination in the afterlife. After that… well here I am! There's more, but a lot happened."

"You still haven't explained to me why you don't smell familiar," Sasha huffed.

Sophie smiled at them, revealing one of her white wings as it slowly spread out behind her. "You mean _this~?_?"

"Wings?" came a voice from behind, Sophie turning around to find Rose staring at her in bewilderment. "W-what has happened to you –"

"When I completed my mission white wings were formed indicating that I finished the mission," Sophie continued to explain, "and… well… my father would have had them if he had done what I decided to do, but since he didn't I'm the one with the wings. Marius said they show the state of my heart, my actual soul I suppose." Then she chuckled lightly as the wings disappeared behind her, "They're physically attached to my body now… it's really weird."

"No kidding," Grell huffed and slouched in his chair. "Not telling me _anything~_"

"I'm _sorry~_" Sophie pouted, "but I had a lot on my plate. If you need me to do extra work I will, but heck I didn't even tell Jericho! I just didn't have the time – Oh yeah that reminds me." She pulled out a scroll from under her cloak and looked at the ribbon, the name _'The Dark Rider'_ written in shining gold upon black ribbon. "I should read this before something else happens."

"W-what's that?" Sasha asked as she crawled up onto Sophie's lap to see the scroll better.

"Someone gave it to me in Hell," Sophie shrugged, "and I should probably read this."

The other two shinigamis leaned in close to look over Sophie's shoulder as she cut the ribbon off with her knife and opened up the scroll. Looking it over she raised an eyebrow, bewildered of the message she had been given. "W-what does it say?" Rose asked, Sophie letting out a cough as she looked it over.

"_Dearest Dark Rider,_

_How kindly of you for returning my boat to me. It is greatly appreciated, since I no longer have help in the underworld ever since the belief of my existence is unnoticed. Thank you for returning the 7,700,000 souls back to their destined afterlives. My lord did not know what to do since they have been going unnoticed by your family for thousands of years and only your family could evaluating them. Even I, the ferryman of the underworld, cannot go as far down into Hades as you can. I assume your mission has been completed? If so then you must have gained your wings back for your original soul, the soul and body that is host over the darker soul inside of you has borne wings. They are probably white, as was your brother's when he was destined to be born. I trust they are causing you pain. There is a remedy for that, but I doubt you would like to try it. It involves severing your nerves and being unable to use them ever again._

_I have spoken to the Moirai and they have discussed with me your fate. According to Lachesis, the man whom you love deeply is destined to be your husband in your latter future. The man whom you call your love is not the man and will betray your heart. You will continue to experience many trials in your life till you use a feather of healing. Until you do your life will be charged with downfalls, especially upon your own family and those around you._

_My mistress would like to speak to you again in the Palace of Hades when you are available. I can see already that you have fought many trials, but as friends she would like to discuss the situation concerning your soul. You continue to say you belong to another, but do you truly belong to him? Those are the questions we need to answer. Lastly I would love to get some help down here. No one helps me when the souls are evaluated and sent below; some help from those earth dwellers called shinigamis would be helpful._

_Do send Death my regards. We hope to see you again in the latter days. _

_Charon_"

"My goodness Sophie," Rose shook her head, "who are you talking to?"

"I-I was just talking to the boatman in Hell," Sophie huffed.

Rose mumbled and reached down to grab her in a tight hug, "just as long as you're safe I'm content –"

"Who, who are you?" a shinigami closed William's office door and walked over to them, standing next to Grell expecting an answer.

"Oh!" Grell chuckled happily. "Mrs. Rires this is Mrs. Serbus –"

"You're the new shinigami here aren't you?" Sophie nodded in understanding. "The one who's a half demon –"

"How do you know that?" Annalise frowned.

"I brought you here remember?" Sophie chuckled, "I showed you to the buildings… Annalise right?"

"T-that's correct – Oh I see!" she snapped her fingers and laughed. "You're the one with all those souls aren't you."

"Yes," Sophie nodded, "I'm glad you remembered..."

"Annalise will be working with us now," Grell explained, "but I guess I don't need to give introductions anymore," he huffed.

"Say Grell," Sophie realized, "how is madam?"

"She's fine," Grell shrugged, "but since you haven't shown up in a while we've been getting worried –"

"Well the time for that is over!" Sophie chuckled happily. "I'll come by with you after work, but I'm going to go sleep with father again."

"Yeah alright," Grell nodded, "I'm just glad you're back!"

Sophie smiled and looked over at Annalise, who was staring at her in a famished way. "You're drooling," she chuckled, wiping the bit of slobber from the woman's mouth as she yelped surprised.

"Oh I'm sorry!" Annalise frowned. "I only get this way when there's a… ummmm…"

"Delicious souls?" Sophie smiled. "It's alright to admit it with me. I know several shinigamis who are demons too. Don't have to be ashamed about it." Annalise raised an eyebrow and nodded, looking over at Grell as he chattered to them about the bloody body he had found dismembered in the streets the other day.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"It's great to hear that Grell and you are doing well," Sophie smiled as she sipped the rest of her tea and set it down on the coffee table. "I'm sorry for not being around anymore… Life is just busy I suppose."

"That's alright," Anne smiled as she sipped her tea and set it down on the plate in her hand, "I can understand… Will you be staying?"

"I wish I could," Sophie sighed as she stood up, "but I should make my way home."

"Oh… I see…" she frowned.

"B-but I suppose I could stay just for tonight," Sophie chuckled nervously as Grell walked into the room, "If you'd like –"

"Oh no it's alright!" Anne smiled. "Please go home. You look _really~_ tired."

Sophie chuckled and tipped her big black brimmed hat to her, turning to Grell and doing the same. "I'll see you tomorrow alright?" Sophie told Grell, walking out of the room and letting herself out.

"… Grell," Anne sighed as she stood up, "the time to strike is now."

"Yes I suppose," Grell mumbled quietly.

"Are you alright?" she raised an eyebrow, "If you're not then I'll go do it myself –"

"No I'll do it!" He chuckled as he took the note in her hand and read it over. "I'll be back in a few moments. _Don't wait up~_" he blew a kiss to her as he walked out the door.

"Wait Grell –"

"_Yes love~?_" he turned his head around the doorframe and looked inside.

"… You don't seem well either," Anne smiled to him, "and when you get back could you tell me what's wrong?"

"Ummm… I guess I could," Grell nodded as he turned around and headed down the hallway. He sighed, running a hand through his hair and turning it from red to brown. Many things were wrong: William, Sophie, and practically everyone else. No one listened to him, except perhaps that strange Agon family and Angelina. From all the taunting he got from work wasn't helping him, and he was getting sick to his stomach from the insults they gave. Killing always made him feel better, the color of bright crimson red flowing from the guts of his victims and coloring their disgusting faces in its glow. It was charismatic! All the pain and frustration of that day was set upon those victims, those disgusting prostitutes who would give up their wombs and the chance for children. If only he was born a woman! He never wanted to admit when he was envious, but he was jealous of women and their abilities to bare children. Those children that Sophie would bring along with her always made his heart ache, knowing he could never have a child as beautiful as them. Even if he didn't want to admit it, Sophie would be able to have children herself. He sighed again. It would hurt his aching heart further if he thought of these things again. For now he would slaughter yet another revolting soul before returning to Angelina for the night. He began to hum and skip down the hallway, opening the back door and leaping into the night.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sighed as she walked into the mortuary, taking off her large black coat and hat and setting them on the coat rack. She snaked her way down the narrow hallway, taking a few steps back when she noticed the light was on in their living room. "_Hello~_" she giggled, walking into the room slightly and setting her bag down next to the couch. "Working on the income again?"

"Of course," Undertaker chuckled as he kept his eyes on his work. "How are you?"

"Tired," Sophie sighed, "but that's to be expected right? After going from Hell and back… and Charon requested that I come back."

"Oh?" he looked up from his work, "Why?"

"Something about talking about the situation with my soul and talking to the queen of the underworld… whoever that is," Sophie huffed. "Who is she anyways?"

"She didn't tell you?" Undertaker raised an eyebrow as he put his pen back on his paper. "I don't know little maiden. Perhaps it's not safe for you to go."

"I-I think about it," Sophie answered. "Well if you're going to keep working I'm getting ready for bed." She yawned and stood up, untying the ribbon around her neck and unbuttoning her white collared shirt.

"Only a few more clients to go over," Undertaker told her as she walked out of the room. He let out a sigh and adjusted his glasses, scribbling down a few figures on the paper and setting it off to the side. Even if this was tedious work he liked having a routine every once in a while, though Sophie always would bring him out of his comfort zone and cause him to worry for her every day. He played with his braid as he finished his work, setting the last form off to the side and putting his glasses into one of the drawers. After everything was away he stood up and stretched, grabbing the candle that was burning behind him and walking into the hallway. The new moon made the hallways darker than usual, but he didn't argue. Rather he invited the darkness with a blissful giggle. Slowly he stopped, noticing an eerie white glow coming from the closed door of the bedroom. Gently opening the door he poked his head into the other room, staring with bewilderment at the presence before him.

Large white wings were spread out before him, illuminating the room in a thin glow as bright as the moonlight. The being hummed as she ran a comb through her long auburn hair, not yet noticing Undertaker as she fussed with her white gown and tried to comb through her wings. "Oh dad," Sophie looked behind startled as a chuckle escaped her throat, "I didn't know you were done. I'll let my wings disappear for tonight –"

"No it's alright," he held up his hand and walked into the room, "Keep them. They're _beautiful~_"

Sophie giggled and shook her head, setting down on the bed and flipping the ends of her wings in front of her. "You flatterer," she huffed, gently combing through her wings as the Undertaker closed the door behind him and set his hat down on a nearby dresser.

"Here let me help," he offered, grabbing the comb from her hands and sitting behind her on the bed.

"Oh," she responded off guard, "T-thank you Undertaker." He gave her a nod as he grabbed the ends of one of her wings, humming a light tune to himself as he combed through her long white feathers. "S-so do you know what happened –"

"Actually yes I do," he answered. "Rose told Alex while I was in the vicinity. You must have come across many challenges little maiden."

"For the most part," she sighed as she relaxed her wings behind her, "but I wish my father had done this before me. Perhaps I wouldn't be like this… so confused about myself…" She looked behind, listening to Undertaker hum and wondering if he was truly listening to her. "Have you ever felt confused?"

"All the time," he chuckled, "at least three times a day."

"Ah I see," Sophie smiled, "at least I'm not the only one then."

"Everyone will be confused about their own identities. As long as you stay true to yourself then you mustn't worry, right little maiden?" he grinned.

"I guess," she shrugged. "You must have met an angel then if you know we have to clean our wings every day."

"You could say that," he shrugged as he stood up and set the comb down on the dresser. He watched as Sophie closed her eyes, her wings slowly disappearing behind her. "… You don't have to withdraw your wings. Go ahead and sleep with them."

"Y-you sure?" Sophie raised an eyebrow, a smile coming to her face as she folded her wings behind her and crawled into the bed. "Well come sleep then," she yawned as she folded her hands underneath the pillow, "I came here instead of staying at Angelina's."

"Oh you would rather be with _someone else~?_" he snickered, taking off his long black coat and throwing it to the side as he shifted into the bed.

"No that's not what I meant – _aaaAAH~_" she paused, feeling his fingers running through her wings. "D-don't touch me there," she trembled, burying her head into the pillow and gripping the sheets tightly.

"_Aaah~ _you smell like Death," Undertaker sighed, pulling her closer to his chest and continuing to run his nails through her wings. Sophie stretched away from him and yelped, the Undertaker keeping her close to his chest as he nuzzled his nose into her wings. "… You still smell like Jericho?"

"Well yes," Sophie slowly closed her wings, "I still love him dad. W-why not?"

"Nothing," he mumbled into her wings, "Forget about it –"

"No do tell me," she shifted her body so she had her hands pressed against his chest. "I want to know what's wrong."

"I-it's complicated –"

"_Soooo~?_" Sophie grinned as she ran a hand over his bangs so she could see his bright shinigami green eyes behind his long silver hair. "I love you… and if you own me then I need to know what you're thinking," she chuckled lightly.

"Love me?" he smiled and set a hand upon her face. She nuzzled into his hand and grabbed it with both hands, looking up at him with her bright crystal blue eyes shining in the darkness of the room. "_My my~_, **how** my little maiden?"

"How?" she thought. "W-well I… I love you because you raised me when you didn't have to and I respect you for it… and I love you because… because… you are my life?" She chuckled lightly as her eyes shifted down towards his chest, "and I want to make you happy and see you smile and… I just love you. When I was separated from you and when I didn't even know you were my father I felt… empty." She sighed, pressing her head and her hands against his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm still confused about myself –"

"I will stay here as long as you need me," he smiled and tilted her chin up so he can see into her eyes, "and if you want me. If you would like to marry someone or not it is up to you, but I'll always be here if you need a shoulder to cry on. I'll be here, just for you if you wish," he chuckled running a finger over her cheek. "If you're going to be honest then I will too: you remind me of three important women who have been in my life, all strong women who can take care of themselves and others without a man if they wished. The fact that they wanted me in their lives is why I stayed, and I will do the same with you little maiden."

"Undertaker…" She chuckled and leaned up to his face. "You don't have to do something as silly as th –"

Sophie's eyes widened in shock as he pressed his lips against her, her eyelids closing as she let out a moan and she felt his grin brush against her lips. "It's not silly to want your little maiden to stay," he chuckled, "and if you don't want me then say so. I'll go if you wish –"

"N-no," Sophie shook her head and wrapping her arms around his neck, "No, no… no… please stay…"

"I will," he grinned, brushing his hand over her wings as she nuzzled up into his body. Undertaker kissed her neck and held her close, refusing to let go of her as they cuddled up close under the bed sheets and feel asleep in each other's arms.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Woot!" Sophie stretched her arms and pushed her chair out of the cubical. She stood up and grabbed the forms she was done signing, walking to the stairs and trudging up the staircase to level N. Walking down the hallway she knocked on an office door, shuffling the papers so she could open the door and walking in. "Hey Jericho," she chuckled, "here's the forms for the end of the month."

"Oh thank you," he looked up from his desk with a smile. "Go ahead and set them over there," he pointed to the end of his desk, diligently working as Sophie set the paperwork down before contently sitting down on his desk. "… Is there something you need?" he raised an eyebrow as Sophie shrugged.

"Is it a _crime~_ that I wish to spend my time with you," she grinned, leaning over his desk and hovering over the papers he had been working on. "… You never really asked me what happened these past few weeks."

"I'm just used to your antics I suppose," he shrugged as he continued to write.

"Antics?" Sophie huffed. "What do you mean by **that**?"

"How can I explain this…" Jericho thought as he kept his eyes on his work, "I'm **used** to you going off on your own and causing havoc –"

"Oh and I can't do that?" she sneered. "What are you _my babysitter~_?"

"No I –"

"Then don't act like an ass," she huffed as she slid off of his desk. "My god Jay! I had some time leftover, but seeing as you want to **work** I'm just going to go."

"Hey wait! I didn't mean –"

"You immature jerk," she grumbled under her breath as she hustled over to his door. He stood up and dashed over to her, grabbing her hand before she left the office. "What now?" she sighed.

"I'm sorry if I angered you," he sighed, "but right now I'm just flustered with paperwork… I just wish you could understand that –"

"Usually Jericho it's better to live life to the fullest and working on paperwork every waking minute isn't a way to do it," she huffed. "Sure, paperwork is part of the job, but it didn't used to be this way was it?"

"W-well no," he sighed.

"Then why spend all your time on paperwork when the real reason why you're here is to reap the souls of the dead?" Sophie frowned, running her black gloved hand through her hair as Jericho let go of her. "Sorry if I'm criticizing you, but I don't know. This tedious work is getting on my nerves."

"… Is there something wrong with you –"

"There's _nothing~_ wrong with **me**," she sneered. "I'm just… well you could say I'm stating my opinions. That's all. So I guess I'll leave you to your... **work**," she huffed as she dashed out the door and closed it behind her.

Jericho sighed, grumbling under his breath as he walked back to his desk and sat down. Sophie was always this way after using her energy so much. She would have emotion tantrums every waking second. One minute she would be perfectly happy and the next frustrated and confused, and Jericho didn't know what to do. He looked back at his work and bit down on his pen, trying to think of a way to help her – He paused, feeling a strong aura making their way here. He stood up and looked out the window, a growl escaping his lips as he recognized the being. "So you're back huh?" he spoke out the window. "Should have figured."

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Oh what? A strong being coming closer? =O… XD heh. Now to introduce another character I suppose. See you later!**

Moirai – Greek goddesses, known in English as The Fates; were the white-robed incarnations of destiny. Their number became fixed at three: Clotho (spinner), Lachesis (alloter) and Atropos (unturnable). They controlled the metaphorical thread of life of every mortal from birth to death. They were independent, at the helm of necessity, directed fate, and watched that the fate assigned to every being by eternal laws might take its course without obstruction; and Zeus, as well as the other gods and man, had to submit to them


	65. The Sense

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Jennifer © danceydancetime

Annalise © Grimm The Undertaker

**A/N: Yep. Now you guys are seeing a break in Sophie and Jericho's relationship. Figured that would happen? =O Well I don't know. And what's that presence coming closer? Oh someone's in trouble… probably XD ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"How do you deal with difficult people Grell?" Sophie sighed, slumping back in her chair as she sat by his desk. "Have you ever wished there was a formula that could shut idiots up?"

"All the time," Grell chuckled as he tediously signed forms. "What's with the questions?" he asked, setting his pen down and figuring the conversation would be more interesting then paperwork.

"Jericho," she grumbled under her breath. "You know, you would think he would have asked about what happened to me, but all he said was he's _used to my antics_. What bull!"

"Ah I see," Grell nodded, "trouble in_ paradise~_. I say don't worry about it. All men are infuriating at times. Just look at me and William. One minute we're fine and the next we're not –"

"Oh is something the matter?" Sophie frowned at the mention of a problem.

"No," he shook his head, "I'm making an example. Whatever your problems are they will be fixed through time, though if you don't fix it soon you can end up with a **lot** of heartbreak."

"… Y-yeah I suppose," Sophie sighed as she subconsciously began to twist a few pieces of auburn hair around her black glove. "I don't know Grell. He seems different since I came back… could you think he's intimidated by me?" she shrugged. "I wouldn't be surprised if he is…"

"Maybe," Grell responded, "but if that's so then that's **his** problem. If he can't handle your fabulous self then he's not worth it."

Sophie nodded, a chuckle escaping her throat as she thought. "Y-yeah… thanks Grell," she looked up to him with a smile on her face.

"Hey _no~_ problem," he grinned, "a mentor should be wise, _yes~?_"

"Yes," she smirked, "but mentors are better at _some~_ aspects then others."

"And what does that imply?" he huffed.

"_Nothing~_ Grell," she snickered, "nothing _at all~~_" Grell huffed again and crossed his arms over his chest, causing Sophie to giggle at his as she hid her mouth behind her hands.

"Hey what's going on here?" came a voice from behind, Grell and Sophie looking over to find Annalise making her way to her desk, which was right next to Grell's.

"We're talking about _impossible~ men_," Grell sighed dramatically. "Care to _join~~_?"

"Sure why not," Annalise shrugged as she swung her chair next to them and sat down. She chuckled lightly as she busied herself with her hair, looking at her hair and noticing the drip coming down off of her neon blood red hair.

"Yeah we were just talking about how irritating Jericho is getting lately," Sophie sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest and slumped back in her chair, giving no notice to the heavy amount of blood that was dripping down from the other shinigami's hair. "… so ever had any problems with a man?"

"Men in general yes," Annalise chuckled, "but not lately. I don't have anyone right now…"

"Ah I see," Sophie nodded. "I didn't get to ask, but why did you leave France? It's such a beautiful city."

"Well I just had to go," Annalise explained, "and there was nothing they were offering me there. The reasons are a bit personal and I don't want to go into that."

"Okay sure," Sophie shrugged. "Oh! So since you're a demon you must have other powers correct?"

"Yes," Annalise shrugged at her comment, barely giving notice as she ran a finger through her hair and lapped up some of the blood.

"You don't have to feel bad about it," Sophie chuckled. "I think half-breeds are the coolest. I'm a half-shinigami and half-human mix. Not as interesting as a demon, but still cool in my opinion," she smiled. "Anything you'd like to share?"

"Not really," Annalise shrugged again, swinging a piece of her hair behind her head before looking over at Sophie. "I haven't been here for that long. How old are you?"

"What?" Sophie gasped dramatically. "To ask a woman her age, _really~_. Heh, just kidding. I'm almost forty years old… thirty six I believe," she smiled.

"Wow that's young!" Annalise gasped. "To think you're working here at such a young age… wow… Did you come from somewhere else?"

"I grew up as a human here in London," Sophie explained, "and I was killed by a demon when I was seventeen. So… well I was at this academy and when I graduated I was transferred to the American Division where I spent fifteen… yeah I think fifteen years before returning here."

"I can see why you came back," Annalise nodded, "since I hear those divisions are getting crowded."

"Yes they are," Sophie chuckled, "and full of intolerable men too!"

"… I heard that your nickname is the Dark Rider," Annalise continued. "Is that true?"

"Yes," Sophie nodded.

"Then how did you come across that name?" she asked.

"Let's see…" Sophie thought to herself. "I would ride this large black horse around in the desert and wore black clothing. I think I got that name when I was seen in a town and was there for one second and was gone the next. I don't know. The name just stuck with me it seems," she chuckled lightly. "You see, in the unit I worked in my first few years we had to take side jobs in the human world to survive. I was a bounty hunter and caught bandits. Also did things like conduct funerals and such, but where I gained the name was from catching troublesome humans and locking them in jail."

"Oh wow!" Annalise smiled excitedly. "How exciting! How many did you catch?"

"I don't remember," Sophie shrugged. "It was so long ago for me and I lost track after the fifty fifth one… I'm wondering how much you know about me."

"Well that's all I've been told," Annalise shrugged, "that your name is the Dark Rider. The woman I asked didn't really help me. She was getting hysterical talking about you that I had to leave."

"Oh I see," Sophie chuckled. "I left the American Division as the Paranormal Operations Director in the West of North America and came here to be the Paranormal Operations Director of the British Isles. Not really a step up or anything, and since they needed the workers I decided to come here for the field work. Ugh! If I got another promotion I would have to shoot myself," she shook her head.

"Don't like the job?" Annalise frowned.

"No I do," she tried to explain, "but I have a lot of work to do: both here and other places."

"Other places?" Annalise raised an eyebrow.

Sophie blinked a little before she chuckled again, "Being a shinigami isn't my top job and isn't as important as another one I have."

"And what's that?" she asked, getting curious.

"… Have you ever heard of a God of Death?" Sophie decided to ask her.

"Sorry I never have," Annalise shook her head.

"How about you do a bit of research first," Sophie smirked looking over at Grell with a wink, "It's easier to explain everything once you do." Then she scooted her chair back to her desk and grabbed her bag. "It's been lovely chatting, but I better get back to work."

"_Aw~_ you want to leave?" Grell pouted.

"Duh," Sophie grinned, "its _field work~_" With the tip of her hat she turned and walked away, the two shinigamis looking at her as Sophie walked to the stairs and began to decent down the stairs.

"… I can see why she's popular," Annalise commented, "but she doesn't seem as scary as the stories dictate."

"Once you get to know Sophie you see she's a little pussy cat," Grell snickered lightly before letting out a sigh. "Yeah… she's a confusing soul and a powerful one too, but oddly enough she isn't as scary as she seems. It's all just an act. I taught her _of course~_" he pointed to himself and winked at her. "She was a little girl who wanted nothing more than to pass on, still is I'm assuming. She can just hide her feelings deeper now," he sighed, "and I miss how she'd talk to me about everything. She doesn't do that anymore… something changed."

"Hmmm…" Annalise nodded, looking at the stairs before she turned her attention back to Grell. "So you love her?"

"In a motherly sense yes," Grell chuckled, "but as a lover no. Actually she's a reason why I'm so open now. It was her attitude at me I suppose… she loved me for who I am and not what I pretend to be. She can notice when you're lying too."

"Oh shit really?" Annalise pouted.

Grell snickered. "_Don't worry about it~_. She doesn't care about that. Anyways welcome to the team, but if you make goo-goo eyes at _**my**__ William~_ then you'll wish you were never born," he huffed.

"Alright fine," Annalise chuckled lightly and held up her hands in defense, "I won't."

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie hummed, blowing the smoke off of her gun as she flipped them into her holsters and began her journey back to the shinigami realm. She wasn't in any hurry so she decided to walk, passing by horse-drawn carriages and giving the passengers waves as they at her looked confused and frightened. She whistled as she walked, her voice keeping her company down the dusty dirt road. Hearing a loud familiar sound coming from the woods she wandered, deciding to follow the sound as she stealthily made her way through the woods. She smirked; noticing a shinigami crouched down beside a soul as they quickly evaluated the records. "_My my~_" Sophie chuckled, "a little silent killer I see."

"Oh!" The shinigami jumped back startled, adjusting her glasses and holding her hand to her heart. "You scared me there. I thought you were a demon."

"I see…" Sophie nodded, "Jenny right?"

"Yes Mrs. Serbus –"

"It's Sophie," she held up her hand, "but thank you for the formality," she chuckled.

"Why are you walking around?" Jenny asked as she finished the reels and wrote down notes in the book in her hand. "Shouldn't you be getting back to the office?"

"The office life is old and stuffy," Sophie huffed, "and I'd prefer the breeze every once in a while. Hey since you're done would you like to take a walk with me back to the realm? It gets lonely walking along the road with no one to talk to."

"To be honest I'd rather not," Jenny huffed. "I take my job very seriously –"

"And I don't?" Sophie smirked. "_Wow~_. You don't know me that well do you?" Sophie stood there for a few moments staring at Jenny, eventually letting out a sigh as the other woman stared at her annoyed and confused. "Suit yourself," she said as she turned around, "but my offer still stands if you change your mind."

Jenny stared at her confused, watching at the other shinigami walked away from her and made her way towards London. Scratching the back of her head and fiddling around with the bow in her hair she huffed, dashing after the other shinigami and walking ahead of her. "I'd prefer if you don't walk around when there's demons on the loose," she responded, trying to make up an excuse to walk along side her. Sophie smirked as she looked up to the sky, watching as Jenny slowed down and looked over at her curiously. Sophie sighed, feeling the strain of her popularity and prestige weighing her down when she tries to talk to other beings. Instantly they consider themselves to be unworthy of her presence, but most of the time **she** is the one who has to build up the courage to talk to **them**. Even when she's years younger they still hold her in higher respects, which gets on her nerves more than serving the purpose of flattery or a compliment. She wished they could understand that she is only trying to talk to them on friendly terms, not with the intention of harm. She sighed yet again, a light chuckle escaping her throat as she thought and looked to the other shinigami with a smile.

)(*&^%$#!

"See it's not bad to side track a little is it?" Sophie chuckled, holding the door for Jenny as she walked into one of the white buildings in the shinigami realm.

"No I guess," Jenny smiled, "but I'd rather be working."

"Whatever," Sophie shrugged, smiling behind her as they walked down the hallway and made their way up the stairs. "It was a nice day today and I didn't want to waste it inside. There's more the life then working, like _enjoying~_ it?" She chuckled as she thought to herself, "You wouldn't believe how many times I've told Mr. Spears that."

"How can you talk to your supervisor so casually?" Jenny decided to ask as they neared level E.

"It's not a matter of being _casual~_" Sophie responded, "It's a matter of speaking your mind and talking as if you're old-time buddies. In reality I'm actually **his** boss, but I don't like talking about the subjects of work unless I have to. Otherwise life would be boring if I did."

"I see…" Jenny looked at her unsure; shrugging as they walked down the hallway to Sophie's cubical. "Hello Ronald," she smiled as she watched Sophie set her coat and hat down on her desk. "How are you?"

"Same old stuff," he sighed, "but only a few more souls right?" Ronald chuckled, "How are you?"

"Great," Jenny chuckled, "but I should get back to work. Thank you Sophie for the walk."

"Yeah no problem," Sophie shrugged as she sat down, crossing her legs on the top of her desk and leaned back, "Do it all the time. Just remember what I said about enjoying life alright?" She chuckled and gave her a wink. Jenny smiled back and turned around to go, walking to the stairs and continuing walking up the stairs.

"What was **that** all about?" Ronald leaned to her desk with a confused look on his face.

"We just took a walk after reaping, that's all," she shrugged again. "Why, _jealous~_?"

"N-no," Ronald pouted as he sat back in his chair and turned back to his desk. "Not at all…"

Sophie looked over at him and shrugged yet again, letting out a sigh as she closed her eyes to think. As she sat there she felt an unnerving presence behind her, starting to suffocate her as long black gloves reached to touch her face. She let out a yelp as the hand wrapped around her mouth to silence her, pulling her chair backward and into the middle of the hallway. "Long time no see, ain't it little rider?"

"OOOMPH!" Sophie yelled and bit down on his hand, the man laughing hysterically as she pushed him off of her and scooted back to her desk. "What the hell?" she growled. "Some greeting… you noisy pathetic mosquito."

"Oh I'm _more~_ than just a mosquito," the being grinned as he ran a black glove through his short and messy raven hair. He looked over at Ronald through dark brown eyes, Ronald shuddering as he thought he just saw a tint of red shining at him, but felt he was mistaken.

"Don't scare people," Sophie sighed as she crossed her hands over her chest and stared up at him. "So what are you doing here Rob?"

"_Aw~_ you're not excited to see your old boss again?" Rob sighed. "I expected more from you."

"Oh come on!" Sophie huffed. "I know you. You're only here because you need something. So what is it this time?"

"Actually I'm not," he chuckled as he scooted her stuff to the side and sat atop her desk. "No reason in particular," Rob grinned, Sophie glaring at him and mumbling under her breath about how confusing he was. "Now I **must** be off. Apparently I have to go transfer my forms."

"… Y-your staying?" Sophie asked as she swung her coat over her body and grabbed her hat.

"Perhaps," he shrugged, "but I have to head back home –"

"Oh yuck," Sophie stuck out her tongue with disgust. "I get it. Don't explain." Rob chuckled and gave her a wave, walking to the stairs and beginning his decent down the stairs.

"… Who was that?" Ronald had to ask.

"My old boss from America," Sophie sighed. "He's a prick, but he taught me a lot of what I know so I can't argue."

"He seems… eerie," Ronald frowned.

"Well aren't we all?" Sophie chuckled. "I need to get going. Tell William I need to go do something." Ronald nodded and watched as she left; scratching the back of his head wondering if the red glow he had seen was real.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

"Hey Undertake – What's wrong?" Sophie pouted as she set her stuff on a nearby coffin and closed the door behind her. Undertaker didn't take any notice of her as he picked something off of the floor, Sophie gasping to find Alistair gripping his chest tightly. "Al!" she yelped, running over to them, but was stopped by his hand.

"Go get some water and I'll set him down in the living room," Undertaker told her in a calm voice, Sophie nodding and dashing past him to the kitchen.

Her hands began to shake as she grabbed for a pot and carelessly dropped a few pots and pans, cursing under her breath as she set the pot under the sink and set everything back in their rightful places. She grabbed a few rags that were lying around and placed them in her hand, picking up the pot now full of water and walking into the living room. She frowned as she saw Alistair sitting on the couch, lightly pushing Undertaker aside and wetting a rag. "Don't worry Alistair," she said in the calmest voice she could muster, "I-I'm right here…" Undertaker watched as she wringed out the water from the rag and set it upon the young boy's head, clearing noticing a fever as his body began to shiver.

"… You should have told me he had…" Undertaker paused, Sophie looking behind her before sighing and placing a hand upon the boy's cheek. "Little maiden," he shook his head, "did you take up this life as his aunt to prove something –"

"I'm **not**," Sophie huffed, shaking her head as she grumbled under her breath. "… It's my fault the boy has the Thorns of Death and I've tried to stop the progress… but… nothing…" her voice began to crack, rubbing her eyes before shaking her head and tucking the boy in. "Let's keep him here till he wakes up and then I'll take him to the infirmary –"

Sophie stopped, feeling big, strong arms wrapping around her back causing her to freeze. "Don't frat little maiden," Undertaker said softly into Sophie's ear. "How about this, you go to the library and look for a cure while I stay here and tend to the boy for a while. Will that set your mind at ease?"

"Y-yes… thanks," Sophie sighed, the man giving her a quick pat before letting go and letting the girl wander off.

"_Oh and Sophia~_" he sang to her, causing her to turn around before running down the hallway. "Don't blame this on yourself. You can't do anything about it if the boy dies –"

"Y-yes…" Sophie nodded, "but… but I'm the reason he's like this," she finished, turning around and running down the hallway.

She dashed out the door and slammed it behind her, the Undertaker letting out a tired sigh as he looked upon the boy as his body started to get clammy. "These things happen little maiden," he said to no one in particular as he talked softly to himself and tended to the boy with as much care as he would one of his inanimate guests, "and beings die. It's just how life is… I suppose…"

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Alistair has collapsed? Will he die? =O Well you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out the results ^^ Anyways that's all I'll be posting consistently this week. See you later!**


	66. The Cure is Death?

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I figured I'd be about time for another chapter. I may or may not have a lot of chapters posted this weekend. We'll see because I'm going to a convention all day on Saturday and I may be too tired to review anything after that because of my final exams and catching up on work. Anyways I hope you enjoy this next chapter. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Alex walked into the library, noticing a light lit in the far off corner of the dark library. He walked towards the back and paused at the edge of a large wooden table, seeing Sophie reading vigorously and flipping through pages. "We knew this day would come," he said softly as a way to comfort her, "and we know no amount of medicine can heal him –"

"Yes, b-but there has to be something!" Sophie explained, grabbing another book and flipping it open.

Alex put a comforting hand atop hers, looking into her frightened crystal blue eyes. "Stop," he said as she picked up her hand and set it aside, "Don't…"

Sophie looked away, biting down on her bottom lip as she tried to keep tears from falling down her face. "Y-you… you don't know what happened…" Sophie said softly, Alex walking around the table as she slumped down in a chair behind her and set her head in her hands.

"I don't have to," Alex said softly, "because Rose doesn't want me to know and I expect her wish –"

"P-please Alex… let me tell you," she said quietly, her eyes wandering back to the books before letting out a sigh. "I-it's all **my** fault –"

"It can't be," Alex shook his head, "you wouldn't harm him like that –"

"We were out on a mission and Alistair wanted to tag along," Sophie said quietly. "… We came across a hoard of demons and fend them off. Just then the ground broke around us, the demon and Alistair stuck in the middle of the large canyon while Rose and I were on the edge. The demon grabbed hold of Alistair and held a knife up to his neck, threatening to kill him. I just… something happened and my mind almost went blank," she sighed, "and… before I knew it I had the knife imbedded in the demon's body and Alistair hanging off of the ledge with the other hand. I picked him up and set him aside me, using my death scythe to finish off the job… but then… but…" Sophie gulped, rubbing her eyes and trying to avoid eye contact. "Then it… the records… w-went crazy and… we fell… I thought that nothing happened! I really did! But then Alistair had these problems and I don't know what happened –"

"Hey calm down," Alex said softly, "That wasn't your fault. It was the demon's. If anything you saved him Sophie… even if it was only for a few more years."

"But –"

"Please come the infirmary and wait," Alex told her as he turned around and began to leave her. "There is **no** cure. You know that. Let it go and accept he will die… I already have…"

"B-but –" Sophie sighed, watching as Alex left her and walked back down the hall. She cringed as she heard the door open and close, leaving her alone in the dark. "I have to try…" she finished talking to herself, standing up and grabbing a book off of the shelf. There just **had** to be something around here that could help her, but so far no magic or spell books had a cure for the Thorns of Death. She decided to look in one last book before she headed back, opening the old and dusty book and skimming though the contents. "_The Chronicles of the Divine_," she read the title quietly, flipping through the book randomly in hopes of finding something on the Thorns of Death.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"_W-wait no… no! Haden!" Sophie cried, pushing her head into her father's arms. "W-why does **everyone** die? Am I bad luck?" she sniffled, tears rolling down her face. "Daddy… I-I don't want to be alone…"_

"_I know my little maiden," he said softly into her ear as he hugged her tightly to his chest, "and I don't want you to leave. Now cheer up. You can mourn at his funeral this afternoon."_

_Sophie nodded and sighed, gripping his clothes tightly as she rubbed her face on his chest. "D-daddy…" she said quietly, "W-will I ever die?"_

"_Everyone dies little maiden," he grinned before giving her a comforting kiss on the top of her head. _

"_G-good," she chuckled nervously, "b-because if I ever see someone I love die again I… I don't know what I'd do –"_

"_As long as I'm here I won't let you get hurt," he smiled and lifted her chin so she was looking up at him. "Now help me with the casket. We have to deliver it to the church by two."Sophie nodded and lifted up her head, scooting away from him and sluggishly walking over to the small coffin in the corner. She let out a gasp, feeling long boney hands grip her own as her father pulled her close to his chest. "I won't die before you… I promise you that," he told her softly, running his hand through her auburn hair and smiling sincerely down at her. Then he sighed, "Don't ever stop loving me little maiden… I won't know what to do with myself…"_

_Sophie cracked a smile, chuckling slightly as she rubbed her face in his hand as he intertwined his other hand into hers. "Don't worry about that," she giggled, "I'll love you regardless of all your little flaws."_

"_Flaws you say~?" he grinned, Sophie gulping as she took several steps back. "Maybe I should teach you a lesson before we leave, hmmmm~?" _

"_Undertaker no!" Sophie laughed aloud, trying to grab his hands as he began to tickle her sides._

Sophie woke up with a jolt, her sides suddenly sore as she scratched her head and looked at her surroundings. She was back in the library as a shinigami and not yet dead… Sophie sighed, slowly remembering what was going on now. That's right, little Alistair was dying and there was nothing she could do… again… She looked down at the book she had open, deciding to read the passage in front of her before heading back to the infirmary and confront Alex and Rose.

'_... The Thorns of Death cannot be cured, even I know this, but there is one being that I have met who can stop the thorns and even go as far as pulling the thorns out from the dying person. The Thorns of Death were created as one of the ways a shinigami can die. There is only one true way to get rid of the thorns: pulling the record out of the infected body and slowly separating the record between the infected soul and the soul the thorns came from. That is the only true way to get rid of the thorns, but it is dangerous. You must be a strong and powerful being to complete this, for even I have trouble separating records. The other way is to collect one thousand pure souls to help combat the tainted soul, but even if you collect all thousand pure souls you can never be sure the method would work. The best method is for a powerful shinigami to separate the records by hand. Even if this is the best method, the power the shinigami will drain their energy to the point of certain death. The shinigami may die, from both parties, so great caution must be made when getting rid of the Thorns of Death…'_

Sophie sighed, scratching the back of her head and standing up. Well this is what she was looking for, but that was all the information she could find on the thorns. The only thing she could do now is head back to the infirmary and hope Alistair didn't die yet… and if she could heal him herself.

)(*&^%$#!

"I'm sorry for being late," Sophie cracked a smile as she walked into the waiting room and sat down next to Rose. "So how is he?"

"He… h-he's in critical condition," Rose shivered, "and they don't know if h-e'll hold up –"

"Hey now," Sophie sighed as she opened up her arms and grabbed Rose in a tight hug, "I'll help you through this I swear."

"H-help?" Rose gulped, "H-how? Did you find something Sophie –"

"No she didn't," Alex sighed as he sat down and sipped his coffee, "but she tried and couldn't find anything on the thorns. Trust me Rose, I've told you I've tried looking for a way for years and couldn't find one. We knew this would happen… and I heard what happened."

"Y-ou did?" Rose frowned, looking at Sophie with shock, "Y-you told him?"

"I-I thought it best," Sophie sighed, running a hand over Rose's cheek with a sympathetic look on her face, "b-but don't hate me –"

"It wasn't your fault for crying out loud!" Rose threw Sophie's arms away and standing up, "I was there! I saw! It was that demon and not you, and I knew him okay! He was in cahoots with Viktor! I-I know because… he was my best friend back… then…" she sniffled into her hand, tears rolling down her eyes. "Don't blame yourself," Rose sniffled, "it's all mine…"

"Veronica," Alex said, setting his coffee down on a nearby counter and pulling her into a hug. "It's okay… it's okay… don't blame yourself. It couldn't have been helped… I-it would have happened… it always does." Rose sighed and gripped Alex's clothes, not caring that she got his shirt wet with her tears. Sophie looked around for Sasha, Alex looking over with a smile. "Grell promised to look after her while we're here. I didn't think she'd want to be here."

"Good," Sophie nodded, "I know she wouldn't…" She sat back down and ran her fingers through her hair, placing her head in her palms as she thought quietly to herself. "R-rose," she said quietly, "can I s-say something?"

"… Yes," Rose sniffled; keeping her head buried in Alex's chest as he gently rubbed her back.

"I-t doesn't matter if it was your fault or mine," Sophie mumbled into her hands, "I was… w-was just glad that you've i-invited me into your family… e-even if I don't deserve it." She looked up at Rose with a smile, the other woman turning around to see the shine in Sophie's bright blue eyes. "Al was a blessing, h-he really was. If I could I would use everything in my power to save him… but I won't try u-unless you want me to."

Rose sighed, wiping a few of the tears from her eyes to look at Sophie with a serious look on her face. "Y-you think you can save him?"

"Perhaps," Sophie shrugged, "but we won't know unless I try. There's more to me then I even know, so it's possible to save him if we act quickly."

"… Alright," she nodded, "You can try… but I want to be in the room with you." Sophie nodded in response as she stood up, sighing as she stretched and scratched the back of her head. Then she walked down the hallway and sensed where Alistair was being treated, with his parents behind her wanting to see what she'd do.

Sophie walked into the room where she knew Alistair was, a monotone look on her face as she noticed the boy laying on the white bed hooked up to a bunch of gadgets and machines. She frowned, shaking her head as she walked over to the side of the bed and loomed over the boy. Alistair slowly shifted his weight and smiled, feeling a hand lay upon his chest as Sophie gave him a smile. "Т-тет-ушка?" Alistair gulped, breathing heavily as he clutched his chest.

"Yes it's I," she continued to smile before letting out a sigh. "There… your mother would like me to try something and I'm willing to do it –"

"D-don't tell me y-you found the passage i-n that old b-book?" Alistair frowned. "N-no… Т-тетушка I-I don't want –"

"Please Al?" she smiled, gently rubbing his hand as she fought back tears. "T-the last time I couldn't do a thing. I-I want to be able to help, please…"

"O-okay," Alistair sighed as he looked up to the ceiling and closed his eyes, "b-but if you die… **I-I** won't be able to h-andle that."

Sophie nodded and wiped a tear that started to fall down his cheek, running a hand through his hair and down to his face. "Stand back," she told the other people in the room, Alex and Rose backing away and standing at the door. "If something goes wrong don't try to save me. Save the child alright?"

"Y-yes," Alex nodded, holding Rose tightly in his arms as they watched Sophie.

Sophie leaned into Alistair's face and breathed on him, a grin appearing on her face as she still felt him there. Then she stood up tall, holding out her hands and concentrating on his heart. She let out a deep sigh, the room going chill as Rose clung tighter to Alex for warmth. All at once the gems on her person were the first to glow, the bright amethyst on her right hand and the bright emerald around her neck illuminating the darkened room. Then her hands began to glow black, slowly turning gray as time went on. As the color became white Alistair let out a groan of pain, gritting his teeth as he felt something flowing deep in his chest. Then his cinematic record began to stream out of his chest, swirling around them in an attempt for a place to reside. Sophie's eyes slowly opened to reveal a bright blue and green, her eyes shining as she watched the cinematic records reel in front of her eyes. The book was right; she could see the records playing the life of two souls… as her own record would do. Her left hand began to glow, the marking on her hand appearing as the records began to shine brightly and slow down around her. Sophie pulled out her death scythe and clutched it in her hand, using her left hand to reel the record and using her right hand to wield the weapon. Then she gently cut into the record, separating the cinematic record into two different records spinning off in two separate directions.

Alex and Rose watched in awe at what happened before them, Alistair groaning as he set his head to the side of the pillow and felt his insides splitting apart. "I am right by your side Alistair Engjëll," Sophie told him quietly, "You will not be harmed. _**Trust me~**_"

Alistair opened his eyes and looked over at her, a weak smile forming on his face as he chuckled lightly. "I-I do," he whispered quietly, enough that his parents could barely hear him, "… b-but if my t-ime is to d-die then I w-ant to d-die…"

"You know what Alistair," Sophie smiled down at him and looked him square in the eyes, "I would like nothing more than for you to die, but to die like **this**… with your soul trapped with another? I-I cannot allow that –"

"W-hy not?" Alistair asked as he tried to reach for Sophie's hand.

"Because I know how it feels to have your soul intertwined with another," she confessed. "Why do you think my marking is a skull and thorns? Thorns of Death I suppose," she chuckled lightly, sighing as she kept her eyes on the reeling. "Thorns… from a rose… A beautiful thing, but carelessly grip the rose and your hands will begin to bleed. It is protection, a way to preserve the life growing around. They serve as a restraint and a release, the beauty of a rose. Even one as decayed as mine," she sighed, the reeling coming close to the end. Alistair closed his eyes and trembled, Sophie smiling to him before looking back at her work. She bit down on her bottom lip, drawing blood as she felt her wings flapping behind her. Once the record came to the end she cut it in the middle, two records running wild around the room. Alex gripped Rose protectively as Sophie raised her scythe, using her left hand to reel Alistair's record back into his body as she snapped the blade against the demon's record and swallowed it into her scythe. She let out a huff, a cough escaping her throat as the demon flowed into her scythe. Sophie gasped, white feathers circling around them as she kept staring at the records. She couldn't let her guard down now. If she stopped the records would take over her own body.

Alex and Rose's eyes went wide as white feathers surrounded the room, Alistair and Sophie disappearing into the white cloud around them. Then the feathers slowly turned from white to gray, progressing into black and overwhelming the room. "ALISTAIR!" Rose yelled, Alex pulling her out of the room as he opened the door behind them and fell into the hallway. The staff jumped back as they were thrown to the ground, feathers floating down on their body as they stood up. "Sophie?" Rose stood up first, dashing back into the room and looking around. Sophie stood there, swaying back and forth in an involuntary state. The woman looked over at Rose, Rose gasping as she saw a bright yellow glow coming from the woman's eyes. "SOPHIE!" she ran to Sophie's side, Sophie slumping forward on the bed as her arms slumped over Alistair's legs.

Alex ventured into the room, swatting the feathers away as he made his way to the bed. "Alistair are you there?" he shook his son's chest, a groan coming from the boy as he shifted and pulled the covers closer to his body.

"Five more minutes papa –" Alistair paused, his eyes opening as his eyes adjusted to the room and noticed the feathers on the ground. "H-how…" Suddenly he became alert, sitting up in his bed and jumping out of the bed.

"Alistair hold it –"

"No wait!" Alistair called to randomly, slipping past Alex and dashing out of the room.

"Alistair!" Rose called to Alistair, Alex dashing out of the room and pursuing the boy.

Alistair avoided everyone with ease, hands grabbing out for him as he jumped back and forth with such speed that most couldn't spot him. He ran to the end of the hallway and pushed open the doors, running out the door and into the setting sun. "Тетушка!" he called as he continued to dash down the hill, "Sophia! Don't go! Don't –" he paused, noticing the end of the realm in front of him. He sucked in his breath and continued running, running as fast as he could, which was actually the first time he felt that great in years. He looked up to see a flock of birds flying above, squinting his eyes and noticing a white dove trailing behind them. "Wait a second…" he slowly realized, "there's no thing as a pure white dove – Тетушка! Sophia!" Alistair continued to yell, knowing full well the birds were too high up in the sky to hear him. "Тетушка come back!" he cried out, "You said you'll never leave me! Come back!" he cried, falling to his knees and pressing his head into his hands. "I-I'm sorry… I-I'm sorry…" he repeated over and over, sniffling as he continued to sob.

Then he dark presence behind him, turning around a little too late as he was grabbed tightly by a being with bright red demonic eyes and a grin plastered on his face. "I'm going to finally kill you, you little brat!" he hissed, opening his mouth about to rip into his body.

"HELP! HEEELLP!" Alistair cried, tears falling down his face as he tried to pull away from the creature. Then all at once the demon screamed in pain, the boy being pulled away as something grabbed a hold of his shirt and pulled him backward into the air.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And that's where I'll end it. Yes it's a cliffhanger and yes it's short, but I wanted to get this part down before writing anything else. So there you go XD Though it looks like little Alistair is alright, but what happened to Sophie? =O That'll have to be revealed later I suppose. SEE YOU LATER!**


	67. The Separation

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Annalise © Grimm The Undertaker

**A/N: Well look at this. Another chapter today XD As I said earlier I don't know how many I can send out, but I'm still swamped with a lot of chapters to review in this fanfic so you'll probably be seeing more ^^ I don't know. As always ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

All Sophie remembered was seeing the end of the records till a sea of white overwhelmed her eyes and blinded her. She blinked forcefully, shaking her head till her vision came back to her. She groaned, closing her eyes before the light turned her blind. She was confused, tilting her head to the side as she felt her wings spread out behind her, but with wind flowing above and below her. Was she flying? Sophie blinked her eyes as she slowly adjusted to the bright light, looking over to see the sun setting beyond the horizon. She looked down and gasped, seeing herself flying high up in the clouds. She chuckled happily, flying up and around in the sky. She couldn't believe this, she was flying. Actually flying! She floated on her back and looked on either side of her, seeing large white wings flapping behind her. She sighed contented, feeling every muscle and tendon flapping with the wind. Suddenly the wind brought her up, Sophie spinning back around and flying up into the sky. She brought out her hand and felt the water from the clouds, giggling happily as she flew up and around in the clouds. My gosh! She never felt this experience before! Soaring high in the sky in the clouds; she never wanted to come down, even if she didn't know how and why she was flying. She could barely recall why this had happened, but her heart never wanted to come down.

Slowly, but surely, she began to hear a faint sound from below. "_… elp… help…_" Sophie looked around and sighed, flying down as fast as she could to the faint sound in the distance.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Alistair yelped as he was pushed away, the demon screaming in pain as it was kicked by a foot in its face. The boy cling to his protector, looking up in shock as he saw the woman… or it was more a girl he realized with long auburn hair flowing down to the top of her chest and flowing in the breeze behind her. She was dressed in a long robe, a golden and black rope tied around her waist with silver sandals on her feet. She also had a long black cloak on, tied around her neck with the hood over her face only showing a large grin plastered on her face. The main features that captured Alistair's thoughts was the mystifying bright blue color coming from the girl's eyes and the glowing skull on her left hand. "T- тетушка?" Alistair gulped, "I-is that you?"

The girl shrugged and set the boy down, skipping over to the demon as he jumped back to his feet. "You're a little stinker arn't ya'h?" she giggled, holding her hands behind her back as her large white wings, a third the size bigger then herself, sending a large gust of wind behind her.

"Who the hell are you angel?" the demon growled, shielding his eyes from the bright glow emanating from the girl's body.

The girl snickered as she skipped a tad closer. "Sophia Serbus, but you can just call me Sophie for short," she giggled as she pulled a long black scythe from her back, much longer then her own body in comparison, "and _you~ _are going back to hell, see? Can't have you eating my possessions you bad little soul you."

"Wait now –" the demon jumped back, the girl swinging her scythe in front of her slashing the demon in the arm. He let out a scream, the girl pressing her foot onto his stomach and slamming him into the ground. Alistair scooted away in shock, completely confused to what had become of his Тетушка. He had felt her soul leaving and once his record was back in his body he ran after her, but… but who is **this**? This couldn't be Тетушка … could it?

The girl snickered again, standing on the demon's body and holding the blade of her scythe into the demon's neck. "_Or rather~~_" she began darkly, looming over the demon's face with a grin plastered on her face, "If you need a name to tell back to your master, call me Death you little gnat." Then she pressed the blade into the demon's neck and crunched into his bones, the demon's head rolling off of its body and blood spilling out onto the ground. Then the girl let out a sigh, jumping off of the demon's chest and aiming the blade into its chest. Raising the scythe high above her head she ran the blade through the demon's body, the demon combusting into black and white flames and disappearing into the ground. Alistair gulped, keeping his distance as the angel turned around covered with the demon's blood. "Oh poo," she pouted as she noticed the dripping red liquid on her clothes, "I'm all bloody again."

They looked over to see Alex running up the hill, pausing as he noticed the angel standing before them. "… W-who are you?" he pointed, cautiously walking over to Alistair and grabbing for his shoulder.

"My goodness you don't remember me?" the angel sighed as the crimson color on her clothing denigrating in the light radiating from her body. "Sophie of course. Geeze Alex you're a dolt aren't y –"

"Then why are you a child?" Alex said, pointing to Sophie as he gripped Alistair close to his body with his other hand.

"What?" the girl gasped, her wings sending a large gust of air onto the ground and throwing her into the air. She let out a yell as she came back down, landing with a thud before standing back up and dashing around. "I am! What is this… no wonder everything feels so large," Sophie snapped her fingers and realized. "But wait a minute; w-hat happened to me? What is this? Why am I like this?"

"Hang on," Alex put up his hands, "We'll figure this out… do you remember what happened?"

"Now that I think about it… I remember healing Alistair," Sophie pointed to the boy, "and then a bright light… a-and then I felt like I was flying and I really was! The wind was pulling me up into the clouds, but then I heard someone screaming for help so I flew back down and… y-yeah that's really it." She chuckled nervously scratching the back of her hand. Then she looked down, noticing the skull marking on her left hand. "Wait I get it!" she snapped her fingers. "My soul must have left my body and the soul that's remaining is that… other soul… oh gosh let's get back! Come on!" Sophie jumped up and down, grabbing Alistair's hand and pulling him back to the buildings.

Alistair let out a frightful yell as he was pulled along, Alex shaking his head and chuckling lightly to himself. "Same old Sophie I suppose," he responded under his breath, following behind them as Sophie led the way back to the infirmary.

"Alistair!" Rose yelled, pulling the boy into a bone crushing head before looking over at Sophie with wide eyes. "A-and who's your little friend –"

"My goodness will I have to explain **every** time?" Sophie stomped her foot and pouted, looking up and down the hallway looking for her body. "Where did my body run off to… oh this way! Come on Alistair!" she cheered, grabbing hold of Alistair's hand and pulling him away from his mother.

"Hey wait now Sophie! –"

"No time!" she tried to explain. "It ran down the hallway looking for food! Come _oooooooonn_!"

"Sophie?" Rose tilted her head to the side, dashing after them as Sophie pulled Alistair along down the hallway and through a few corridors. "Wait up!" Rose yelled as she tried to catch up with the angel running up and down the hallway, "What are you talking about –"

"My body and –" Sophie stopped, letting out a tired sigh as she scratched her forehead. "Hey I **don't** know what's going on here, but right now I need to track down my body. It must have run off somewhere being manipulated by the other soul. Where is it?"

"Really?" Rose sighed, trying to piece everything together. For all the weird situations she had ended up in, this was one of the weirdest. "Ummm… your **self** said something about going back to work and headed for her – I mean **your** office."

"Then let's get there!" Sophie yelled, pulling Alistair along as he let out a yelp. "Wait. It doesn't hurt, does it Alistair?"

"N-no actually," he chuckled as he was pulled along, "actually I haven't run this much in years! This is really fun uhmmmm… Тетушка."

"Yeah sure," Sophie gave him a grin, "Something must have happened with my aura or something… split apart? I don't know," she shrugged, "but let's get to the bottom of this."

)(*&^%$#!

"_Hello Annalise~_" Grell grinned as he turned around in his chair and faced the woman trudging up the stairs and sighing as she set her stuff at her desk. "Rough day?"

"You could say that," she sighed again, looking over and noticing a little brunette haired girl sleeping on Grell's lap. "Who's that? _Babysitting~?_"

"I'll have you know I am," he huffed, "and this is Alexander's little girl. Her brother is in the hospital right now and they didn't want to bring her along."

"Oh I see…" Annalise nodded, shrugging as she sat down in her chair to finish her paperwork. "So that Sophie person doesn't do work does she?"

"Well she has other things to do I suppose," Grell shrugged, "but whatever. You're here to help us right! So you can do the work –"

"Hey I'm not doing _all~_ of it," Annalise huffed, "only some – Oh look who the cat dragged in," she chuckled, noticing Sophie making her way up the stairs and coming down her floor.

"O-oh hi?" Sophie chuckled and waved, making her way over to her cubical and sitting down. She slumped over and sighed, flopping her hand over her face and groaning. "Oh gods," she grumbled under her breath, "where is it –"

"Where's **what** Sophie?" Grell asked, Sasha letting out a yawn and stirring on his lap.

"Maybe it's here," Sophie thought to herself, sitting back up and rummaging through her desk. She sighed, slamming her head into her desk and grumbling again. "What the hell? Are you in hell? I can't do this without you, you little –"

"There it is!" they heard at the end of the hallway, Alistair being pulled down the hall by a girl about the same height as Sasha. Annalise shied her eyes a little, feeling a sting going up her body once she noticed the light that was radiating off of the girl's body. "Hey you!" Sophie said as she pulled on her body's coat, "I'm down here –"

"Gratias dii!" her body yelled, grabbing Sophie in a tight hug and gripping her tightly. "Gratias, gratias dii! –" then it suddenly stopped, letting go of Sophie and slapping her across the head.

"Ow –"

"Why'd you leave me?" it sneered, "I can't get to the heavens without you Serbus… what'd you do?"

"What **you** don't know?" Sophie huffed.

"… No…" her body pouted, "I don't. I got rid of my infinite amount of knowledge, _remember~_? –"

"Hey isn't it more _fun~_ to figure it out?" Sophie giggled, jumping off of her lap and standing up on the ground. She scratched her head, completely confused with what was going on. Sophie pulled on her body's left hand and looked at the insignia, gulping once she saw the thorns engraving on the hand. "… Did something happen to my soul when I healed you Alistair?" she looked over at the boy, Alistair scratching the back of his head as he thought.

"W-well I don't know," Alistair shrugged. "From what I remember from the reading it said that your energy could be drained… so your soul was drained?" he shrugged again.

"Y-yeah I guess…" the two Sophie's said at once.

"But wait so I'm talking with you now?" the little Sophie blinked in confusion. "This can't be right can it? How long is this going to last –"

"I don't know as much as you," her body shrugged.

"God this is bewildering," Sophie sighed as she scratched her head, looking over at the Grell and Annalise, who were staring at them confused. "What now? I don't know how long I'll be like this –"

"Are you going to eat people or something?" Alistair asked as he pointed to Sophie's body, "Because mama told me you were coming up here to eat –"

"I'm _**hungry~~**_" her body groaned and slumped in her chair, "and I don't know what to do now –"

"The cafeteria has food –"

"Not that," her body shook her head. "I was talking about… I don't know what I meant by that," she blinked in confusion and looked to the ground. "… Oh I know! I want my soul back. That's what –"

"Well you know what," Sophie pouted, "calm down will you? I'll figure this out…"

"… What's going on here?" Annalise asked as Grell looked over at her with a sigh.

"It's better to not ask –"

"Hey Al!" Sasha jumped off of Grell's lap once she saw him standing in front of her. "Y-you're out of the infirmary now?"

"I hope so, yes," Alistair chuckled nervously. "Ummmm… Тетушка healed me… I-I think?"

"But aren't the Thorns of Death fatal?" Sasha looked up and asked Sophie's body, who only looked back at her confused.

The little Sophie sighed, pulling on one of her wings with boredom and brushing through her feathers. "Supposed to be," she began, "but I don't know… I tried something and it worked, but I feel tired now."

"No kidding," her body yawned and stood up. "I'm going to bed then –"

"Where?" Sophie asked.

"I don't know," her body shrugged and stretched her limbs, "but somewhere… the woods… a cave… somewhere outdoors I suppose. What exactly should I do host?"

"Host?" Sophie snorted. "I don't know! Dig yourself a hole in the cemetery and bury yourself for a while? I don't know… what do **you** want to do?"

"M-me?" her body pointed to herself. "Ummmm… I'm going to go sleep in the woods. I'll come see you when I wake up."

"Good," Sophie nodded, "fine. Go for it. Just don't bother anything and anyone –"

"Don't worry I won't do that," her body chuckled. "Don't get eaten little soul. You'll be back before you know it." She gave them a wave and began walking down the stairs with a skip in her step, a sigh escaping Sophie's throat as her bright blue eyes wandered over to Alistair.

"Ummm… I don't know…" Sophie looked away confused, "W-what to do…"

"Sophia what's the meaning of this?" they turned around, seeing a young boy with short auburn hair and blue eyes as bright and pure as Sophie's. He looked to be a twelve year old boy, but was fairly short for his age. "And why do you have wings? What's going on –"

"How about **you** tell **me**?" Sophie huffed. "I don't know… I-I cut Alistair's record up, b-but then I blacked out and woke up flying in the air and… I don't know! My body just took off and wants to go sleep in the woods somewhere. How about you ask **it**?"

"Oh is that all?" Marius chuckled. "Makes sense I suppose… well whatever," he shrugged, "you want an explanation. Yes? When you used your energy on the boy your soul split in two because of the energy being used. You converted energy from your soul to complete it and… w-well your split off I guess and you were flying up to heaven."

"W-wait I was?" Sophie blinked in confusion scratching the back of her head. "So… I was actually dead for once?"

"Yep," Marius grinned, "and you still are! You're a ghost right now okay? Your soul just morphed into a human form I suppose… if you'd call that human."

"… How do you know that?" she raised an eyebrow.

"W-well," he grinned nervously, "I-I'm still technically dead, but Death is the one who is letting me live here… or he said it was you who was doing that, but I don't know what he means," he sighed. "How about you come with me?" he held out his hand to her, "And stop summoning those wings. You're scaring people."

"Oh I am?" Sophie looked over, noticing how Annalise was trying to shield her eyes from her glow. "I'm sorry Annalise!" she frowned, closing her eyes and fluttering her wings behind her. Slowly the wings disappeared behind her, Sophie's eyes opening back to a crystal blue and shinigaimi green glow. "I-is that better?"

"Y-yeah thanks," she sighed scratching the back of her head. "I am so confused right now…"

"It's alright," Marius said as he grabbed Sophie's hand, "everyone is. Come on already – Oh! Alistair and Sasha. Your parents are on their way up the stairs. They had just stopped by Sophie's body. You can explain everything to them I suppose," he smiled to them, the two of them nodding at his information.

Sophie grabbed hold of Marius' hand, a smile coming to his face as he turned for the stairs. "Hey wait," she stopped him, "let's go to Margaret first."

"W-wait why?" he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?... Ummmm… _I don't know~_" Sophie grinned happily, swaying back and forth before she got bored and dashed for the stairs. Marius let out a frightful yell as he was pulled away, Sophie waving to them as they dashed down the stairs.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Wow I just realized something. This chapter is a bit fudged up. I apologize. I probably had another writer's block and when I started writing I didn't know what to say. So there you go. Well… SEE YOU! *runs away***

_gratias dii_ – Latin – _thank the gods_


	68. The Unknown Crypt

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I figured I'd post one more chapter before my finals (wish me luck! DX) Anyways I hope you like this. Some more crazy stuff, but whatever. ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

"You know what it's better to not ask," Sophie chuckled lightly, "so I don't know Margaret. Call it magic, voodoo, whatever. We'll probably be back to our normal heights in a couple of days."

"Yeah," Marius sighed, "but **I'm** like this because of you. So it's up to you… and why are you hanging upside down? You could break your neck!"

"But I'm _booooooored~_" Sophie huffed as she hung by one leg upside down from a light fixture. "This is all so weird, you know? Just because of one little spell and then next you're turning into something you're not. It's just… wrong right?"

"… Sophie is there something you want to say?" Margaret asked, watching as the little girl stopped swinging on the lighting and sighed.

"Everything just blows," Sophie pouted.

"Blows?" Marius tilted his head.

"Sorry," Sophie chuckled, "just… I feel different and… just not me. Heck, I haven't felt like this for a few years! Knowing completely who I am and saying what I want to say. Not having a voice in the back of my head telling me what to do and… yeah…" She sighed. "I can't even think straight anymore… it's weird. I miss that other soul. So I heard Jericho left. Where did he go?"

"America," Margaret shrugged, "had to do some paperwork or something along those lines."

"Something tells me that if that boy won't take the time to transfer then he must not want to keep you," Marius said as he lounged back in a chair and looked up at the ceiling.

"And what is **that** supposed to mean?" Sophie huffed. Marius just grinned. "Look, that _guy~_ loves me alright and it's true. I want to settle down alright –"

"That may be true," Marius interrupted her, "but if he can't even **tell** you he's leaving then he just wants you for something else… and I don't want you to get hurt."

"Like what –"

"For one your powers," Marius continued as he counted on his hands, "second your fame, third your affection towards him, and fourth your looks. And come on you're a big tease –"

"Hey I am not!" Sophie huffed again. "You don't know Marius! You think it's easy living here? You become someone's friend and next they stab you in the back. I honestly just want to settle down and have a family. Heck, as long as it's not a snot nose snob who thinks he's better than everyone else then great. I give beings favors, save them and show them mercy, but what do they do next? Hurt you –"

"And that's my point," Marius sighed. "You don't get it do you."

"N-no… not really," she looked away and began to swing again, sighing as she switched her foot from one to the other on the fixture and pouted.

"… Look I know it's been hard," Marius smiled, "but I'll help you through this alright? I **know** I haven't helped you in the past, but now I'm here. If you want to talk about this life and make sense of it I'll help. Just don't leave me out in the dark."

"Alright, alright," Sophie chuckled, "only if you do something for me first."

"Yes… what?" He tilted his head as Sophie jumped down and began to fix her black cloak.

"Work on your **own** personal problems first Marius," Sophie answered. "I _know~_ you haven't been doing as much as you could because of me. Death didn't have to explain in detail for me to know that you'd like to live here instead of be dead. So get your affairs in order and perhaps I'll tell you my own… cool?"

"R-really?" Marius chuckled as he sat up and scratched the back of his head. "H-he really told you –"

"No," Sophie shook her head as she flopped her hood over her face, "I figured it out. **Then** he told me," she giggled as she went for the door and opened it. "Bye Margaret. Thanks again."

"Hey no problem," she smiled, waving as the little girl walked out the door and walked towards the doors, "Bye." Margaret looked over at the little boy slumping in a chair, picking through his cloths before sighing. "So, what's the plan. You staying?"

"It looks like it," he said with a sigh, before looking up at her with a grin. "This… this isn't weird? I mean that I'm dead?"

"Nah," Margaret chuckled as she walked by and pinched his cheeks, "the weird thing is that you're a **kid** right now." Marius pouted as she grinned and walked away, laughing heartedly as he rubbed his face and chuckle lightly to himself.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie held the black cloak around her neck close to her mouth, the chilling wind blowing through her hair as she ran into the woods. She sighed, a shiver going down her spine as she made her way into a clearing. Noticing a familiar face she smiled, casually walking up to the being and giggling as she sat down. "Hey me," she grinned as she placed her hands under her head, "what's up?"

"Nothing," her body responded back, bright yellow eyes staring up to the sky.

Sophie smiled, laying her head down on the grass and joining the other soul by gazing up at the sky. "… So I always wondered why you try to get up there… to the heavens I mean. Don't you think it's difficult?"

"It's all part of the challenge," her body chuckled back, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair. "S-since that day, when I got to see the light… I don't know what happened. Something stirred inside of me… a-and I knew that I was being hidden from the truth. The truth of the world, universe, all of creation… hidden by an unknown force. That force being the light... and once I pass by and see into the light will I find my true nature… why I'm here…" She chuckled again, pointing up to the sky as she did. "The sky, how vast it is. Just by one glance you see billions of fire and trillions of rock floating around above us. No one knows how it happened, but that hasn't bothered anyone. I know that if I reach that sky above I will achieve that goal, and find everything out. That is, I'd rather stay here and watch the sky all day, all night… You are a curious little soul Miss Sophia Serbus," it grinned. "You are very troubled. I can see it in your eyes. Is it me? Your life? Your soul? You know that you will never have all your questions answered and it seems to me you're going to give up."

"Oh that's **far** from the truth," Sophie snickered back before sighing heavily. "Yes, there are problems and questions that I know won't be answered. My life, sure. My soul, sure. You, of course. Just… yes I know nothing will be answered, but either way I will try. In all honestly I want to live my life and I felt I already have… but yet something feels empty, like I'm meant to do something else. When I stay here I feel secure, but there is something missing, and when I leave that security is gone, but still something is dreadfully missing from my life. I know the only way of filling that empty void is finding a particular part of myself that is missing as it is with you and going towards the sky. Have I really fallen from grace? Am I an angel? Perhaps, but that's still not what I'm missing. It's something else and I know I won't truly be happy till I find it… for myself."

"So is that why you fill your life with rubbish?" Sophie looked over at her body, the soul inside grinning as it continued. "The friends, family, you don't need it. You've been able to live on your own even before you were born. Why do you? Do you know?" Sophie stared back, a frown on her face as her body grinned back before sighing. "Love. You seek an emptiness in your heart called love. Every life in linked to another, from young to old or demon to angel. Some call it the string of fate, others destiny, but your string leads to another over leagues of time and memories beyond. That's why you can't find the piece that's missing. You haven't even come to discover it yet." The soul chuckled, watching as Sophie clutched her hands under her head and rolled over to her side. "If you're wondering, no I don't know who this is. Only you can. I can see the contents of your heart and can tell that's what you're missing, another soul. Perhaps it's your old soul and it was separated from another, or not even that. The life you have now is what connects you… who really knows. It's probably my fault, what I have done… even if I don't remember it –"

"Hey now," Sophie huffed, "Don't start blaming yourself with anything. You have your goals and I have mine. If anything I should be thanking you. I wouldn't know that until you told me."

"Of course not," it chuckled, "you're only a true naive child. So is your brother. That is why you were brought into this body… forced to be connected with me. Whether you like it or not the darkness will be here to stay –"

"Then… how will you ever obtain this light you speak of?" Sophie frowned. "Why do you need me… my family for this?"

"It is through you that I can come into the light. Perhaps it will be becoming an angel or becoming a human. It doesn't matter. It's the soul you see. I know that you will not be the last, but your actions will change the thoughts for the future. You will fall, rise, fall, rise, but the point is you. It gets me closer… but it's hard to explain. I'd rather not. I don't even understand the world myself," it grinned as her body turned its head to stare into her eyes. Sophie's eyes went wide, staring into the bright hazy yellow glow coming from her eyes. How it pierced into her, causing chills to go down her spine, but yet she felt safe there. As if nothing could hurt her. "The point is keeping yourself safe. Keep myself safe. That is your main mission for being here. Anything else we accomplish is by our own efforts, but mostly your own. Continue to do the things you love. Continue to look around for love. It is my goal, not yours, to find the light. For it seemed to have fallen… or perhaps it was I who had fallen or maybe I had never really fallen at all. I don't recall, but others do and that's why I'm here to find this out, through you. Plus I recall a bet with Death, but it's something I won't find out about… probably."

"Ah…" Sophie nodded, yawning as she tucked herself into the hood of her cloak and closed her eyes. "That is all really fascinating, but if it's alright with you I'd like to sleep. Please don't overuse that body of mine. I'll need some sleep soon… or food… or water for that matter."

"Don't worry," her body chuckled back, "I'll keep everything in order. Just fall asleep. You'll feel better after you do." Sophie smiled as she curled up into a tight fall, her body looking back up to the sky with a dream filled look in those dark yellow eyes.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Little Sophie yawned, stretching her arms and looking back up to the sky. Looking to her side she noticed that her body had wandered away, but she knew in the back of her mind that it didn't go very far. Standing up she grabbed the cloak that had untangled around her body and put it back on her shoulders, having a strange feeling to head back to the shinigami realm. She did so only by her own will, casually strolling over the hills until she came upon the white buildings. She smiled. Looking through a window it seemed that the only beings around were those on the nightshift. Everyone else was either asleep in their rooms or weren't there, having homes off of the realm and in the human world. Following a pull in the back of her mind she wind her way to the doors, creeping into one of the white buildings and beginning her wandering around the building. Sophie had to admit, she never really took the time to look around the building… except maybe once. She had forgotten the visits she had with her papa to the shinigami realm, but for some reason one moment still lingered in the back of her mind. She didn't remember it, but she had a feeling, a feeling of both bliss and distress. Such a weird feeling to have about a place she couldn't remember, but either way the feeling was coming back and it took all of Sophie's will power to keep going. She remembered being dreadfully afraid, but there was something she had to find out. If the conversation with the other soul was true, then she should be working on her own pitiful existence than working on the other soul's. Sophie sighed. If that was true then it would take years, even centuries till everything in her life was in order. So many things must have slipped her mind, even forgotten about her life. Was it true? Was the friends she gathered necessary? Sophie didn't want to think about it. It was a silly idea to think about anyways.

She walked down the hallway making sure no one noticed her, hiding behind the corner as a shinigami passed by. Sophie chuckled. There was no reason for her to hide, right? Oh except for the fact that she's a soul hovering around. That's probably it. She came to the end of a long corridor, hidden way in the back where no one ventured. Coming to a door she took out a set of keys from her side and opening the latch with a click, looking inside to find a set of stairs winding down into the depths below. It wouldn't surprise her if there were secret passages in this building. It had been here for at least a thousand years. She closed the door and locked it behind her, the place going completely dark and black and she began her decent. The only light she saw was coming from herself, her body still glowing a pure white for some unknown reason. When she reached the bottom of the stairs she looked around, noticing how old and stony the place was with dirt covered floor and stones as a ceiling. The walls seemed to be made with an older type of stone then the ceiling, indicating the walls were made a few centuries before the ceiling. Somewhere in the back of her mind she felt she had been there before, but she couldn't recall when and how she assumed that. Still she felt a pull on her body, the same pull that she had been feeling in America except this time is was stronger and forcer as she crept closer. Then she noticed something, an old small jar hidden in the corner of the room. It started to glow, as if it was reacting to her own glow and started to glow white. Sophie gulped, creeping over to the corner and reached out her hand, yelping as she was suddenly stopped by another hand.

"What are you doing here – … oh I see," the being smiled, letting go of her hand and letting Sophie stumble backward. "You're back?"

"Who? What? I don't even know where I am sir," Sophie huffed, crossing her hands over her chest and glaring at the stranger.

"_I see~_…" it sighed, running a hand through messy black hair. Sophie gulped, noticing long black ears sticking out of its head, similar to a dog or wolf ears. "You don't remember your last visit?"

"Visit?" Sophie shook her head and stopped staring at his ears. "N-no I doubt I have –"

"You were a young pup, about this high," he described as he held out his hand to indicate a height quite smaller than herself, "but I suppose this doesn't matter if you've never been here… I would assume your father would have told you about this place –"

"Then what is this place?" Sophie asked as she turned to look at the place she had wandered into.

"This is the old ruins of the shinigami realm before they reconstructed the tall, white buildings many years ago," the being explained. "I stay here because… because of a promise –"

"What promise?" she asked curiously.

The being chuckled, "Well all in due time. Come this way little Sophia, daughter of the Centurion late Maurus Serbus. I can see you have a lot on your mind, so if you won't mind coming along."

Sophie blinked at her name being used. How did this being know her? She was used to beings to knowing who she was and where she came from, but even **him**? "Excuse me," she stopped him as he picked up the jar and held it securely in his hand, "W-what's your name?"

"I'll tell you in a second," the being instructed as he ushered her along, "but for now I would like you to come with me. There is something we must discuss." Sophie nodded as she followed after him, noticing a hidden tunnel off to the side of the vast room.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie yelped, hearing a roar coming from a room as they left a various set of tunnels and finally emerged on the other side. Then she heard the stomping of large feet pattering on the ground, the little soul hiding behind the taller man as she heard it stop and sniff at them. "You must know who your master is, don't you?" the man chuckled as Sophie turned her head, looking up at the creature that had ran up to them.

She blinked, quickly recognizing the monster. "A-apep?" Sophie tilted her head, leaving the safety of the older man's back to walk up to the creature with her hand out. The large black dragon snorted as she grabbed his nose, gently rubbing it as she stared into its eyes. "W-why are you here?"

"He guards a great secret here," the man explained, "and wards off intruders, even yourself it seems, but come. You have nothing to be afraid of as long as I'm around." Sophie nodded as she followed behind the man, the large dragon watching them and soon following obediently down the grand room.

She noticed this room was different than the others, for the floor had old tiles that had been broken up and stepped on for centuries on end. Now that she thought about it this hidden establishment was more than just a settlement, but a large place where beings must have gathered long ago. Remains of the past… She watched as the man walked up steps to the top, setting the jar down in a holster as if it was meant to be there among a bunch of other items that were left behind. "E-excuse me," she gulped as the being dusted off the stone slab the jar was resting on, "b-but what is that?"

"I guess I can tell you," he chuckled as he ushered her up the stairs, but stopped her with his hand as the jar began to glow yet again by her presence. "There is an organ inside."

"A-an organ?" Sophie looked at him with a questionable look in her eyes, the being smiling as the dragon curled up at the foot of the stairs and stared its bright red eyes at them.

"I was called upon to watch this specific organ till its owner arrives back to this world," the being continued to explain, "for it is my job, as a god associated with mummification and the afterlife. Since my people have grown tired of me I made this my life job… for the time being of course." The man paused waiting for Sophie to chuckle, but all he got was a blank stare as she continued to stare at the jar. "If you are wondering who I am, I am –"

"Anubis," Sophie finished him as she looked at the jar. "I can tell. The jackal like ears, your slender body, and the outfit you wear. Plus that jar has Egyptian hieroglyphics, all spelling out enchantments of protection for the organ inside."

"Very good," he chuckled, "you said that very same thing the last time you were here."

"L-last time?" Sophie stared at him, Anubis grinning as he wandered over to a step to sit down.

"Many years ago you had wandered away from the upper world and came across this lower world. You asked me the same questions about this place and I answered them for you, but you do not remember?" he asked.

"No," Sophie sighed sadly. "I suppose the memories of my childhood is still hidden in the dark… oh well," she shrugged, "I'm here now! So why are you keeping a watchful eye on an organ?"

"… It was a promise," he continued to tell her, "between myself and a goddess. Whenever she is to return I will grant her organ back to her… a significant organ for the body I believe."

"That's odd," Sophie shrugged, "but whatever. At least you have something to do I suppose…"

"… Is there a reason you are here?" he asked.

"W-well sort of," she continued. "I have a feeling I am supposed to be here, but right now I can't figure it out… Is it okay if I explore?"

"Be my guest," Anubis smiled as the little girl jumped down from the steps and gave Apep a quick pat on the nose before wandering away. "Be careful little one," he said as she vanished into a corridor, "keep your soul safe."

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sighed, sitting down on a stone fall and looked around. She had been looking around for who knows how long looking at all the fascinating things that were hidden below. There were so many little buildings that were previously made that had been torn down, but the remnants of the old were still visible if you look close enough. Still, throughout all her searching the only source of light came from the room she was sitting in, shining from a crack above to shine onto the slab she was seated upon. She did remember stories of this place from her papa. That must have been why she had gone wandering down here long ago, but she just never realized those memories till she recalled coming across walls, buildings, old pots and cookware. If she could she would stay here for a long time smelling the old air that still lingered in the air. There wasn't a lot recorded for this time, but as she slowly noticed that whoever lived here must have been hostile to one another, since she saw items lying around as if they were being used and left to tend to later. She even came across some bones from time to time, which hurt her further. To think shinigamis were fighting among each other, or perhaps there was something else they were fighting over?

Suddenly she heard movement, looking over to see a woman walking into the room and coming across the girl sitting contently on the slab. "O-oh! Sophia… Why are you here?" the shinigami chuckled nervously as she walked further into the room and came close to her.

"No reason Fiona," Sophie answered as she looked around, "just had my soul separated from my body and I'm using that time to think. Why? Is there something I should be doing?"

"Oh no!" she chuckled back, "I was just wondering… just the first time you were here Maurus lost you and we found you here of all places. It was hilarious!"

"I see…" Sophie nodded as Fiona walked up the steps and sat beside her. "H-how do you know of this place?"

"I helped build it," Fiona grinned, "or I was here to see to its construction. It was an establishment for the shingimais in this region to congregate, but over the centuries… well… things happened I suppose."

"Things," Sophie asked, "like what?"

"Nothing that really needs to be talked about," Fiona chuckled before she let out a tired sigh. "So long ago for me that I can barely remember the details…"

"… Have you ever wondered if you're supposed to marry and who they should be?" Sophie asked.

Fiona grinned, "You must know that a young maiden used to be given, but more like sold to her husband. That's what happened to myself and to Chloe… but they both died years ago and we've been free ever since."

"So you felt trapped?" Sophie continued to ask.

"You could say that," Fiona shrugged. "Chloe did, not me. It was an obligation to be married to another, so I found no wrong in the practice. It was Chloe that did… because… well I'll come out and say it. She had a very abusive husband who wouldn't let us correspond. It was because of… well because of a dear old friend of mine that she left him and he eventually died. My husband died during a battle, but I was handed over all of the responsibility of his estates and I can't complain."

"Oh…" Sophie nodded as she looked to the ground. "So this place has significance to you?"

"Indeed," Fiona chuckled, "but not many beings come down here anymore and you need a key to access its contents… or be a Serbus. It was your father who built the doors and secured them with his powers. If anything I should be thanking you for that… I'm not bothered down here."

"I'm sorry if I was intruding –"

"It's not a problem," Fiona lightly punched the girl in the arm, "I figured you would be one of the ones who came across this place… from the younger generations I should say… Is there something you want to talk about?"

"No," Sophie sighed, "not really… just… there is so much I don't recall and references that I don't know, or remember… like I have a feeling I know them, but yet I don't. You know? Like you have a feeling you've heard and seen places but never have… have you had that problem before?"

"Nope," Fiona shook her head, "but I know a few that have. Usually time travelers, but even if they are not connected to the travel aspect there are those who have had past lives. Perhaps that's why you find this place familiar, a past life perhaps?"

"… I don't know about that," Sophie shrugged as she jumped down, "but I'm just going to keep wandering for a while. That's alright with you, right?"

"I don't care," Fiona shrugged back, "This is just the ruins of the old. Feel free to explore if you like, but I expect you to come back before nightfall."

"Alright," Sophie grinned as she turned around and began to walk away. "Bye!"

"Bye…" Fiona slowly waved before frowning as she ran her hands over the stone slab and the fading color of crimson red seeped into the stone.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed a tune to herself as she walked through several corridors before walking into another old building. It was like the place that Anubis had brought her to, but this time there wasn't some creature hiding inside waiting to pounce. She walked along the colored tiles and noticed something this place that looked to be frequently used. Sophie looked up and wondered what was above her, perhaps a large room like the glasses department or a small room like a closet. She looked down at the floor and noticed that everything was still being maintained, so perhaps someone is currently using it?

She took her time to read the engravings on the tiles, unable to fully read them since it was in languages she had never seen before. Sophie quickly noticed that there was a circular symbol in the middle of the room, making six points in the form of a Star of David. Once again she couldn't read what it said, but there were depiction of animals in the spaces between the six points: a butterfly, dolphin, deer, lamb, turtle and swan. Sophie gulped, backing around it without noticing she was stepping into the middle of the circle and in the middle of the star. Then a bright shine of light consumed her hand as she shielded her eyes, disappearing in a hazy glow before the room went completely dark again.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: And now Sophie has stumbled into trouble yet again XD Well I hope you've enjoyed this. I'm going to go work on my homework now. SEE YOU LATER!**

Anubis – Ancient Egyptian jackal-headed god associated with mummification and the afterlife. According to the Akkadian transcription in the Amarna letters, Anubis' name was vocalized in Egyptian as Anapa. The oldest known mention of Anubis is in the Old Kingdom pyramid texts, where he is associated with the burial of the pharaoh. At this time, Anubis was the most important god of the dead but he was replaced during the Middle Kingdom by Osiris. He takes names in connection with his funerary role, such as He who is upon his mountain, which underscores his importance as a protector of the deceased and their tombs, and the title He who is in the place of embalming, associating him with the process of mummification. Like many ancient Egyptian deities, Anubis assumes different roles in various contexts. Anubis' wife is a goddess called Anput. His daughter is the goddess Kebechet


	69. The Realm Above

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I decided it was about time I start posting chapters. I DO hope I did well in my finals. My testing is all done, but I have two more things to do so I'll have to do that over the weekend. WHATEVER! ONE DAY LEFT! It's only two classes on Monday, boring classes must add, but whatever. I have time to review so I will now. Plus you've waited all week. It's about time for a new one =3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie blinked, shielding her face as her eyes adjusted to the intense light around her. She groaned, rubbing her eyes as she squinted and tried to turn away from the bright light. What she saw behind her caused her mouth to drop, noticing large white buildings surrounded by large white, fluffy clouds. "W-where…" she thought quietly to herself, looking down and noticing that she was stepping on a large puffy substance. She ran her fingers through the ground and watched the mist evaporate from her hands. Yep, clouds. She cautiously walked over to the edge and looked down, stepping back startled as she noticed how high up she was from the ground. Now she was curious, deciding that she'd be able to find out where she is if she went towards the white buildings. The buildings were very similar to the white buildings back in the shinigami realm, but something was different. There was a bright glow from them as if there was light radiating from the buildings, something the buildings back on earth never did. Also the structures were grander, large rustic steeples and buildings as far as the eye can see. She wondered how the clouds could support all the weight, but since this was obviously a supernatural realm she didn't want to argue with herself and continued on. Sophie cautiously made her way to the buildings, putting her black cloak over her face to hide her face from view. Walking inside she noticed everyone wearing bright colors of white, blinding her with their intense glows. She groaned, deciding to take a right and casually making her way down the white hallways looking around.

Once again it was similar to the shinigami realm, the beings minding their own business and not bothering her. She wondered if this was expected in all realms, but as she continued to walk she began to get nervous. Something suddenly tightened in her throat with a feeling that she had been here before, but yet everything felt **very** unfamiliar. She sighed, running a hand through her hair and not noticing the being slowing sneaking up on her to startle her. "S-sophia?" someone asked from behind her, "Sophia Serbus is that you –"

"Yes it is," she answered as she turned around, "How do you know – … Harry. How are you?"

"I'm fine thanks," he chuckled nervously, "but you shouldn't be here. We need to bring you back –"

"Why? Where are we? Why are you so nervous?" Sophie asked him, the older being sighing as he held out his hand for her to grab.

Sophie griped his hand, blinking confused as she instinctively felt as if she had felt this hand before. "Come over this way," Harry ushered her and pulled her off to the side of the hallway. He brought her down a long corridor, emerging into a room with several chairs for them to sit down. Sophie gripped his hand tightly as he sat down on a couch, the little girl following behind him and sitting next to him. "I'll tell you where you are I suppose," he sighed. "You're in the angelic realm, where angels live."

"Oh?" Sophie gasped, "R-really?" She looked around, the angel gripping her hand and causing her to look back at him.

She noticed the worry in his eyes, the angel frowning as he looked away. "S-so why are you here? Why are you a child –"

"I used all my energy saving little Alistair," Sophie explained, "thus my soul split into two and I flew out of my body. I was looking around and found these old passage ways under the shinigami buildings, and when I stepped onto a pattern in the ground I disappeared in a bright light and ended up here. Why?"

"Oh really?" he blinked, chuckling as he held his chest. "I see… No wonder I can't see any stains on you. Your soul is just as beautiful as when it left."

"L-left?" Sophie looked at him confused. "W-what do you mean?"

"Well it – … ummmm…" Harry thought to himself, trying to come up with the best way to explain the situation. "Your original soul, I mean the soul that's right here right now, is the old soul of an angel… a pure cherubim."

"C-cherubim?" Sophie looked at him confused. "Whatever do you mean?"

"Your soul was placed into the body of a human woman, who gave birth to you and gave you the name Sophia Serbus," Harry continued. "Thus, the soul that is here right now is the old soul of an angel, alright? Do you understand that much so I can continue?"

"… N-not really," Sophie sighed, "but continue I suppose."

Harry smiled, deciding to continue on with his explanation even though Sophie was reluctantly looking at him. "You see, only angels can enter this realm. Through that circle you walked into you ended up here, and you can only end up here if you are an angel. From the looks of things you were separated from that tainted soul inside of you, thus you were able to appear without any problems… did you understand that?"

"I think so," Sophie slowly nodded, "but I guess that would explain the wings I have."

"Wings?" Harry looked at her questionably.

"Yes," Sophie said, standing up and looking behind her back. She closed her eyes and let out a sigh, a huge gust of air blowing into the room as her wings spread out behind her and white feathers flew into the room. Harry gasped at this, standing up to his feet and backing away startled. She flapped her wings before looking at him, a frown on her face as she saw the frightened expression on his face. "W-why are you scared?" she pouted.

"I-'m sorry but…" he paused before taking a few steps to her, grabbing her hands and looking at her sadly. "I-it's just… I've missed you."

"Miss me?" Sophie looked at him questionably. "Whatever do you mean by that?"

Harry sighed, a chuckle escaping his throat as he sat her back down and kept her hands in his. "I was once a cherubim too," he began to explain, "and at the time I met you we were on guard right outside the royal throne. You… we began to talk and you could say we fell in love." He chuckled under his breath, gently letting go of her hands. "I don't expect you to remember. See you had told me about what was going to happen that Death would take you down to the world below and place your soul into that of a young maiden to counteract the evil soul that was placed there. I never understood what you meant, but then you left all of the sudden. You fluttered away without giving me a reason for your disappearance! When I saw you down there on earth I knew I had to do something. So I placed a piece of my own soul into a young babe that was going to be born and depleted my position to the point of an angel so I could always be with you as your guardian."

"Yeah," Sophie shrugged, "so what? That was over and done with. I am not technically the divine anymore and I'm fine with that. Why are you so upset –"

"You don't understand!" he stopped her. "I love you!... but… but I know I can never have you with me again… s-since your soul was tainted and when you do die you'll have to live with Death. It's not fair! Why would you let yourself be taken down –"

"Harold calm down," Sophie huffed. "You know I have **no** idea what you're talking about, but I don't care. That's all over now… I am on earth to stay. If you dislike it then fine, but that is where I'm going to go." She stood up, a sigh escaping her throat as she suddenly felt tired, "I think it's time I head back –"

"W-wait," Harry stopped her, "can… can I show you what I mean?" Sophie looked at him confused as he stood up and inched towards her, his face very close to her own as he leaned into her. "Let… let me… I need to kiss you." He quickly grasp her under her chin and pulled her into a deepening kiss, Sophie's eyes going wide as she felt something familiar overwhelming her body.

This feeling was too familiar, as if it was a part of herself that had been lost long ago and came back with a vengeance. Her heart ached, Sophie pushing him away as she stood looking into his bright golden eyes and black hair. "H-haden?" she gulped as she slowly walked back to him and gently pressed her hand to his cheek, "I-is that you?"

"Sophie," he sighed happily as he grabbed her hand and rubbed his face up to her touch. "You remember me…"

"B-but I saw you with Death!" Sophie frowned, "How can that be –"

"I came down to greet you," Harry continued to explain, "but once you had left I went back to the heavens. I can't stay down there… I-I am not destined to be an earth dweller and a human. I'm supposed to be an angel for all of eternity."

"… You're not making sense," she pouted. "Look Harry, Haden, whatever… I've moved on –"

"Yes I've _seen~_ you moving on, if that's what you'd call it," he huffed. "Come on Sophie. You clung to the first man you meet! The first one to give you any sort of sympathy and kindness… and honestly… he is only using you. You may think he's not, but there's more to you then just receiving infinite power. You're good, kind, sweet, and any man is lucky to have you. You can't keep clinging to a past that can no longer be there –"

"But what **can** I do, huh? So many things have happened! If you can't stay with me then what's the point of trying to keep you around! I want you to move on Haden, even if I haven't moved on yet…" Sophie sighed as she looked away suddenly discouraged.

"W-wha?" he stared at her confused. "Move on? I can't do that. I never can…"

"Trust me it's for the best right?" she huffed. "Look," she said gently as she grabbed his hands, "I love you. Always have and always will, but you have already passed in my life. I may never end up back here because I am a human Harry. I wish you could have stayed with me, but I suppose Death didn't want you to stay around. I do love you Haden… I… do you know how long it took me to get over you? And I still haven't for that matter. I'm not saying it would have been for the best that we never met, but as time goes on things change and our relationship has… d-don't put me in a position to choose you or Jericho. You **know** I can't possibly choose you."

"… You always say that," Harry pouted as he looked up into her bright blue and green eyes, "but I suppose you're right. We can never be together… its destiny really."

"It's not destiny," Sophie sighed, "but if you have to stay here and I will be stuck below there is no point to being heart-stricken. Let's just stay as friends as we've been when we first met… alright?"

"I guess," Harry thought to himself. "… but can I tell you –"

"Hey Sophie is that you?" someone said from behind, the two of them turning around to see an angel looking at her with awe.

"Wh-o?" she looked at her questionably.

"Ah," he chuckled. "I figured you wouldn't remember me. I'm Marcus Michael Malchediel, but you probably knew me as Marc from The Juvéniles of Dance," he bowed slightly.

"… Marc? OH MARC!" Sophie laughed, jumping up and grabbing him in a tight hug. "You're an angel?... why are you an angel?"

"Well I was sent down for a lifetime as a human," Marc tried to explain, "but I never thought I would meet **you** there."

"Why aren't you with Charlotte?" Sophie continued to ask. "You were supposed to die with her correct? So… what is going on?"

"Yes I died," Marc sighed, "but I was transported here instead of going to the land of the dead where Charlotte is. Besides I'm originally an angel. I belong here." Sophie pouted, scratching the back of her head as she thought. "Anyways are you still dancing?"

"Only on occasion," she chuckled lightly, "but usually I don't –"

"Then I'll have to come down and dance with you some time," he grinned.

"Sure!" Sophie smile happily. "That'd be fine –"

"What's this?" came a voice from behind, Sophie's eyes narrowing as the two angels looked at each other before paying attention to the being that passed by them. He grabbed Sophie by the back of her shirt and pulled her up, growling at her as Sophie glared back. "What are you doing here Death? You're supposed to be in the land of the living –"

"Hey! Let me go Michael and maybe I'll talk," she growled. "You jerk," she mumbled under her breath as she rustled up her feathers as he set her down on the ground. "Releasing my powers like that. How senseless **are** you –"

"It was by punishment that I did that," he huffed, "and I wouldn't have had to do that if _you~_ didn't cause trouble."

"But that's all that I'm good for," she grinned, "_**is~**_ trouble."

"That's for sure," Harry and Marc said at once, the both of them looking away as they quickly got glares from Michael.

"Regardless I need to bring you back down," he huffed as he forcefully pushed her along. "You don't belong up here anymore. Go back home."

"Wait I –" Harry paused, watching as Sophie and Michael disappeared around the corner, "I-I wasn't done talking…"

"Of forget about it Hariel," Marc huffed, "you've had your panties in a knot since that soul left. Give it up! Your string isn't connected to her –"

"Yes Malchediel," Harry huffed back, "but I'm still going to try."

"I still don't see it," Marc sighed, "I mean this argument over Sophia. She's not destined for anyone who seems to be after her, let alone **this** time and place. So why try?"

"… Because I love her," Harry said softly, "and there's nothing I can do about it."

"You cherubim are all the same," Marc shook his head, "always looking for _love~~_. Waste of time to me. I have more important things to do then run around looking for something I will never truly achieve, since we are whole souls after all. We weren't separated or anything."

"You just don't see it through the eyes of a human. I thought that's why you were sent down there, to see how life is through human eyes," Harry huffed, walking out of the room and turning the corner. Marc only shook his head, walking in the opposite direction towards another door.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Fiona sighed, running a hand through her long dark-brunette hair as she closed the door behind her and locked it with a key. She was one of the only ones who had access to the realm below, even only a limited sum of the shinigamis on the council had access to the doors. It was something that Maurus gave her since they were dear friends, but the thought of him being gone always made her heart ache. She sighed. There was no way he was coming back from the dead since his children are around, which is fine by her. Though they both could be troublesome at times –

"I believe this is _**yours~**_" Michael appeared in front of her, holding a little girl with long auburn hair and large white wings by the back of her outfit as she struggled to get free. "Could you keep track of **that** soul? I don't want to have to give another punishment. Everyone blames me for their disappearances when it's over," he huffed.

"Ummmm… sure," Fiona looked at him confused, the angel dropping the girl on the ground as she let out a yelp and hit the ground hard with her bum.

"You know little Serbus," Michael decided to say, "I don't care about this self-mission of yours. As long as I'm not involved I'm fine, but for the record you can never go back there. Whatever Zerachiel Hariel has told you… cherubim or not that's what you **were**. Under jurisdiction and legal rights you're the property of Death, understood?"

"Not at all," Sophie stood up and huffed back, "and he doesn't own me! My god you're dense! It's a complex relationship where –"

"Call it whatever you like," he interrupted her, "but the conclusion is that you're **never, **_**ever**_ going back to the angelic realm. Cherubim or not, you weren't meant to stay there in the first place, and the sooner you understand that you'll never be that high up the better for you –"

"I could care less!" Sophie through her arms up. "I really don't care! I like it down here; it's too bright up there! It's blinding! AND WHITE! I can barely stand the white here let alone that those blinding buildings up there! Look, as I told Harry perhaps my soul was an angel before, but it was wiped clean and I'll never regain those memories now. Even so I like being a Death God, a God of Death. Honestly I don't know what you're getting worked up about. I just happened to stumble upon it… that's all."

"I'm talking to the other soul," Michael huffed, "the one that is using your human body as a host? A sneaky little parasite that thing is –"

"_**Watch it~**_" Sophie growled at him in a stern tone.

"Whatever," he huffed again. "The point is that even if you're the old soul of a cherub that soul isn't going to make it to heaven… quite yet if it ever does. Yes, maybe you're a stepping stone, but that soul isn't going to make it till several more generations into the future. You are just a part of the bigger circle and created for that purpose to become a vessel –"

"Regardless I simply don't care," she shook her head, "so **go home**."

"… You can't order me around _human~_" Michael growled, "You sick, pesky –"

"**Home **_**now~**_" she sneered. Michael glared at her, huffing as he turned around and disappeared in a beam of light.

Sophie frowned, shaking her head before looking over at Fiona. "… What exactly happened Sophia?" Fiona sighed.

"I-it's nothing," she chuckled nervously, "what's today?"

"June 6th 1888, 2 o'clock –"

"Oh I was only gone for a half hour," Sophie grinned. "Well that's good."

"You shouldn't be running around so much," Fiona shook her head, "You'll pass out –"

"You see that's the point," she giggled. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine for now –"

"Sophie," they turned around to see a young angel boy about the size of herself walking to her. "T-there's still more I need to say –"

"Look for the last time I'm gone. Live with it!" Sophie huffed, "Go find someone else or better yet just leave me alone if you're going to be _clingy~_"

"I know that," Harry sighed, "but… there's still some stuff I'd like to show you." He held out his hand, Sophie rolling her eyes and setting her hand upon his. He smiled, gripping her hand tightly as he swung it back and forth. "The divine, angels and fallen angels I should say, are different than others. They are not looking for other souls, for our souls are whole and complete. Here let me show you." He held up their hands and gradually a bright red piece of string showed up on their pinky fingers. Sophie's string went around his own string before it circled around and disappeared out the door, while Harry's string attached to one pinky on his hand and eventually ended up attached to the other. "When your soul was split it became a part of someone else's body, thus the red string of fate. I assume you don't even remember how long ago I am talking about, huh?"

"No I should say not," she responded, looking at the string fascinated as she pulled on her end of the string slightly.

"Much more than a thousand years ago," Harry began, "at least five thousand years ago was your soul split into two separate parts. One became a woman that was born only a few years ago to take possession of the tainted soul, and the other was put to a use a few thousand years earlier. I will tell you this, I love you too Sophia, but I know you belong to another. I just miss the time we spent together… talking with each other and passing the time up in the heavens…"

"I see…" Sophie said, looking down at her string as she was still tangled with Harry, "but Haden you **must** move on. You lack companionship? Then go find it somewhere else; maybe with your own kind. That's all I can say on the matter."

"But –"

"I'd rather have it that you leave me alone and let me work everything out myself then meddle in my affairs," she told him, "and I want to die like every human on earth. I don't want to live forever unless I have a good reason to. That's not what I am… I'm human."

"… I knew you'd say that," he chuckled drying, "but I suppose you're right." Harry let go of her hand, the tangle around their red strings untangling as he took a few steps back and the threads began to disappear. "I'll miss you."

"So will I," Sophie smiled as she ran a hand down his cheek, "but don't worry. Once I am dead and gone you can come visit me in the land of the dead, alright?"

Harry nodded, looking down at the ground as he sighed to himself. "There is one small thing I'd like to do before I go," he asked.

"Sure," Sophie shrugged, giving Fiona a wave as she gave them a goodbye and left them to their own devises.

"I… I want to kiss you," Harry said as he slowly grabbed her hands again, "One last time before I'm gone for good… Please? I didn't get to kiss you back the last time."

Sophie blinked at him with confusion before she smiled, her crystal blue eyes beaming as her wings flapped once behind her. "I guess I shouldn't say no," she giggled, "since, Haden, you always give me butterflies in my stomach." Harry smiled back as he leaned his face into hers, wrapping his hands around her waist and pressing her lips on his own.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And that's where I stop for now. Wow Haden came back? Yeah it was a last minute idea, but it'll fit better once I get the next chapter why I did that. Plus I figured Sophie should go see heaven… or not really heaven… whatever. Anyways I've hoped you enjoy this. My finals are almost over! So I won't be as stressed out as I was last time. Well I'll see you later!**

Cherubim – from The First Triad, Choir 2; said to be: angels of Harmony & Wisdom, guard the light and the stars, channel positive energy from the divine, angels of boundless love/knowledge, can function as personal guards, guarding religious temples; guidance for: divine protection, knowledge, and wisdom

The Angels – from the Third Triad, Choir 3; said to be: messenger angels , nature angels, assigned to humans, such as guardian angels, involved in human and physical manifestation, channel from divinity to human, needing to be asked, will not always interfere, guardian angel can come from any level (communicating with all other angels); guidance for: transformation, death, birth, defense and protection

Marcus – Latin – from the god Mars

Malchediel – angel of courage – protects while inspiring enthusiasm for adventure

red string of fate – 'red thread of destiny'; an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the ankles of those that are destined to meet each other in a certain situation or help each other in a certain way. Often, in Japanese culture, it is thought to be tied around the little finger. According to Chinese legend, the deity in charge of "the red thread" is believed to be Yuè Xià Lǎo, often abbreviated to "Yuèlǎo), the old lunar matchmaker god who is also in charge of marriages. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place, or circumstances. This magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soul mates or a twin flame


	70. The Spouse Problems

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well here's another chapter! I'm in a good mood today so I figured I'd review something and post it. May review the next chapter and post it later, but we'll see *so happy for no reason whatsoever*. Plus hey I want to get this story going. I'm at least 10 chapters behind… again… so I need to catch up *mentally slaps self* as always ENJOY! =D**

!#$%^&*()

Jericho sighed, running a hand through his hair as he began walking through the shinigami building. He was tired, his trip to the Americas being less than thrilling. He could feel Sophie's presence growing stronger, so he turned the corner and took a side route through the building. He stopped and stood there, watching as two little angels kissed each other and the girl giggled happily. Wait. That looks like Sophie. She looked, happy? Without him?

"Thank you," the boy smiled, letting go of her hands as he took several steps backward, "I'll stay with you alright? A-and I won't bring up your past again."

"That's all I ask," the girl grinned back, "but I'd like to keep you by my side. Is that alright? A-as my guardian angel I mean –"

"I'd _love~_ to stay as your guardian," he grinned, "little Sophi-a…" The boy looked over, the girl turning and suddenly noticed Jericho. Jericho could only stand there, looking at the two angels as they stared back at him. A flood of panic washed over Sophie, wondering if he had seen more then he should have. "Well anyways I'm going to go," Harry said as a light showed up behind him, "goodbye."

"B-bye," Sophie waved, walking over to Jericho with haste as she felt a twinge of guilt in the pit of her stomach. "Wait Jericho this isn't what it looks like –"

"W-what is going on?" he asked. "Y-you're small and why are you… seeing other men?"

"Why no I'm not," she told him honestly, "he was a dear friend, but why are you accusing me of wrong doing? It was only a simple kiss –"

"Why?" he glared.

"H-he was the little boy that I… I had loved and had died," Sophie sighed, "but that's all over now. He only wanted closure and I gave it to him –"

"And your sense of closure is a kiss?" Jericho sneered.

"Now wait a minute!" Sophie huffed, "Why are you snapping at me! You left without telling me –"

"There was urgent business back in America –"

"But yet you couldn't at least give me a note or something?" she sneered back.

"Hey I'm not the one who wouldn't let anyone get into their office!" Jericho yelled. "… Look let's not talk about it anymore. I'd like to talk to you later –"

"Forget it," Sophie huffed.

"_Excuse~ me?_" Jericho narrowed his eyes.

"Forget it," she repeated herself as she crossed her arms over her chest. "I'll come to you if I feel like it. I'm not obligated to come to your beckoning call every single minute of every day. Plus look at me! I can't work! I'm not even in a god-damn body! So cut the crap Jericho! There's things I have to do –"

"Like kiss other men?" Jericho huffed.

"Don't patronize me!" she growled at him, her face beginning to turn red. "I don't do it all the time! _Unlike you~_. Let me guess, you slept with someone again didn't you? Perhaps Kristina or Joan? Or maybe you went back to Stephanie again so you can fuck **her** up like you did the last time."

"… I-I did not –"

"See you hesitated," she huffed, "so you're lying. You're worse about it then I am with my drinking and drug problems. Plus I can tell that you're lying to me. Your eyes give it away –"

"So what?" Jericho raised his voice. "It's not as if I **like** being stuck babysitting you every second of my life. You know how hard it is to keep you under control –"

"Oh and why do you have to do **that**?" Sophie sneered. "You know what, leave me alone. I need to go out again."

"W-wait now –"

"Shut up Jericho!" she yelled. "You know what, maybe they're all right. It's a bad idea to stay with you. You give me nothing **but** problems." Sophie turned for the door and canceled any sound she heard from him as he called out to her, opening the front door and slamming it behind her. She yelled as she walked, walking around with frustration in her eyes and punching several trees down in blind anger. She sighed, groaning as she pressed her hands into her face and slid down the trunk of the tree, pulling her knees up into her chest as she looked at the ground. Sophie grumbled. Now it was **her** fault their relationship was going down the drain. Could she just find **someone** to be around and have a relationship with? "Haden…" she frowned as she pressed her head into her knees. It had been _so~_ long, and yet she thought she was over him. Why was her heart aching when he kissed her? "Shit," she snarled. Sophie knew exactly why.

"Saw you get into a spat with Chuckles over there," came a voice walking towards her, Sophie looking up at glaring at the being as he loomed over her.

"What Robert?" she growled at him.

"Just thought I'd show up and see how you're doing," he shrugged, "and I see you're… what an angel? How disgusting."

Sophie sighed as she shook her head and looked to the ground. "Of course you would think that," she pouted, "of course… Is there something you'd like to say?" she huffed at him.

"They're right you know," he chuckled as he leaned against the trunk of the tree, "about the whole _red string _and all that. You know perfectly well that he's not the man for you, **woman**."

"So?" Sophie shrugged.

"Why bother –"

"I don't know!" she huffed. "I just… I like him alright and I don't want to be with some guy who thinks only about himself. I want to actually be loved, but not by someone who's dead or dying or can't be with me anymore. It's getting on my nerves! Haden just **had** to show up again! UGH! I don't care what you beings think! I just want to be human! –"

"Oh I remember that feeling," he sighed, "of trying to go back, be human, but sadly that's not how it works. You stay this way till something kills you, and _**you~**_ should know that better than anyone else."

"Yeah I know," she shook her head, "I know what you mean… but still. If you know me so well then you know how I feel about all this. That's why you were living on the outskirts right? Get away from all this… these beings walking around trying to mix their bloodline with yours. Isn't that right, Boss?"

"Of course," he grinned, "but why come back?"

"It's not the fame or glory," Sophie sighed, "but the companionship. Just… to lose everything because the council doesn't want me around. My home… my life. You know how I felt back in America. It just wasn't a place I wanted to stay. I don't care if the sun barely shines here… it's my home."

"Perhaps you should keep dirt in your shoes like I do," Robert chuckled, "it takes away from that homesick feeling."

"Heh," Sophie chuckled lightly back, "_Oh~_ I'll have to try that some time." She looked up, watching as he shifted his body off of the trunk of the tree and started to walk away. "By the way," she decided to ask, "why are you here anyways?"

"I know about the vampire problem," he told her, "and I care for the Engjëlls just as much as you."

"I figured," she shrugged, "but still, why are you here? It **can't** be just **that**."

"Fine," he sighed as he crouched down to her level and looked her in the eyes. Sophie looked at him suspiciously, noticing the wide grin growing on his face. "I have to go back to my home to prepare for a… _seasonal~_ celebration I have to do every century," he explained.

Sophie shook her head. "Don't stall. Please tell me what you're trying to say – UMPH!" her eyes widened as he suddenly grabbed the sides of her face, pulling her in a passionate kiss. She sat there stunned; petrified as she felt his sharp white canine teeth grace to bottom of her lips as he pulled away.

"My god," he chuckled as his bright red eyes shined into her frightened crystal blue eyes. "I can see why that Undertaker likes to keep you around. Just by a simple kiss… wow…" Sophie glared, pressing her hands against his chest in an attempt to push him away. "I know full well the men that are right for you," he chuckled lightly, "and I've bet you've seen the list: insignificant little boys who want to play grownup, men ten times your age and… and none of them called Jericho Shezmu."

"Your point?" she pouted.

He grinned, running a gentle finger over her cheek. "I have a proposition for you."

"_That is~?_ –"

"You need to be married **once** before you're ever going to be taken seriously around here," he told her, "and all you need in that one. Look at the Obki sisters. Both widowed, but yet one is the head of a division and in charge of many souls and the other is looking into… _other~_ affairs." Robert grinned before he chuckled lightly, "I know I'm not the first being to ask. You know what I'm going to say. Just hear this: every hundred years I consummate my marriage to another. The woman I had taken previously is allowed to turn back into the being she once was, if she wishes. That is the price. Those are my terms. Become my spouse and after a century you can be free to do as you wish, be as powerful and intimidating as you already are and perhaps even more."

"You're asking me to become your wife?" Sophie snuffed, "and how you'd do that? Biting my neck and drinking my blood I'm guessing. Well I'll tell you this: **Hell. N** –"

"Before you say no take a look at your options," he shrugged as he stood up. "Anyways I must get going."

"Y-you're leaving already?" she pouted.

"Of course," he grinned, "I already told you why. I'll see you at the parties. I _assume~_ you'll be going?"

"Kicking and screaming probably," she sighed as she stood up and brushed the leaves from her back.

"Then you can tell me your decision there," he chuckled, turning away and walking back to the shinigami realm. Sophie shook her head and sighed, running a hand through her hair as she thought to herself.

!#$%^&*()

"Hey dad," Sophie sighed as she walked into the mortuary as the sun began to go down, "how many guests came in today?"

"About six," Undertaker answered as he giggled into his sleeve and began to set his tools away, "but sadly only one was decapitated."

"Too bad," she chuckled as she closed the door behind her. "Sorry if I haven't been around –"

"I understand you've had a lot on your mind," he told her, "but now that you're here come sit! I saw what you've done with Alistair."

"Oh he's still coming by?" she smiled as she sat down on a closed coffin and watched as the man casually put his tools away. "You know I didn't even know if it would work," Sophie chuckled, "but I suppose it did."

"I see you're not in your body?" he questioned her. "What happened so far?"

"Well let's see…" Sophie poked her chin. "Tried a spell from a book and hoped Alistair would live, and when that happened my soul was separated from my body because of the energy I used. So that other soul is controlling my body, but all it's doing is lazily walking around in the woods and watching the sky. Then I find these passages under the shinigami realm, which apparently I've been to before, and before I know it I was transported to the angelic realm. Then I find out that Haden is actually Harold and Marc, you know that guy I knew when I was a human, is an angel too. So there you go! Then I'm transported back here, Haden kisses me one last time, and Jericho shows up after being gone and didn't even tell me and we got into a fight and –"

"_ah~ah~_AH," he stopped her as he placed a finger against her lips. "Now, now, don't get hysterical."

Sophie sighed, shaking her head as she leaned forward for a hug. "Yeah well… I-I'm just tired okay? A lot is on my mind I suppose and I want to get back in my body already and get back to reaping people! –" She paused as he giggled, wrapping his arms around her waist and picking her off of the coffin.

"You're so little," Undertaker continued to giggle. "_My~_… I wonder if this is what your soul really looks like. I wonder why…"

"Talking to yourself?" Sophie rolled her eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck and buried her head onto his shoulder. She sighed happily, the smell of mahogany and decay filling her nose as she sniffed in his scent. Gliding past the candles and blowing them out, the Undertaker walked down the hallway and into the living room, setting the little girl down on the couch as he went over to a large wooden coffin and opened it. "W-why are we –"

"I figured you'd like to sleep in here," he chuckled, "since the last time we could was when you were eleven. Well? You said you were tired _right~?_" Sophie smiled, dropping her black cloak on the couch as she walked over to the older man and grasped his hand. He smiled down at her and squeezed back, taking off his hat and robe before climbing into the coffin with Sophie trailing behind him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her close, the little girl sighing contently as her head was pressed firmly into his chest. Sophie smiled and giggled lightly to herself, sighing again as he slowly ran his long black nails through her auburn hair.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie hummed as she washed the dishes, hearing the door open in the main room as another customer walked in. "Hello Mr. Undertaker," came a strong male voice, the little girl raising her head as he heard him speak, "I was wondering if you were done with the coffin."

"_Awe~_ Robert Maximilian," she heard the Undertaker answer, Sophie setting the pot she had in her hand in the sink and sneaked down the hallway to the curtain. "It's right over there," he pointed to a large black coffin lying in the corner, "though if you hadn't _insisted~_ on keeping this mangled coffin, I would have made a _new~ one_ for you."

"I've had it for so long I couldn't _possibly~ _part with it," he chuckled. "Anyways thank you Mr. Undertaker," Robert bowed as he looked up with an equal grimacing grin, "Now there was _always~_ something I wanted to ask you."

"_Yess~ Mr. Maximilian_," Undertaker snickered at him.

"Yes well," Robert shook his head before looking at him with a red tint in his eyes. "I wanted to ask you something about your daugh –"

"If it concerns Miss Serbus than ask her yourself," Undertaker told him, his tone of voice less cherry than normal. "Sophia is the one who decides who she'll be with, not me. I'm merely a… benefactor –"

"That may be true," Robert interrupted him, "but you are one of the only ones who can convince her to marry. You know how this world works. Men are seen as the enemy and women are seen as an opportunity. Nothing more and nothing less, and the same is true with the Serbus woman over there."

"… I know perfectly well," Undertaker answered, "but you must **not** know Sophia as much as you think if you assume you'd have to go through me to get to her. She's _**your~**_ enemy then your _opportunity~_ and the sooner you recognize that the better you and your species will be. I know full well you were her superior in the Americas, _demon~_, and whatever she may have told you, I can be **very** cross if you're trying to take advantage of her. Understood?"

"Understood," Robert narrowed his eyes, "but its **vampire** Mr. Undertaker, not demon, and I don't quite care for your tone –"

"Then get used to it," Undertaker stared back at him behind a wide victorious smile, "because if you're going to threaten me or my little maiden you'll be wiped from this earth –"

"You know I'd rather not have two men fighting over me," Sophie said confidently as she pushed back the curtain and walked into the room glaring up at Robert. "_Opportunity~?_ That's how you've seen me? All this time and trust and you still think of me as a child you can use, huh."

"… But it's true –"

"Screw that!" Sophie yelled. "You don't take me seriously because I'm a woman! That's it, isn't it? I was right. Jericho may be weak compared to the rest of you and has flaws, but I don't care. You **know** me Boss. I can fend for myself. Perhaps we got into a fight and yes maybe we break up, but I'll still find a man, even if it's not Jericho, who sees me as me, not because I can bring him power. I will wait for centuries and longer until that happens, and trust me Robert when I say this, even if I never marry I will never see myself as a price to be won. I am **not**. I am your enemy. I am your foe. I only give you sympathy because you were my boss and mentor. If you don't want to be a comrade then fine, but as my father had done then I'll start destroying your species till they are nothing but ash. I'm sick of you nobles thinking that the highest bidder gets the price. That's not how it works. **I** choose the price and if you all disagree then so be it. You'll be my enemy. Now leave Maximilian and take that coffin with you, or else I'll vaporize you where you stand."

"Heh," Robert chuckled as a grin showed up on his face, "I see that's your answer… You can't blame me for trying and your right that I want to be your comrade. You're a different sort of woman Sophia, I'll give you that."

"Fine," Sophie huffed as she grabbed the black cowboy hat that was handing on the coat rack, "but… if you think that a simple marriage will solve your problems then think again. You have to gain my trust… but so far you're starting to break that small thread of trust we've made and I'll be honest, you're pissing me off." Then she threw the hat at him, the man catching it in his hand before it hit him in the face. "Leave me alone on this stupid matter. I will **not** marry you. Find someone else for your consummation, and once you're done with that maybe we'll talk. Now go."

"… I see…" Robert nodded as he looked back at the hat and chuckled slightly. "You know, Miss Serbus, I found this off of a dead man. Funny how that works right?" He smiled, walking over to her and placing the hat back on her head, "I'm sorry if I insulted you. I really am. Please take back the hat as a sign of my loyalty and our alliance. I promise on my bloodline that I won't ask for your hand anymore."

"… Fine," Sophie huffed again as she grabbed the hat and fixed it on her head, "but still I want you to go. You have to find someone correct?"

"Yes Serbus," he grinned as he grabbed his coffin and began to pull it out the door with one hand. "Perhaps you are not a price, but you are a merciful foe. I am sorry for my insolence Sophia, Undertaker, I'll take my leave. See you at the festivities."

"Bye Boss," she waved to him slightly, watching as the man left the door and didn't move for the door till he had gone. Sophie grumbled under her breath as she took the hat off of her head and put it on the rack, sighing as she watched him leave and shook her head. "Sorry about that," she huffed as she saw him set the coffin in a carriage and set off down the street, "but I wouldn't think he'd do something as stupid as **that**. Annoying mosquito." Sophie looked over at the Undertaker, watching as he turned and silently went back to work. "P-please don't tell me there were more times **this** has happened?"

"Several times my little maiden," he answered her as he picked up a pallet of color and a brush, "but nothing I can't handle. Go right ahead and go back to sleep. I'll be done in another hour."

"O-okay," she sighed as she walked back over to the curtain before looking into the room. "Ummm… t-then thank you for defending me," she smiled at him, her grin growing wider as he looked over at her, "and I should have known you would defend me… b-but still. Thank you, for everything Undertaker." Sophie closed the curtain behind her and walked down the hallway, leaving the half finished dishes in the sink as she walked into the bedroom and slowly sat upon the bed.

)(*&^%$#!

By the time the Undertaker was done with his work he wandered down the hallway into the bedroom, noticing that Sophie was still sitting on the edge of the bed staring down at the floor. He chuckled as he slipped off his hat, setting them to the side as he moseyed to her side and sat next to her on the bed. "_Now~_ –"

"I was wondering about something," Sophie interrupted him before he could continue, shifting away from his touch as she sighed and looked up and over at him. "So all this time, when I've been in America, there's been men knocking on my door asking for my hand?"

"Women too," he grinned before he sighed and ran a hand through his long silver hair. "If you're wondering what I tell them is what I told Maximilian, it's your choice not mine. I don't like getting involved in those affairs. Very troublesome."

"… Heh eh," she chuckled lightly before shifting over to him and grabbing the man in a tight hug. "You don't know how much that means to me for you to say that," Sophie giggled, burying her head into his chest and pushing herself onto his lap.

"You must have had a lot of exciting adventures to be saying that," he grinned. Undertaker smirked as she clung to his coat, refusing to let him go. "Here now," he said in a softer voice, "let's go to sleep." Sophie groaned as she was set down on the pillow, the older man pulling up the blankets and wrapping her around them. "Better?"

"Better," Sophie sighed. "Sorry about this –"

"It's your home anyways," he chuckled lightly. "I'm only keeping everything up and running."

"Yes, I can see that by how there's cobwebs all over the place," she pouted. The two of them laughed before they sighed at the same time, the Undertaker slipping under the blankets and pulling her close to his chest. "… You know what I always wish for?"

"What?" he yawned politely in his sleeve.

"That for once in my life I could just unwind and not have to worry about anything… like before father died." Undertaker paused, brushing a comforting hand over her hair and pulling her close to his chest.

"Don't worry," he chuckled as he brushed through her hair, "you'll get to do that soon… I bet you."

"Bet me?" Sophie looked up at him and smirked. "How much?"

"_Well~_… how about this?" he leaned his face into hers and cooed. "You give me that perfume you got from Jericho if I'm right."

"And if _**I'm~**_ right?" Sophie huffed.

"What would you like?" he grinned.

"Ummmm…" she thought, "H-how about I think about it?" She grinned back at him, running a hand through his bangs so she could see into his eyes. "Now you're right… we should sleep. Good night."

"_Good night~_" he answered, causing Sophie to giggle before she sighed and closed her eyes, cuddling up close to him as they heard an owl hoot outside the window in the cemetery.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Heh. Figured you guys would like that first part. Just saying (since I don't really like Jericho in the first place and have no real ideas for him anyways. Might as well cut him out for a while (but sadly he'll come back X3)). And now what do you think? My goodness Sophie has a lot of soul-searching doesn't she? Doesn't seem to care much about a spouse though. I wonder if that'll be better for her in the long run (and remember the Victorian Age is a completely different age then the 21st century. Just realize that =3) And now I think I'll take a nap or write. Whatever. SEE YOU LATER!**

Robert – Germanic – bright fame


	71. OC OVERVIEW II

**A/N: Well I figure it's about time for a new review, so here's the OCs listed from the latest chapters. I took some characters out that I'm sure weren't mentioned in the chapters. If you remember an OC that you don't see here or an OC that wasn't described and should be taken out, then tell me! Then I'll change it for you ^^ Yeah… I tend to not count the supernatural beings like Michael and the Leviathan as OCs. I just write them in a style I'd like. It may be a while till I'm done and I still have a bunch of arcs to go through. How tiresome! DX**

**I can still take OC requests if anyone else has them. My problem is fitting them into the story… that's the only trouble I have =3 Hopefully more will be revealed later for these reviews in the future. As always I hope you enjoyed this story so far. Likes? Dislikes? It'd be nice to know ^^ Just for the next time I write a story and of course the chapters I go into after this one (my god this is getting long DX)**

!#$%^&*()

Sophia "Sophie" Maurus Ioreta Serbus "White Swan" "The Dark Rider" "Hehewuti" "Wihakayda" "Athena Ernest" – 17 – long-wavy auburn hair and crystal blue eyes (green on inside) – November 25, 1852 – April 23, 1870 – crimson red/black marking on left hand (skull with thorns)

Centurion Maurus "The Dark Centurion" Serbus– Sophie's father – legendary reaper (deceased) – short maroon hair, green pupils and yellow-green irises

Baroness Ellen "Elle" Ioreta – Sophie's mother (deceased) – brunette hair, blue eyes

Marius Ellen Ioreta Serbus – Sophie's older brother, loves Margaret – 4 years older, 21 (unborn baby) – short auburn hair and pure crystal blue eyes

Ahelie "Ahe" – black demon cat – affectionate to Sophia – sapphire/golden eyes – 3 forms: cute black kitty, panther, large demon cat – breathe black smoke

Nocona "Noco" – red-tailed hawk – Sophie's carrier bird

Alexander "Alex Agon" Engjëll –Veronica's husband, Sophie's best friend – half breed, demon/reaper – shaggy/straight dark brown hair, cut short, no double iris (eyes green, but can turn red in demon form) – brown fox

Veronica "Rosa" Roza Afanasei Agon Engjëll – Alexander's wife, Sophie's best friend – shinigami – white sun burnt porcelain skin, light blonde hair, silver/shinigami green eyes (double iris) – comes from Russia

Alistair "Al" Alexander Agon Engjëll – Alexander and Veronica's son – oldest – had Thorns of Death – short dirty blonde hair, shinigami green eyes (double iris) – 9 yrs old

Sasha Veronica Agon Engjëll – Alexander and Veronica's daughter – youngest – long wavy brunette hair, gray/shinigami green eyes (no double iris) – 8 yrs old (one and a half years apart) – light brown fox

Margaret "Maggie" Skyler – Sophie's roommate, loves Marius – slightly short blonde hair

Fiona "The Silver Dove" Obki –long dark-brunette hair – three-pronged fork made of iron

Chloe Obki – green one-iris eyes, short blue and black hair (actually her hair is dark-brunette) – three-pronged fork made of iron, dark blue and black

Jericho "Gray Jay" "Serkan" Shezmu "Black Blood" – shinigami – loves Sophie – North American Director of the East – shaggy dark lavender gray hair with black streaks, hazel eyes – from Ottoman Empire, tenth child, 338 BC Parthian Empire – weapons: kilij sword, broadaxe

Julia Shezmu – demon – Alexander's friend, grew up with – long forest green hair (hair gains strip of black in demon form), hazel eyes (eyes turn red in demon form) – human skulls around waist like belt

Shezmu – Julia and Jericho's father – demon – black rose hair, gray eyes (red eyes)

Benjamin "Ben" Herman – shinigami (time traveler) – youngest of four siblings – suffers from Thorns of Death – short, light, curly brunette hair (blonde streaks)

Lewis Herman – shinigami (time traveler) – second oldest brother – styled brunette hair, bangs part to right side of face

Theodora "Dora" Herman – shinigami (time traveler) – older then Ben but younger then Lewis – light brunette hair

Wilhelm "Willis" Herman – shinigami (time traveler) – oldest brother – from WWII era (missing) – dark brunette hair

Jennifer "Jenny" League – shinigami – transferred from the American Division, works in Dispatch – long blonde hair – likes to wear clean colors, such as grey and white; always wears a hair bow

Annalise Rires – half shinigami half devil – long bloody neon red hair that goes down to her waist and silver-neon green eyes. Tan skin and a shapely figure – younger sister, Lynnette Rires – 'street urchin' – everything neon, even death scythe – silver sword (human skull naturally carved at the hilt. Blade mid-devil long sword with a thorn pattern all over it – when reaping, sees songs and sees ribbon of the color of soul's aura instead of cinematic records – came from French Division

Robert "Rob" Maximilian – Sophie's old supervisor in New Mexico Territory – gave black hat – death scythe: Hori-hori knife and standard American gun – messy short raven hair and dark brown eyes (turns red as a demon)

Inaya "Aya" – Briana's granddaughter (deceased-killed at age 17) – long -wavy burgundy hair, sea green eyes

Briana – wife of Death (deceased) – small tan body with long silver hair and crystal blue eyes

Death – dressed in a white robe with a black hooded cape over his face – solid dark black hair and crystal emerald eyes – owns black horse (bright blue eyes)

Paul "Osmund" Raimondas – God of Death – youngest out of thirteen siblings, short and messy almond hair – light blue soul

Samuel Mimiteh – God of Death – reaper-in-training – a student of Sophie's back in America – graduating from the academy in the year 1888

Sheldon Beelzebub Shemal – demon – God of Death – takes demon souls to underworld

Oba "Guardian" "Gilbert Hadwin Helling or Gilbert H. Helling" – soul trapped in Sophie's black haze – first born prince of Egypt – soft, short black hair, brown eyes – comes back as a shinigami at the London Division

Hathor "Heather" – soul trapped in Sophie's black haze – first born girl – priestess-in-training to the house of Horus – phoenix – comes back as Oba's pet large, dark brown golden eagle, but still has phoenix powers

Harold "Harry" "Haden" Zerachiel Hariel – Sophie's guardian angel/was a cherubim – works under Gabriel and used his soul to become a human when Sophie was a child – black hair, gold eyes – white wings

Jamal Kafziel Janiel – angel (deceased) – Sophie's superior – evil angel

Marcus "Marc" Michael Malchediel – angel – famous human dancer, The Juvéniles of Dance

Uncle Dominic "Nic" Ioreta – Sophie's uncle, older brother of Ellen, blue eyes

Dorren "The Apep" "The Serpent" Apbolos – demon snake – amethyst/yellow eyes, short black hair, ends wavy and messy, bangs come over eyes – white serpent/dragon

"The Earthborn" – supposedly a shinigami in the council – trying to kill Gods of Death

Tristan Niles – new head of the Paranormal Operations the West Director of North America

Aponivi "Nivi" – best friend from Hopi tribe in New Mexico

Waya – wolf spirit – Sophie's spiritual guide – blonde/gray hair, bright yellow eyes

Fillin – alpha demon wolf (Liulfr pack) – messy light blonde/gray hair, bright yellow eyes

Maya Boris – demon – Julia's friend

Jenna Peterson – Sophie's doctor

Henry Lorelei– shinigami – council – Welsh

Patrick "Pat" McClelland – God of Death – was a supporter/friend of the Earthborn, now against him – lives in outskirts of Siberia or Russia

Viktor Czernobog – Russian vampire – says he owns Veronica

Chaz Hoover – Sophie's old bully at the academy – slicked brunette hair, cut short – human

Edward Rein – from British Columbia – came looking for missing heart – God of Death, 16th son

Sandra Ari – God of Death – eldest daughter

Nicole Ari – God of Death – youngest daughter


	72. The Decline

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Now after that OC overview I figured I'd post up another chapter =3 (since it's not fair for me to end today with an overview) Now to create more chaos! BWAHAHAHA XD… enjoy =3**

!#$%^&*()

Slowly eyes began to open, a soft groan being heard as the bright sun began to shine through the treetops onto the young maiden's face. Sophie groaned, flopping an arm over her face until she noticed something. "W-where…" she thought, looking at her hand and poking her palm to make sure she was real. Yep, she smiled; she must be back in her own body now. Sophie let out a loud sigh of relief, staggering to her feet and brushing the leaves off of her clothes and from her hair. "I guess rest is the key," she grinned as she wrapped her coat closer to her body, feeling a grumbling in her stomach as she stumbled forward. "Someone needs to learn to eat," she huffed, looking around for food as she rubbed her eyes. A smirk came to her lips once she spotted what she was looking for, quickly climbing up a tree till she got to the top. Reaching over she grabbed an apple, leaning back against the trunk and greedily munching on the apple till it was almost gone. She chuckled slightly, realizing how this must be how a hungry demon feels when they're deprived of food for too long. She threw the core behind her and grabbed another apple, munching apple after apple till her stomach felt better. Then Sophie groaned as she rubbed her sore stomach, the last apple falling onto the ground as she yawned and stretched. "I assume you had fun?" Sophie sighed as she began to talk to herself again, "Well that's alright. As long as you stayed in the forest and wasn't tormenting anyone… what I mean is having – yeah. There you go." She giggled as she slid down and jumped to the ground, landing with a _**'thud'**_ as she smashed a few of the apple cores under her boots.

With a smile and a bounce in her step she walked around till she came upon a small gate lining the boundary of the cemetery, the outskirts of the cemetery infested with branches and trees growing around the tombstones. When she was younger Thomas would have her go out with him and trim down the branches so visitors could come up and see the graves, but since no one pays to have them maintained anymore Sophie supposed no one cared if the trees were groomed and the place kept. Thus it's become an old graveyard where only the bravest of the brave would venture in hopes of getting scared. She wondered if Undertaker knew this place was here, but he probably did. After all he should have the map of the entire plot of land. Every mortician did if they were maintaining a cemetery, since that's what Thomas told her. She stood and marveled at the tombstones, all of them in desperate need of repair, but several not as bad as it could have been over the years. She always loved the large statues that she would come across, the rich paying for grandeur of their deceased's funerals. There was one grave she wanted to see because she always loved the statue, making her way towards the other end on a flat top of the cemetery.

Once she got there Sophie had to gasp, a smile on her face as she looked at the size. For one, this particular statue was taller than the rest, towering over them as a grave marker in the middle of the abandon cemetery. It was the statue of a large weeping angel, hands over its face with large wings wrapped around its arms. It had a large cloak draped over its head and around its body, symbolizing that death is weeping for the fallen person. It had a wreath in its hand and a scythe in the other, a symbol over the person's victory over death. There were other symbols at the foundation of the statue, which Sophie decided were words, and then the person's name. "Iya us eim," was all she could make out. Below that was a man, or perhaps a woman, riding upon a horse with its front legs raised. They were holding arrows and a sword, showing that they had died in battle. Garland with roses, lilies, and tulips intertwined around the stone, much of the other images faded, but a few could still be seen. She could see several butterflies, but everything else was faded away. She did see part of a menorah, showing that the deceased must have been a righteous Hebrew woman. Also there was a part of a boat, showing the soul had crossed over to the other side. What she always found fascinating was that she always found five flowers on the grave and seven at the foot of the angel's feet. The types of flowers always changed, but when Sophie was coming here constantly she noticed that they were there every week, sometimes every other week. The old flowers were always taken away by someone and replaced with new flowers, so as a child she figured that the person who was still in mourning would come by in the middle of the night. Sadly she never got to see that person. There were times when she'd stay up all night in the exact spot she was kneeling at waiting for the mourner to come by, but no one would come.

Sophie lifted her hand and her black haze spun around her fingers, appearing a rose, lily, and tulip in the palm of her hand. She also summoned one of her own favorites, a forget me not flower. She took out a small black ribbon from her pocket and tied it around the four flowers, setting them aside among the others as a token of her respect. She may have never known the person who had died here, but as a person who walks among the dead daily and was always a mortician at heart she figured she'd pay her respects even if she had never truly known them. Besides the person who comes by probably appreciates the flowers, since they tend to disappear too when the flowers are replaced. Sophie always wondered what the person did with them, but she supposed that would have to be a meddling she could save for another day. She noticed that the flowers this time was white, but some of them were full grown roses and the others were rosebuds. She plucked one of the petals from the full grown rose to get rid of the decay, a smile of her face as she felt the smooth surface of the petals. She sighed as she got up and bid her companion adieu, making her way to the mortuary in a beeline till she walked in the back door and set her stuff aside. "Hey Undertaker," she called as she walked into the door and took off her boots, "I'm back in my body! Isn't that great?"

"_Perfect~ little maiden_," she heard giggling from the main room.

"Yeah, well I'm going to take a shower," Sophie told him as she slipped off her coat and threw it onto the bed, "and then I'll get back to work. I probably have a pile of forms to sign now… great."

"I suppose you would," he answered, "but if you come across any problems do come back. I can help you if you'd like."

"Thanks, but I can handle it," she chuckled as she came close to the bathroom and grabbed the door. "Alistair coming by again?"

"He may," Undertaker told her, "but sometimes he doesn't."

"That's alright I suppose," Sophie shrugged, "but if someone comes through the door tell me who they were. I'm _always~ curious_."

"Of course," he giggled, hearing the door slam followed by the water running into the bath tub.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie sighed, pulling the towel close to her body as she picked up her clothes and walked into the bedroom. She discarded the muddy, disgusting clothes on the floor next to her footlocker and rummaged through its contents, throwing clean clothes on the bed beside her. Happy with her selection she slipped off her towel and ran her wet hair through the towel, throwing it to the side as she slipped on her clothes. As she slipped on her pants talons wrapped around her, Sophie letting out a frightened yell as she was grabbed from behind and pulled into the chest behind her. "Dad!" she yelped, giggling as he tickled her sides and giggled back at her reaction.

Undertaker grinned as they shifted backward onto the bed, Sophie rolling off of him and holding her sides. He continued to giggle as he forced her hands away to tickle her sides as she yelled and laughed loudly, enough to shake the building in a mini earthquake. "_Found you~_" he grinned at her, restraining Sophie's hands above her head as his head leered into her face.

"Yes well –" she stopped as he used his other hand to tickle her again, Sophie squirming and trying to get away as he sat on her legs to stop her. Eventually she was completely restrained from moving, huffing and puffing as she looked up at him and glared. Undertaker leaned into her face and licked her cheek, Sophie yelping as she turned her head away. "Agh! What are you doing?"

"I figured I'd scare you a little," he chuckled and poked her nose, "since you always seem to be off running about and don't spend any time here anymore."

"… Don't tell me this is about what Robert said," Sophie sighed.

"Not just **that**," he snickered, pressing his head into her neck and blowing on a sensitive part of muscle and causing Sophie to shudder, "but for _all~_ of it. I think you owe me."

"Think or know?" Sophie huffed.

She shuddered as he swiftly licked down her neck to her collar bone, whimpering as his teeth trailed over her collar. "Know," he knowingly answered, biting down hard on her neck and drawing blood. Sophie gasped and tried to shift away, panting as she felt herself being smothered by the man's touches.

"You know he was a vampire didn't you?" Sophie sighed as his mouth left her neck and he looked over her. "Maybe I should have told you –"

"I already knew," he grinned as he leaned into her ear, "and besides you'll be going again and leaving me alone. I should mark you a little, right?"

Sophie nodded as she closed her eyes and submitted herself to the Undertaker, laying limp in his hands as he let go of her wrists and trailed his hands down her body. He stopped on her stomach, Sophie opening her eyes bewildered as he looked up and waiting for her to notice. "W-why do you always stop here?" she frowned, shuddering as he licked her stomach and set his head down on her belly.

He lifted her back and wrapped his arms under her, staying silent as Sophie looked down at him confused. Undertaker coughed once he noticed he had spaced out, lifting his head and looking up at her with a content smile. "It's about time you get back to work," he solemnly said, Sophie stopping him as he began to stand by wrapping her arms around his neck and kept him hovering over her.

"D-don't go till someone opens the door," Sophie responded quietly, her hands trailing over his shoulders and down his chest. "Don't go… j-just yet…" He smiled as he set his head back down on her chest and wrapped his hands around her body, the both of them smiling widely as they closed their eyes and lay on the bed, refusing to let go of each other as they listened to the other's breath.

"Undertaker?" they heard from the main room as the door opened sooner than expected, a tired sigh escaping the Undertaker's voice as he reluctantly let her go and sat up.

"It seems that young Earl needs some assistance," he snickered, ignoring the boy's call again as he looked at Sophie. She was still panting heavily as sweat trailed down her body, her face flushed and her cheeks bright red. Undertaker smiled, giving her a peck on the lips as she sighed against his own. "Be careful little maiden," he whispered to her, Sophie looking over as he left and closed the door behind him as he walked away.

Sophie frowned as she sat up and ran a hand through her hair, stretching as she quickly slipped her white shirt on and the vestment with a red and white tie. She slipped her coat on, looking at the mirror as she brushed through her hair and made sure everything was in order. "W-what does he mean by that?" Sophie asked herself, grabbing her things and scurrying out of the bedroom and through the back door before the mortician could notice she vanished.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

"Yeah there was a nymph walking around in the forest the other day with a large black coat on –"

"Ronald dear, that was probably me," Sophie chuckled, interrupting him in his little story as she walked up the stairs and over to her cubical.

"How?" Ronald huffed as he plopped in his chair. "You didn't look like her, or I should say, you don't hold the same presence as she did –"

"But was she wearing **this** coat?" Sophie asked as she turned as the coat fluttered behind her. "Then it was me," she grinned as she sat down, Alan turning in his desk once he noticed that Sophie had showed up.

"So I heard that Alistair was cured," Alan decided to ask, "h-how?"

"Oh?" Sophie shrugged as she sat back in her chair and thought. "Well it was all my fault really. I used all my energy to heal him, but when I did I released _so much~_ energy that my soul slipped out of my body and my soul was flying up to heaven. Funny thing was when Alistair yelled at me. If he hadn't I would have never came back. I bet you that would have killed a weaker being if they tried that."

"What?" Eric responded as he turned in his chair, his mouth full of food. "Soul? What?"

"If you don't believe me than fine," Sophie shrugged, "but that's really all that needs to be said. That's what happened."

"So if someone –"

"Alan don't even think about it," Sophie sighed. "I was able to do it because of my powers, and even if someone else was strong enough to do that who knows what would happen. I doubt they would be as lucky as I was. I reacted and that was the result, nothing more and nothing less. Now if you want to talk about it, talk to Alistair, not me. I don't even know what I did…"

"… Then how did you figure out that could happen?" Alan asked.

"Reading," Sophie grinned as she shuffled through the stacks of papers on her desk and organized them for her own convenience, "books. I read it out of an old book, but even then it was hard to find the information. Now I need to get going. There's a bunch of paperwork I have to apparently go through because of my absence… again."

"R-ight," Alan answered, Sophie getting up and walking back to the stairs, beginning her decent back up to her office.

Eric and Ronald looked at each other, Ronald shrugging as he turned around and decided to get ready on his work. "… Is there something you need to tell me Alan?" Eric decided to ask.

"Oh no Mr. Slingby," Alan smiled, "not at all." Alan turned back to his desk to look like he was working, Eric sighing as he turned around and began his own work. He knew in the back of his mind Alan wasn't telling him something and he would use everything in his power to find out what it was.

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sighed, slamming her hand against the wall as Alex stared at her waiting for her answer. "So he left again?" Sophie huffed. "That jerk. He doesn't even tell me! How can I talk to him and fix everything if he won't at least tell me he's leaving?"

"I don't know," Alex sighed, "but stop worrying about it. There are better things to do with your life then spend your time thinking _what ifs~_. Now I tried doing some of your work, but Mr. Tyrant wouldn't let me work on your basic field and paperwork so you'll have to do all that yourself to get caught up."

"Yeah fine," Sophie answered, sighing as she ran a hand through her hair and placed her hat back on top of her head. "This always happens. I end up having to miss days and end up with a pile of work. Not only that, but it's taken out of my off days. Why is all this happening **now**?" she pouted.

"I don't know," Alex shrugged, "fate?"

"I don't believe in that hubbub," Sophie huffed. "Fate or destiny it has nothing to do with me… it just seems that trouble likes to find me or something."

"Yep," Alex responded, Sophie rolling her eyes as she looked to a nearby window.

"So how is Alistair?" she decided to ask as she looked out to the city of London.

"Never better!" he grinned. "But he won't stop going to your father's place to work. Even though I tell him he **has** to learn how to fight now that we know he's going to live longer than a few days."

"He knows," Sophie shrugged, "but doesn't want to show off. He's actually better than his sister before the incident. Alistair would rather take everything slow, that's all. Besides there are different parts to death you know."

"No I actually don't," Alex pouted. "What's that?"

"When the body stops functioning, when the body is sent into its grave, and the last is when the person's name is thought and spoken of for the very last time. Alistair just likes the celebration aspect of death, when a body is sent to its grave." Sophie smiled, patting Alex on the shoulder as she decided to head back downstairs. "Don't worry about it. He's still a shinigami if he's a funeral director. Just tell him that his Тетушка says that he should also learn to fight. It may not be relevant for being a mortician, but knowing how to fight and getting a death scythe will be a great protection against any predators," she sighed, "I should head back to work. If Mr. Tyrant is making me work so much I'd better get started."

"Okay," Alex smiled and waved to her, "I-I'll keep that in mind." Sophie smiled back as she made her way to the railing and began her descent down the stairs.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie hummed as she finished the last of the souls on her list, wiping the blood from her face as she walked down the hallway and up the stairs. "_My~_ what a _beautiful~_ shade of red you have on Sophie," she heard from behind, smiling once she noticed the shinigami walking up the stairs behind her.

"Thank you," she chuckled as she continued to wipe the blood off and put the rag away under her coat, "but you should see me when I'm having _fun~_. Then you'll be in trouble."

"_I assume so~_" he grinned, Sophie waiting for Grell as he made his way beside her before she continued up the stairs.

"S-so how are you –"

"No I'm the one who should ask you that," Grell huffed before grasping her shoulders and looking into her eyes with concern. "Sophie… you've been through a lot in a short amount of time. Does this happen often for you?"

"Yes," Sophie grinned happily, "why? Thought it doesn't? I expect something to happen at least once a month, and if it doesn't than I feel empty inside."

Grell chuckled at the pout on her face, pinching her cheek and skipping up the stairs. "If it's normal for you than I don't mind. Just be careful."

"I am," Sophie grumbled as she rubbed her cheek, dashing after him as he made his way to the E level. "Though I know everything isn't answered, and heck I doubt it'll all be answered in my lifetime. Just as long as everything gets done I suppose… how's work?"

"Same old –"

"With Angelina, Grell," Sophie chuckled. "How's everything with her?"

"We miss you," Grell shrugged, "but we know you're busy. Just… well I've had problems."

"Like what?" she decided to ask.

"William!" Grell huffed as they stopped onto the E level and he pointed down the hallway to his office. "He won't cut me a break –"

"Sadly there's souls to be reaped Grell," Sophie shrugged.

"Yes," he sighed, "but that's not it either. There's more… I-I don't know. After that incident with the babe I can't think straight, you know?"

"Alright," Sophie nodded, "but regardless I hope you can figure everything out. There's not much I can do if I don't know the details."

"… I know," he sighed again, giving her a glance as he walked over to his desk and set his stuff down. "… b-but even if you can't help it's nice to have you around. I hope you never change."

"Oh?" Sophie tilted her head and gave him a grin. "Change? I don't see that happening anytime soon," she chuckled. "Well, keep up with the mindless work I suppose. I want to get everything done by the time I have to leave today, so I'll see you later."

"Bye," Grell waved, giving her a grin as she grabbed forms from her desk and brought them with her back to the stairs. As Sophie walked up the stairs his eyes slowly grew cold, looking to the ground with a twinge of anger in his eyes as he turned around and walked over to his desk.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie had been up most of the night, the sky getting cloudy as the rain began to come back to London. By the time she had finished everything Sophie had a few more hours till everyone would be coming back, so she figured she'd walk around the realm till everyone came by. She knew from memory that only a few people would stay up this late, usually the directors finishing work that had been held up because of one shinigami or another. They usually made their schedules differently, sleeping in a few more hours to compensate for staying up an extra few. She decided to take this time to go to the cafeteria and eat, the other soul not having eaten while she was separated from her body and now giving her a reason to eat anything and everything she came across. She brought up a large stack of food, mostly sugar, and a cup of coffee to drink so she wouldn't pass out this upcoming day. The whole time she walked she felt that something was watching her from afar, but gave it no notice as she sat down in the lobby to eat her food away from the office. She hummed as she ate, her voice echoing down the gray hallways in an eerie way.

As she came close to finishing her food she felt something calling to her in her head, causing her to set down her food cautiously and walk out into the rain. She sighed, looking up to the sky as the rain fell upon her face and got her clothes wet. Everything was solemn till she heard another voice suddenly calling for her again. "W-wha?" Sophie looked around, hearing the voice inside her head, but also more growing all around her. "You… it's not you is it?... No that's not the other soul. So what is it – UGH!" Sophie groaned, grabbing her head as she heard the voices growing louder. It wasn't just voices, but a type of chant that was going on inside of her head. She didn't know what was going on, but a part of her was becoming afraid as she felt that the chant was trying to call upon the other soul that was trapped within her body. "Ugh…"

"Sophia?" she heard from a voice behind her, Sophie looking over to see Fiona walking over to her with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay?"

"N-no," Sophie panted as she slumped over to the ground with one hand held to her head and the other pressed into the mud. "I-I'm h-ereing voices."

"Voices?" Fiona thought, kneeling by her side and helping her off of the ground, "Don't listen to those voices Serbus. You'll get into trouble if you do."

"Yes b-but it's so loud!" Sophie panted as she grabbed Fiona's arm to support herself. "It's calling me! Telling me to go and help!"

"Well don't," Fiona huffed. "Let the voices go away and nothing will happen. Alright?" Sophie only look up to her, Fiona noticing that the blue and green color in Sophie's eyes were quickly being replaced by a bright yellow glow. "Sophie…" she gulped as she tried to snap the other shinigami out of a trance, Sophie groaning as the other soul was completely took over her body and looked up to the sky.

Sophie growled as she saw a dark shadow approaching, long and slender reaching out and stretching across the sky. As the sun because the rise the being shielding the sun with its body, causing the sky to go dark. "_**You~~**_" she growled, Sophie's white wings appearing and fanning out behind her back to blow Fiona away. Fiona shielded her face as Sophie's body shined in a white glow, engulfing her body in a white light and changing all her black clothes to her long white robe. A bright, white shield appeared in her hand, a sword sheaved in the other. Sophie pulled out the sword and flapped her wings, yelling as she flew as fast as she could and rammed her sword at the creature. The being hissed in pain, being shoved away from earth as Sophie pushed it past the heavens and farther into the sky till there was nothing left, but a speck of a bright light in the sky.

Fiona gasped and panted as she shook her head, blown away by what had just happened, but knowing in the back of her mind that Sophie was being controlled. "Oh where did she wander off to?" she heard from behind, a young woman appearing behind her huffing as she stomped her feet around.

She noticed that the woman had azure hair and bright golden eyes, piercing into her soul as she stared back at Fiona suddenly and glared. "W-who are you looking for?" Fiona asked, never before seeing that creature before.

"A woman named Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus," the other woman shrugged. "I was supposed to get here before the other soul took over… _shhhoooooot~!_ I just missed her didn't I?" she pouted. Fiona gave her a meek nod, the woman grabbing an hourglass that was attached around her waist and shaking it roughly. "You stupid piece of sand! I'm always late aren't I –"

"Excuse me," Fiona interrupted her before she started to yell and curse, "but who are you and why are you looking for Sophia?... Did something happen to her I should know about?"

"Sadly I can't tell you," the woman sighed, "but seeing as I'm late,_** yet again~**_, I'm going to ask you to do something for me."

"And why should I do that –"

"If you want that girl back and the universe not destroyed I'd say cooperate with me," she huffed before scratching her azure hair and shaking specks of dust from her hair. "Anyways if you want a name call me Miss Time. Secondly go tell Death that we're have a problem on our hands and if he'd come across two daggers go and tell me. I think he'll know what I'm talking about if you tell him," Miss Time sighed. "I know this is something a simple little spot of a mind like yourself won't be able to understand, but time is of the essence –"

"Don't worry about that," Fiona narrowed her eyes at the insult, "I understand this. I knew her father you see –"

"Well bravo for you," Time clapped sarcastically and mocked her, Fiona narrowing her eyes and snarling back at the insult. "Gods! My explaining is costing me valuable time! Good day madam!" she huffed as she took off in a dash, levitating into the sky before disappearing in the sun's rays.

Fiona sighed and shook her head, turning around and scratching the back of her head. "What the hell was that **this** time?" she huffed, slamming the door behind her to collect herself before trying to figure out how in the world she'd be able to send a message to Death of all beings.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: Now I have a question for you. Do you think I should have Alan die during this story or have him live on past this story? Because I don't know how I'll do his situation… since he dies in the musical and he'll die like that anyways. Thoughts? And it looks like Sophie's personal life is turning to dust. I wonder if she'll realize what's happening =O Anyways I hoped you liked this chapter. The next part/arc is coming up! Get ready! =D**

weeping woman – mourning, sorrow

angel – guide to heaven

wreath – victory in death

hebrew words – "Here Lies"

soldier on horse – soldier's grave. If the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If one leg is raised, the person died as a result of wounds. And if the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes

arrow – mortality, martyrdom

sword – martyrdom

garland – victory in death

rose – beauty

lily – Calla lily, beauty; Easter lily, purity and chastity

tulip – love and passion

butterfly – resurrection and also the soul leaving the body/flesh

menorah – marks the grave of a righteous Hebrew/Jewish woman

boat – voyage; crossing over to the other side

White rosebud – girlhood

White rose – purity, innocence, silence, secrecy, reverence, humility, youthfulness, "I am worthy of you", heavenly; happy love


	73. The Beginning of the End

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: And since my finals is all over I figured I'd do a few more chapter reviews. WOOT! SCHOOL IS OVER! Now to start summer courses ^^' but still I'm excited. Hopefully they'll be fun classes… hopefully… Anyways enjoy this next chapter (I see a lot of people aren't reading this story anymore, or is it just me? =O) ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie blinked in confusion. One moment she was hearing a high pitched ringing in her ears and the next she heard practically nothing. Looking around she frowned, finding herself in the bottomless pit of darkness. "Not again," she sighed, running as fast as she could to figure out what was going on. She clearly felt moment, looking behind her back and noticing for her wings; they were standing still on her back, but she felt her body moving at lightning fast speed. "Where did Fiona go?" she thought aloud, trying to find a source of light in this infinite dwelling of darkness. Then she heard a high pitched whine, dashing as fast as she could towards the sound.

As she came near she had to shield her eyes, light suddenly overwhelming her before the area around her became dark again. There she noticed a young boy with silver-green hair his head whipping around and gasping as he suddenly noticed Sophie. Sophie stood stunned, his bright silver steel eyes with a fading emerald color in the middle swirling around just as her crystal blue and shinigami green eyes would do when she was using her own powers. "W-who are you?" the boy gulped, shifting away from her as he stared deeply into her eyes.

Sophie blinked before she smiled; kneeling down to his level as she calmly chuckled beside him. "My name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus," she explained, "or you can call me Sophie for short. What is yours?"

"N-naum," he told her, "Naum Karawan Kaoboros. I… one minute I was in control and the next I wasn't. Do you know what's going on miss?"

"Not a clue," she sighed as she stood up and scratched the back of her head. "All I remember was this high pitched buzzing sound in my head and –"

"A voice telling you to go and destroy?" Naum nodded in understand. "Yes I heard that too, which means that you must be my…"

"My what?" Sophie eyed him suspiciously.

He sighed as he stood to his feet, practically imitating the way Sophie had scratched the back of her head a few seconds pervious. "We are rivals, enemies, destined to do an eternal battle with each other. You see miss, I am a special type of being where I have two souls inside of my body. One is my normal, human-like soul and the other is –"

"A monstrous soul?" Sophie interrupted him. "Or a soul that your soul and body had been merged into and can never escape from –"

"Yes that's it!" he chuckled. "But wait, how do you know this –"

"I have the same problem," she sighed. "Just what is going on here?"

"Oh I wish I knew," Naum frowned. "One minute I was having a lovely morning snack under the shade and the next I hear a voice telling me to go. Once I did I passed out, waking up here of all places."

"Did anything else happen?" Sophie asked, the boy looking over at her before shaking his head as he looked around for a source of light.

"I do remember this story," he continued, "that my mother passed down from her mother and passed down from her mother and etcetera. It's a tale about two beings, one good one bad, one light one dark, and they were in constant conflict with each other. One had large white wings with large premium feathers, armor of the finest satin and gold trimmings, and a long white sword that could pierce into the heart of any creature that it came across. The other had large black wings as if it was the exoskeleton of its former wings, and it was a long serpent like creature that could glide through the sky and gobble up entire land masses and even the sun. These two creatures were in constant conflict and when the trumpets blared the two would rise up and attempt to destroy each other… and the soul I have inside of me is the monster." Naum sighed, "which means you're the other creature, since we heard the 'trumpets blare' just a second ago –"

"Wait this doesn't make any sense," Sophie huffed. "I never heard this story."

"Well it's been told before the beginning of the world and has been passed down ever since," Naum shrugged, "but I would think you've heard… because we come from different planets perhaps?"

"Wait I don't understand," she grumbled, "destroying each other? Other planets? You don't make sense! How about we figure out a way to get out and **then** you can explain all of this?"

"… Wow right to the point aren't you?" he chuckled before sighing and looking around. "Well from what I've been told, our other souls have taken over and are currently trying to destroy each other. If they succeed everything we know and love: our worlds, the universe, and all life and death as we know it, will disappear. Though I know this may sound crazy, but I think something is controlling them."

"By how you've been _explaining~_ I'll believe anything right now," she sighed.

"Then what we have to do is take control again," Naum shook his head, "but I have no idea how we'll do tha – … What are you doing?"

"Trying to concentrate and take over my body again," Sophie explained as she had her eyes closed and roughly concentrated on entering her mind. "This has happened to me more than once. Just focus on trying to take control, locate the other soul, and order it to submit to you."

"Wait what?" Naum huffed. "Take over! That's the most bizarre thing I've ever heard of! They're using our bodies to control us –"

"You've never stood up for yourself have you?" Sophie chuckled as she squinted to look at him before sighing and close her eyes again. "You're the boss of your own body not them, and if you dislike your body being manipulated by a bunch of misfit souls than kick them out. Okay? Just try it."

"O-kay," Naum nodded, closing his eyes and concentrating on everything Sophie had told him. What a strange creature to have said this. She must have done this a lot, that's for sure, but if that's so than what is she? Has he found the only being that can help him? The two bodies stood in the darkness, their bodies beginning to glow in the darkness of the night. As they thought their souls began to dissipate, disappearing before leaving the darkness once again.

!#$%^&*()

Sophie's body yelled as she rammed as hard as she could into the creature, using her sword to push it out of the sky and into the farthest reaches of the universe; the large gray serpent with large gray eyes snarled back as it pushed her off of him and roared. Sophie grinned deviously, chuckling as she held up her white glowing sword to it. "I guess this is the end isn't it," her body grinned, "for the both of us? If only I could remember what you are, but it doesn't matter. I'll destroy you as I did back then and I'll do it seven times over if I have to!"

"Take your best shot," the dragon hissed back at her, a wide grin on its face. "I am the only one who can destroy you and I will use all my strength to do so. You're a pitiful ruler and a horrible creature, letting yourself lose all your memories in a desperate attempt to become goodness itself. A disgrace to everything you used to stand for –"

"You know I don't like your tone," her body huffed, "now come at me. Let's end this." The serpent roared and flew down at her, its long tail turning in the sky as it flapped its large gray skeleton wings. Sophie's body brushed her long white cloak to the side, holding her shield up over her face as the dragon growled and slammed into the shield, sending the two of them in opposite directions.

A few million miles away there were several beings watching them, one of them impatiently waiting with dark olive hair flapping around in the air and bright golden eyes piercing into the spectacle before them. "About _time~_ you get here," the man huffed, a woman appearing beside him out of breath as she shook dust from her shoulders and rustled up her azure hair.

"_Sorry~_" she pouted and looked over at him, "but I thought I could get to that woman before her other soul took over. Do you know where those two daggers are?"

"Still looking for them," he shrugged, "though I think these creatures behind us have something to do with this."

"Maybe they do," she shrugged back, "but I suppose we should help –"

"We can't do that," he glared. "This is **their** fight. If they are greater than _us~_ then they'll conquer their demons. Besides if space and time is destined to dissipate then it is the time for us to do so."

"Whatever," she huffed; pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest and watched as the white beam of light tried to overtake the darkness.

Sophie's body yelled as she evaded an attack, jumping up and slashing her sword up at the serpent's face. The dragon screamed as it was blinded in one eye, black blood trickling down and disappearing into the space around them. Suddenly the grin upon Sophie's face faded, her yellow glowing eyes instantly turning to crystal blue and shinigami green. She yelped as the dragon roared and striked her, unable to evade the attack as she was thrown backward and slammed into a passing asteroid. Sophie groaned as she shook her head, jumping up as she held up her sword and evaded the serpent's head, then jumping onto its head as it yelled and its head smashed into the piece of rock. Sophie yelled as loud as she could, the dragon's head whipping around as she threw down her sword upon its head. In an instant the dull gray eyes turned to bright silver steel and an emerald color in the middle of its eyes, Sophie sighing with relief as the dragon shook its head and looked at her in horror. "I was wondering if you would wake up too," Sophie smiled, brushing its nose as the serpent looked at her confused before hissing happily in content.

"What?" they heard behind them, the two creatures turning around to find a hoard of creatures hovering in the sky from afar and glaring at them.

"W-what are they –"

"I'll tell you later," the serpent whispered back, Sophie nodding in understanding as she stood on his head and glared back at them.

"You're supposed to destroy each other!" another creature said.

"Get them!" a few more yelled, the hoard coming down upon them as the dragon shied back in a desperate attempt to flee.

Sophie huffed as she jumped off of his head, slashing her sword at them as a beam of energy flew at them and obliterated several thousands of them. "Sophie!" the dragon roared, wrapping its tail around her as the afterglow sent the two of them spiraling backward into a passing piece of space rock. She groaned as the serpent kept its tail wrapped around her tightly, hissing as the rest of the creatures flew upon them. "I won't let you die!" Naum yelled, a loud sonic roar came from his mouth and annihilated the rest of the creatures. Then he let out tired huffs, his body turning back into the body of a young man as he gripped Sophie tightly in his arms. He groaned as he tried to stay awake, noticing that she had already passed out and her white clothes had vanished revealing her darker black clothes. Noticing two figures coming towards them he growled and pulled Sophie tighter into his chest, grumbling under his breath as he was unable to keep his eyes awake and lost consciousness.

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

As Sophie opened her eyes she groaned and cringed at the ray of white, turning her head as she let her eyes adjust to the light above them. She noticed a thin shadow next to her and as her eyes became accustomed to the light she gasped. There beside her was the boy she had been talking to in the darkness, but he looked older than he was previously. She slowly crawled over to him and ran a hand through his silver-green hair, the man groaning back as he felt her hand upon his head. Sophie smiled; glad to see that he was still alive. Naum looked much older than the age of a young boy, about the same age as she was actually. Seventeen she recalled was the age her body stopped growing. Perhaps that's what happened to Naum, or maybe he was still growing and only she wasn't anymore. Either way she knew she had to find out where they were, looking around and trying to find a glimpse of existence. She frowned once she noticed they were laying in nothing but white, the color of white was just as overpowering as the dark was a moment earlier. "Oh good you're awake," she heard from a figure beside her, Sophie grabbing Naum protectively as she growled and narrowed her eyes at the stranger. "Wow this is the first time I've come across you like this!" she giggled happily. "I can't wait to tell brother that you haven't died yet!"

"W-wait brother?" Sophie frowned as she set Naum's head back down beside her. "Who are you, who's this brother you speak of, and where are we –"

"To think your memory has really left you," another voice responded from behind her, Sophie swiftly turning around to find a tall man with dark olive hair flapping around in some unknown breeze. "… My you really have forgotten," he sighed as he sat down beside Sophie and looked upon Naum. "At least the two of you haven't died yet. There is something important that needs to be discussed –"

"Who are you and where are we?" Sophie asked again, growling as she narrowed her eyes at them. "I just want to know where we are –"

"You're in a place between space and time," the man told her.

"Or time and space," the woman huffed back, nudging the man in the shoulder as she sat down and stared into Sophie's eyes. "Wow so pretty," she giggled, "that those are the eyes of a mortal. Never would have guessed."

Sophie continued to glare and keep up her defenses, unsure if she should trust them as Naum groaned and began to stir beside them. "Anyways my name is Space and this is my sister Time," the man continued, "and you were the being that created us."

"W-wait me?" Sophie pointed to herself in disbelief.

"I should probably say that other soul inside of you," he shrugged, "but seeing as you've used the power of that soul so much that you have pretty much fused together, I think I can talk to you about it."

"… R-ight," Sophie answered, running a hand over Naum's hair as he began to wake up. "How is this even possible… and what was that ringing in my ear –"

"Can I tell her?" Time asked, her brother nodding as she giggled and quickly grabbed Sophie's hand. "There are these two daggers you see, one called The Dagger of Life and the other The Dagger of Death. They float around in Space till they come upon a being, chosen or not. These daggers have the power to control you, both you and Kaoboros here. One controls your soul and the other Kaoboros, but we have yet to know which one does which."

"… Okay," Sophie nodded, "go on."

"Now usually the being doesn't even know that the daggers can control you," Time continued, "but there are some who do. A being must have gathered the two daggers and want to take control of the both of you, probably in an attempt to destroy the universe."

"Destroy?" Sophie looked at her confused, Space nodding as he shifted to look upon her eyes.

"Yes destroy," he continued. "As Time said the daggers float around until they come upon a being, chosen or not. These daggers were created for the sole purpose of taking over the divine, the serpent that will come and destroy all existence and the creature that will stop the darkness from taking over. There's a whole fairy tale to this and many different stories, but the main emphasis still stands –"

"Long before the world was created there was only darkness," they heard from a voice next to them, Naum shifting up as he groaned and rubbed his head, "or chaos if you'd prefer."

"Naum you know the story?" Sophie asked him.

"O-of course," he sighed as he shook his head. "My family has passed down the stories from generation to generation. Anyways before there was time and space, life and death, even light and darkness there was absolute nothingness. That nothingness suddenly grew into thingness, a conscious or a voice within itself. It began to think and think, coming up with thoughts and ideas, but sadly this being or thing had no one else to share this information with. So over time it began to create, create light and dark, time and space, and even life and death. As its world grew and grew so did its powers, possessing abilities that only it could create. Once everything was created the being wanted more, as this is what I have heard from the other soul within me," Naum sighed. "The being talked to it saying that it wanted havoc, chaos, for a tame existence was dull and nothing ever came from unexciting places. So the being created rivals and beings as strong as itself, which is why I am as strong as you Sophie," he admitted, "and can destroy you if I wanted to. You see, this being came from nothingness, darkness or a chaos as others have said. That is why the world is how it is, full of disorder and chaos."

"… Are you trying to say that's what I am?" Sophie asked.

"Perhaps," Space said, "but we do not know for sure."

"You see," Naum continued, "the being, or the Ultimate Creator as most have decided to call it, wiped itself clean, its memories of everything that had transpired erased. Perhaps that was its intention in the beginning, but this goes back to the problem of not knowing what things are. We aren't saying it's you, but it sort of is. Seeing as you're this all powerful creature, but have no memory of ever existing."

Sophie sighed, scratching the back of her head as she thought to herself before turning her attention back to the three beings looking at her intently and waiting for an answer. "… Look I don't care what you believe I am, but there is only name I have: Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of darkness and God of Death. I don't care if you think I am this creator or not, but I **know** that I am Sophie and that will never change. Now I would like an explanation as to why you've showed up before me."

"To the point aren't you?" Space chuckled, "but haven't you noticed _why~_ you are associated with  
>Death so much. The fact you are a God of Death, a bringer of death in your world, and can also give and take away life. Has that ever accrued to you –"<p>

"On more than several occasions," Sophie interrupted him, "but as I said I could care less in this small life I have left. I am only one in a sea of many. I will die and that will be the end of it. It doesn't matter to me if I ever find out my family origins alright. All I want to know is why I have a part in all of this."

"Then listen to me when I say this," Space began, helping Sophie and Naum off of the ground before he continued. "You may not care what happens, but we do. Everything will be destroyed if you two fight to the death, for it is destined for existence to end that way. Just you are **not** supposed to destroy each other just yet. There is still much time before that will happen –"

"A few more of your generations I assume," Time interrupted him before chuckling lightly to herself. "Our problem is finding the daggers, which is where the two of you come in."

"What do you mean?" Naum asked.

"As we said, the daggers are scattered around the universe," Space continued, "and they only call to **you**. We don't know if they only call to one of you or both, but we need your help in finding them. Even if you don't want to help us the beings that have their hands on the daggers will continue to call to you, wanting your assistance."

"Well we can't have that, _can we~_" Sophie chuckled lightly. "Okay. I'll help if it means I won't be under someone else's control."

"A-and if Sophia is helping then I will," Naum said. "Just what will you do once we find them?"

"That's up to you," Space told them.

"We've never come across them," Time chuckled as she nervously scratched her nose, "and it was an obstacle the Ultimate Creator made. If you want to destroy the daggers or keep them is up to you, or even throw them back into Space. It's all up to your choice."

"… If that is the case let's get going," Sophie huffed. "To think I thought my troubles were finally over –"

"They won't be till you use another feather of healing you obtained from that angel," Time giggled.

"I don't want to use something until it's needed," Sophie grumbled back. "Now what's your plan?"

"Plan?" Time asked.

Space rolled his eyes, chuckling as he patted Time on the back. "We will send you back to your own worlds and help you from there. I have a feeling the two of you will have to travel to and from each other's worlds to gather the two daggers –"

"Yes they will," Time giggled.

"… Look if you know what will happen why don't you stop it?" Sophie huffed.

"Because that takes the fun out of _fate~_" Time giggled again, Sophie rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest. Then her face became serious, staring into Sophie's eyes as she glared back. "You will probably find what you seek in your library. I bet there's a being that has written about this down or perhaps a fairy tale book that you can read. Anyways we'll leave you to it –"

"But if you don't obtain the daggers soon they will take control of you again," Space interrupted her.

"It's like…" Sophie thought to herself ignoring the three blank stares she got, "Like… well Egypt isn't it? How I can remember in detail all those events even though I wasn't physically there. That was why my other soul made that deal with Death, to gain that freedom from having to be ordered what to do. So that must be how it was done, but the dagger… Let's get going then. I doubt we have a lot of time."

"We do not," Time snickered, grabbing Naum and Sophie's hand. "Now let's get out of here brother."

"Of course," Space nodded, his hands glowing a fading black as it overwhelmed them and they disappeared in an instant.

)(*&^%$#!

**A/N: And bam there's another chapter! So what do you think? Are you guys still interested in this? And I'm sorry if Undertaker isn't in here as much as you would like, but it's only a matter of seeing the details and how he's involved. That's really it. Anyways I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. PLEASE COMMENT! I don't know what you guys would like anymore…**

Naum – Russian – comforter

Karawan – expression used to avert the evil eye, transferred to forename use

Kaos – first existent "being" in Greek mythology; Chaos

Ouroboros – Uroborus; ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail; meaning "tail" and meaning "eating", thus "he who eats the tail"; represents the perpetual cyclic renewal of life and infinity, the concept of eternity and the eternal return, and represents the cycle of life, death and rebirth, leading to immortality, as in the phoenix. Can also represent the idea of primordial unity related to something existing in or persisting before any beginning with such force or qualities it cannot be extinguished. The ouroboros has been important in religious and mythological symbolism, but has also been frequently used in alchemical illustrations, where it symbolizes the circular nature of the alchemist's opus


	74. The Persistence

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well now that I don't have school you should assume I'll be reviewing these chapters XD Anyways I hope you enjoy this next chapter. Now we move back into the story a bit… just a bit =3**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie groaned, opening her eyes before flinching back in astonishment. She gulped once she realized where she was, back in the lobby with her food still fresh on the coffee table beside her. She stood up and looked around, grabbing her watch from her pocket and looking at the time. "It's 6am," she heard a voice behind her, Sophie jumping back startled and almost running into the coffee table.

"Don't do that!" Sophie huffed, pouting as the woman giggled at her and flew past her till she was standing alongside her.

"_Aw~_ you're the little jumper aren't ya'?" Time snickered, Sophie sighing as she rolled her eyes and looked around. "It's like nothing happened," Time told her, "but if you look out the door your little friend will be coming in angry and mad. I suggest you find your dagger before anyone else does because disaster will befall on your world if you don't."

"What?" Sophie asked, turning around to find Time had disappeared in an instant. "Hey wait!" she called in the room, "I still have a question –"

"Don't yell! You're so loud," Time huffed as she appeared behind Sophie's back. "Now what's the question?"

"Ummm… What about Naum? Are you saying I have to do this all alone?" Sophie frowned, Time raising an eyebrow before chuckling smugly.

"_No~!_ We have as much incentive on finding the daggers as you do," Time smiled. "Space is currently with Kaoboros and I'm with you. Just don't gobble us up. That's all we ask."

"A-alright I suppose," Sophie sighed, "but I wonder how I'll explain this –"

"No wait!" Time shook her head, "Don't talk about this with anyone yet."

"But –"

"Do you want to confuse everything?" Time pouted. "Think about it. If you can barely grasp this situation how can anyone else? Just go about your life as if nothing is happening and find the daggers in the meantime. You'll figure it out; after all you're the being it's calling to."

"I-I suppose," Sophie sighed, scratching her head and looking away. "This doesn't really help explain anything though –"

"Sophie?" Sophie turned around to find Fiona walking towards her, Time having vanished from her sight in an instant. "W-what is – what happened –"

"You know I have **no** idea," Sophie sighed, "but right now let's just keep this to ourselves alright? I'm going to do my work early. If you need me I'll be out reaping."

"But –" Fiona huffed as Sophie already left down the hallway, leaving her food behind on the table as Fiona groaned and scratched the back of her head. "Can't you people ever listen? Just like your father aren't you? Why do _**I~**_ always have to babysit?" She sighed as she left the lobby, walking back outside and scratching the back of her head. "There's only one person I know who will help me," Fiona thought to herself, "but I wonder how he'll react to this."

!#$%^&*()

)(*&^%$#!

Sophie sighed as she slung her scythe over her shoulder, letting the blood drip down from her black scythe and puddle on the ground behind her. "You're a brutal little person aren't you?" she heard a voice behind her, Sophie shaking her head as she wiped the blood off of her hat.

"It's my job Time," Sophie huffed, "and I don't like it when there are beings staring down my back –"

"I'm not _trying~_ to be a nascence," Time pouted, "but I'm _bored~~_. Besides there's not much for a divine being like myself to do, except tamper with time I suppose." Sophie rolled her eyes as the other chuckled, Sophie making her way into one of the buildings and walking up the stairs.

Sophie had gotten done with everything she had to do today and for a few days to come, since she had time to spare. Sure William didn't like all the work she was doing, but if it was to keep him off of her back while she took on this new task she was given. "Hello!" she heard in front of her, passing by Lewis on the stairway. "What have you been doing?"

"What I do every day," Sophie grinned back, stopping at the top and wiping her scythe clean before letting it disappear behind her.

"So who's that lady following behind you?" Lewis pointed, Sophie turning around to find Time creeping out from behind her back and giving the boy a grin.

"She is Ti –"

"The name is Zona," Time giggled, "and I'm guessing you're Lewis?"

"W-why yes I am," he chuckled. "How did you kno –"

"I just do," she smiled. "Plus I can tell by the charm around your neck that you're a time traveler. Last name… Herman correct?"

"How did you –"

"Zona are we done?" Sophie sighed as she continued up the stairs.

"Oh _sorry~!_" Time giggled as she waved over at the boy. "I'll see you later, alright little Lewis?"

"A-alright?" Lewis questioned her, shrugging it off as he continued down the stairs to begin his own field work for the day.

"How do you know him?" Sophie asked as Time shrugged.

"He's a descendent of mine," she told her. "I've always been the one who experiments you see." Time finished with a giggle, Sophie rolling her eyes as she walked down the hall to her cubical.

"… Why Zona?" Sophie asked, Time looking at her before giving her another shrug.

"Meh I just came up with it on the spot," Time answered, "but don't you like it?"

"Well I guess it's not unknown to hear a name like that," Sophie huffed. "Anyways I'd advise you go and help Namu. I'll be working on paperwork and that can get tedious –"

"_Aw~_ you don't think the boy can do the work himself?" Time giggled.

"I didn't imply that –"

"Look kid," Time hushed her, pressing a finger against Sophie's lips as she flinched back startled, "just accept the fact that you are a deity, a very lovely one if I must add." Time giggles as Sophie grumbled back, pushing her hand off of her lips as she took off her coat and hat and spun around in her chair. "… You don't like the idea do you?" Time grinned, leaning over Sophie's shoulder as she tediously tried to organize her desk before starting.

"Never have," Sophie huffed. "Can't I just be human and die? Nope, have to be a savior to everyone, don't I? Living to expectations, marrying someone I'll probably despise, it's too much for me alright. And now I can't do something as boring as paperwork with **time** of all things breathing down my throat! Sorry if I'm not ecstatic about all this, but I'd rather not be _**this**_."

"Are you saying you don't want everything to exist?" Time asked, Sophie over her shoulder as the woman stood back to give her space. "If that's so, destroy everything. Obliterate existence. You can do that you know, just by the tip of your pinky finger… What? What's with that look on your face?"

"… Y-you don't understand," Sophie pouted, grabbing a pen and beginning to scribble her name down, "not at all –"

"I may not," Time interrupted her thoughts as she slammed her hand on Sophie's desk, causing her to instantly drop the pen on the paper, "but who really does? I don't and my brother certainly doesn't. Life and Death don't, and neither do you. As you say, _who cares~?_ There was only one who knew everything and they're gone, so suck it up and do what you were created to do. Destroy or give life right? Like a god or something like that," she shrugged.

Sophie sighed scratching her head and picking up her pen, "well deity or not I'd rather just stay a Serbus. There's nothing more to say."

"Fine whatever," Time huffed, "but I was only telling you what you'll have to decide soon enough." With those last words Time vanished, Sophie shaking her head as she look at the forms she'd have to sign all over again.

)(*&^%$#!

"So do you know there's a party next Friday?" Marius asked as he sat back in a chair and had his legs propped up on the desk next to Sophie. "June 20that the Ioreta residence."

"Uncle Nic?" Sophie huffed, "Why do I have to go to that?"

"Well it's one of the first parties for the year," Marius explained, "and father wants you to go to at least one party a year until you're married. I figured we'd save some time and show up at the first and last ball, perhaps more if you'd like –"

"You have some hidden agenda don't you?" she pouted.

"Aauuummmmmm…"

"Is this something you came up with all by yourself or does Dominic have something to do with this too?" Sophie sighed and scratched the back of her head.

"Actually Uncle requested you attend," Marius continued, "and he told me that the party is secretly being held just for you, though no one else knows about it except for a few high-standing supernatural families. Only families and practically men he thinks will complement your… _assets~_, he said, are attending. He just told me to bring you along."

"Oh so that's how it is?" Sophie huffed. "I'm dead and he thinks he can run my decaying life, is that it?"

"No, not at all!" Marius pouted. "Just… w-we were talking because mama told me to keep Uncle company for a while and you've come up in our conversations more than once. We're not trying to insult you, just help you."

"… Friday you say?" Sophie sighed, "What do I have to wear?"

"A gown would be nice," Marius smiled, "but not overly dull like an all black dress. Add some color I suppose," he finished with a light chuckle.

"And how do you suppose I attend?" Sophie huffed. "My alias around here is that I'm the wife of the Undertaker. I think you'll come across a problem if I keep up that facade," she smirked.

"Well I – Wait what?" Marius pouted. "You did **what**? Sophie what the hell! He's your father for crying out loud –"

"His idea not mine," Sophie held her hands up in defense. "It just happened alright. That's all I'm going to say. And besides if there are humans and this is a noble party the boy that assumes I'm the Undertaker's wife and has seen me as such will show up. Your plan is flawed Marius."

"But…" Marius grumbled under his breath and scratched his head, "What's his name?"

"Earl Ciel Phantomhive," Sophie told him, "and there are a few others who have shown up at the shop as well, but he tends to show up more often than not. Though there's a possibility _he~_ won't show up, but others will. So what? Plan on dressing me up with a different hair color or something? That won't work Marius. Even if that does work I'd like to be as natural as possible if you expect me to attend this… _**ball~**_" she grumbled with disgust.

"Okay maybe it's flawed," Marius sighed, "but please attend. I can't stress this enough. Uncle wants to see you too, actually before he dies."

"He's going to die?" Sophie frowned.

"Death told me it will be soon," Marius nodded, "and I have to keep a stern watch over him seeing as he's contracted to a demon. A powerful one too. I don't know how I'll do it though… I'll have to reap his soul first I suppose to prevent the demon from taking him."

"When?" Sophie asked.

"Ummm… I can't tell you," he sighed, "because I promised Uncle I wouldn't. If you end up being the shinigami that comes to collect his soul great, but I'm responsible for him. Mostly for mama's sake really. She loved the poor fool too much." Then Marius chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "He also told me he wants to make amends with you. He hasn't had a party since his wife died and I only show up every once in a while to keep him company. He even had to order that disgusting demon to leave me alone, but still he's getting old Sophie. He'd either die of old age or that demon. Plus you're about thirty five now. It's about time for someone for you anyways," he smiled.

"Again we're back to marriage aren't we?" Sophie shook her head. "Alright I'll show up, but don't expect something fancy. I may be taking time off of work for this and I haven't gone dress shopping in a **long** time… plus there are more things on my mind right now."

"Like what?" Marius asked.

"Ummmm… I can't say," she told him, "but don't worry about it. I'll be fine. I'll tell you this though; if you find a dagger called The Dagger of Life or The Dagger of Death do tell me. I'm looking for them."

"Then… OH! Death told me to search for those just this morning," Marius smiled, "but I don't know what he was talking about. Do you?"

"Sadly I don't," Sophie sighed, "because all I know about is the names. Plus I can't tell you anymore so stop trying to get information out of me."

"Okay fine," he huffed, "I won't… Say I wanted to ask your permission on something."

"Like what?" Sophie asked, turning her head to look over at him.

"Now what would you think to this idea," Marius began, "that I live here on earth with you?"

"Did Death say that was okay?" she responded.

"Yes but –"

"Then why hesitate?" Sophie grinned. "You love that shinigami don't you? So? I could care less where you live and what you do. As long as you do your duties I suppose that's no problem… Where do you plan on living?"

"Probably here at Margret's apartment room for now," Marius nodded. "I'd probably become a shinigami too. I have the training already. Just have to sign myself up and complete you test… a-and I was told I'd have to ask Mrs. Obki about that."

"Then do," Sophie answered. "It's your life Marius. You have been given a life to live and I personally think you shouldn't be spending it stuck in heaven as Death's lackey all the time. Sure that may be your job, but you shouldn't have to do that all the time if you are given the choice to live here."

"W-well there's always the problem of my soul becoming tainted and I can never return once I die," Marius sighed.

"Don't worry about details like that," Sophie shook her head. "Just do it. If you need help I'll do it –"

"No it's alright," Marius chuckled. "I want to do everything myself… I know something important is going on with you. Is it because of Michael?"

"Probably," Sophie sighed, "but I think there's more to it than just that. It's something bigger then myself, of course, but it's happening in such a short amount of time. Just this morning there was this being that showed up and this battle I was subconsciously that all happened in only two minutes. Weird really. I don't know how to describe this…"

"Well whatever happens I'll stay by your side," Marius smiled as he stood up, "if you need me of course. I don't want to impose. Now I should head down. I want to talk to Margaret about something."

"_Ah I see~_" Sophie grinned at him.

"W-well I…" Marius chuckled lightly as his face began to blush. "Anyways," he quickly cleared his throat, "I'm going to go. Just call if you need me."

"Alright," Sophie nodded as she turned in her chair and set her feet back down on the ground.

"And one for thing," Marius reminded himself before he began to walk towards the stairs. "I noticed Jericho and you are on bad terms. Have you tried talking?"

"More than once," Sophie huffed, "but he won't listen. I've given up trying to make amends right now. I have more important matters than trying to keep my personal life intact."

"Don't say that," Marius pouted. "I may despise him, but it doesn't give **you** a reason to. If he can't understand everything that's his problem. I won't invite him if you don't want me to –"

"Marius you can," Sophie sighed, "but if he makes a scene I'd like you to kick him out. After all this party is for our Uncle. Even if mama's family name isn't going to live on in the human world we should still keep their honor together. You know how papa is with touchy topics like honor."

"Yeah," Marius chuckled, "he can get rattled up about subjects like that. Well bye," he waved as he made his way down the stairs. Sophie sighed as she sat back in her chair, looking at her paperwork as she loomed over the fact that she'd have to attend another ball.

)(*&^%$#!

!#$%^&*()

Sophie grumbled under her breath, eating her lunch outside and away from the noise coming from the cafeteria. She wasn't annoyed because of the noise, but rather that she was done again for the day. Usually when she had all this time on her hands she would clock out and perhaps go drinking or smoking, but Sophie knew that if she asked anyone that they'd go off and squeal to someone else and she didn't want to deal with those problems right now. Plus she knew if she went out on her own she would end up missing for a day or two before she realized what had happened. Sure she put that life of drinking and drugs behind her, but the temptation was still there. "Damn," she growled as she began to make scratch marks on the table next to her food, "I need a god-damn smoke –"

"Isn't smoking bad for you?" came a voice next to her, Sophie flinching as she noticed Space grinning before sitting next to her and taking out a long cigar. "… Want one? It's called a Cuban –"

"Cigar I know," Sophie huffed, staring at the tobacco and giving him a nod. He grinned and chopped the end for her, handing her the cigar as he lit the end with a lighter and did the same for her. She smiled as she let in a big puff of air, letting a stream of smoke come out of her mouth as she let out a content sigh. "My god that's strong," she chuckled lightly as she looked over and he breathed into his own cigar, "but I shouldn't be doing this –"

"Live life a little," Space said as he leaned against the table and looked at the white building before them, "before you die that is."

"Trust me I've said that more than once," Sophie chuckled, leaning back in her seat as she puffed out smoke before grabbing a piece of food and cramming it into her mouth. "So why are you here anyways? Traded places with your sis or something?"

"Nah she's talking to Naum before coming back here and told me to keep an eye on you," he explained as he let out a puff and put his elbow on the table. "It's an experiment to see if the dagger in his world calls to you, since the two of you don't seem to be responding to the daggers in your own worlds."

"Hold on," Sophie held out her hand, "You're saying there is a dagger hidden in each of our worlds."

"That's what I've found," Space nodded. "Naum explained to me what he heard. It was a strong commanding voice telling him to come and destroy. So that's what he did, came to this **world** and tried to destroy everything by blocking out the sun and gobbling up your earth."

"One voice?" Sophie asked, Space giving her a nod. Sophie looked over at the wall, letting in a deep breath and filling her lungs with the sweet taste of tobacco before breathing out with a sigh. "Mine started off with one voice, but then it became a multitude. It was like chanting and they told me to go and help. Help where? I don't know…"

"Probably to Naum's world," Space explained, "because your voice came after his voice. Plus he heard only one voice. With you there was many… like a choir."

"So your theory is true," Sophie nodded as she breathed the cigar smoke into her lungs and breathing out again, "that there is a dagger in my world calling to Naum and a dagger in Naum's world calling to me. What's the plan then? You bring me to his world?"

"Probably," Space answered, "but we still don't know a lot about this. It may be safer to keep the two of you together, since you are able to calm him down and him to you."

"We're starting there?" she sighed as she pouted and looked over to him, the cigar sticking out of her mouth as she thought.

"If you'd like," he shrugged, "but it's up to you –"

"I'd rather start in Naum's world," she told him, "because I don't know how he will react. With these cosmic forces pinning us together, he is darker then I am. Besides he's the one who tried to destroy **my** world, not the other way around. It'd be easier for myself anyways –"

"What is this I hear about you leaving little maiden?" they heard from behind, the Undertaker grinning as he took two more short steps before pulling the cigar out of Sophie's mouth and pressing it into the middle of her plate.

"Hey!" Sophie pouted, narrowing her eyes at him before sighing and scratching the back of her head. "How much did you hear –"

"Enough to know the situation," he answered, scooting Sophie over as he sat down and held out his sleeve. "I don't believe we've met, Mr. Space."

"Oh? Mr. Undertaker now, correct?" Space responded casually as he shook his hand as he held his cigar between his teeth. "Yes we –"

"Before you do something as reckless as bring my little maiden away, I suggest you go and ask me first. You don't want to get on my bad side _do you~?_" Undertaker asked, the smile on his face growing smaller as his eyes narrowed at him from behind his bangs.

"R-right," Space gulped as he scooted away slightly. "I'm sorry I didn't know –"

"It's quite alright," Undertaker smirked widely, "as long as no harm is done." Sophie poked her head around his back, trying to look at the both of them as the Undertaker turned and caused her to flinch back. "So _my dear~_" he snickered as he poked her nose, "care to explain, _hmmmm~?_"

"H-hey I don't really know what's going on okay?" Sophie pouted, "But it has something to do with me so I figured I should find out more about it. Okay? And it happened this morning by the way, so I thought when I get home –"

"_If you ever~_ you mean," Undertaker interrupted her, Sophie shaking her head and sighing.

"L-look I don't like getting other people caught up in my own affairs and the same goes for you. Plus why did you put out my cigar?" Sophie pouted, "That was all that I was going to have today! –"

Undertaker hushed her as he pressed a finger to her lips, his face close to her own as he grinned deviously at her. "Don't you think you're getting off the subject?"

"Look M-mr. Undertaker –"

"Tell me _everything~_ you've found out," he interrupted Space, "but in the meantime little Sophia needs to go to this _other world~_ as you call it."

"It's a world that holds life like here, but has its own differences between this world and the –"

"You can tell me later," Undertaker told him, "but can I speak to my little maiden alone before your sister has her leave."

"I… alright," Space nodded, standing up and leaving them in an instant.

Undertaker quickly turned his attention back to Sophie, who was drinking her tea down before letting out a tired sigh and setting her head on the table. "Did you figure this all out yourself or did someone tell you –"

"Mrs. Obki came to the mortuary this morning," he explained, "but she told me not to worry."

"But she **knew** you'd overreact," Sophie sighed, "so I didn't **want** to tell you."

"_Sophia~_ –"

"Hold it right there," she stopped him. "I've had some pretty fucked up stuff happen to me and I'm still trying to process everything. I would think you'd understand that."

"… Then tell me something to put my mind at ease," Undertaker grinned, grabbing her hands and bringing them up to his lips, "or else I'll come with you."

"Y-you – Okay," Sophie sighed, looking down at the ground as she tried to compose herself. "I know whatever will happen is going to change things, for me at least. A dagger controls me and when I lost control I… I-I felt cold and lonely. Sure I had this memory in the back of my mind that there was still a place I called home, but that voice in my head telling me what to do take me over. I-I don't want that to **ever** happen again, so I want to figure this out before my mind is taken over again. A-and it's not just this. My other soul felt empty too. I could tell. I may be used to falling into the darkness, but I'm never going to shake off that feeling right now... But don't worry about anything;" she grinned at him, "I know something big is going to happen. If it's for the better I don't know, but I can tell that I have to go through with all of this."

"… I still don't like this idea, but I'll respect your decision," Undertaker nodded, kissing the top of her hands before kissing the top of her forehead. "Keep your soul safe," he whispered into her ear, standing up and turning around to leave her.

Her eyes filled with worry at his words and the look on his face as she sprang out of the chair, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into her back. "I-I'm sorry if I can't explain anything," she began to yell as tears threatened to fall down her face, "but there are things I have to do myself! That's why I'm a Serbus! I shouldn't have to rely on anyone else –"

"Hush now," he demanded, Sophie looking up at the harsh tone in his voice before biting down on her bottom lip and burying her face back into his trench coat. "Don't say dense accusations like_ I'm a Serbus~_. _It must be so~_. It's **not**. Learn to rely on other beings Sophia. You expect them to rely on you so do the same courtesy for them." They stood silent for a few moments, Sophie whimpering as she tried to keep a tight hold on his clothes. She knew he only used that voice when he was trying to make a point or he was losing his temper, and she hoped it was only the former. "… Now my little maiden _what's wrong~?_" he giggled as if his previous comment hadn't been said, turning around and grabbing her shoulders as her hands let him go and slumped to her side.

"… Why insist on that?" Sophie frowned as she kept her gaze on the ground. "I've relied on too many people in this lifetime. You know why. That aunt of mine, my uncle… even my father, mother, and brother. Papa said he would always be there, but is he? **Nope**. Same with my mom, and my uncle didn't stand up for himself. My aunt tried to kill me more than once and… well there are just some things I'd rather keep locked away deep inside."

"But do you have problems telling_ me~_?" he asked, running a finger over her cheek and gracing her face with a nail.

"No, but –"

"Then why?" he continued to ask.

"Because you're all I have!" Sophie looked up at him, a tear falling down her face. "I don't want anyone I know to die because of **me**. I'm recluse. I'm stupid. Even if I'm not looking for trouble it comes and finds me. How can I react to that? I have problems trusting other people, I know, but it's not going to stop because **you** say so… okay?..."

"Sometimes you act too much like your father for your own good," Undertaker answered, Sophie's crystal blue and shinigami green eyes looking up at him stunned before they gazed back at the ground.

"A-are we done now?" Sophie asked. "I-I didn't want to leave you on a bad note if I end up dying –" Sophie suddenly stopped talking as he pressed his lips against her own, a nail fluttering under her eye as he wiped away her tear. He giggled into her mouth as he saw her cheeks tainting pink, turning around and giving her a wave as he left back into the forest.

"Wow," Space said from behind, startling Sophie as she jumped and spun around to face him, "didn't think he'd do that. He's usually such a subtle being."

"Okay let's go," Sophie huffed as she tipped her hat so it was hiding the burning red glow on her cheeks. "The sooner I understand everything and we retrieve those daggers the faster I can get back to work."

"Work, work, work. All you shinigamis do is work," Space chuckled grabbing hold of her hand. "It's alright though, but your species needs to learn to lay back and have some fun."

"Trust me I've tried," she chuckled back, "but they don't _understand~_" Space nodded as they evaporated on the ground, transporting her across light-years of time and space to end up where Time and Naum was awaiting them on the other side.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: And there we have it. And yes, I'm sad I don't put Undertaker in the story more. Just in order to get through this and throw all my ideas out there I have to keep him on the side. I hope you guys enjoyed this. SEE YOU LATER!**

Prometheus – Greek mythology; is a Titan, the son of Iapetus and Clymene, and brother to Atlas, Epimetheus and Menoetius. He was a champion of mankind, known for his wily intelligence, which stole fire from Zeus and gave it to mortals. Zeus then punished him for his crime by having him bound to a rock while a great eagle ate his liver every day only to have it grow back to be eaten again the next day. His myth has been treated by a number of ancient sources, in which Prometheus is credited with – or blamed for – playing a pivotal role in the early history of mankind


	75. The Different World

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I decided to post yet another chapter (slowly catching up! =D) And I'm working on my other fanfic because I only have 2 chapters that need to be looked over… and I'm slow with that story because I'm on this one. No worries though! There's a LOT more where this came from XD ENJOY!**

!#$%^&*()

When they came to the place Time and Naum was waiting Sophie gasped, awestricken by the scenery they were in. They were standing in the middle of a field, but it wasn't an ordinary green and luscious field like back home. The field was a purple wasteland instead of green fields, a combination of different colors ranging from violet to indigo. The sky around them was ashy, a type of red and black combination that threatened her lungs. Naum smiled as Space and as Sophie drew near he grabbed her by the hands and looking at her eyes. "Are you okay Sophie –"

"Y-yeah I think so," she groaned, "but the air here is stuffy."

"It's alright," he chuckled once he noticed it was the only thing that was wrong, "we don't live up here. Everyone lives down in the water, where the air isn't as suffocating and musty."

"W-water?" Sophie gulped as she looked over at him. "As in we have to dive? I-I can't swim –"

"You can't?" Naum looked at her confused before giving her a smile. "I'll help you. Well thank you Space. I can take it from here Time."

"Hey just holler if you need any help," Time told him.

"And keep Serbus under control," Space continued for her. "Since she is not used to this environment the control of the dagger with intensify ten-fold."

"Got'cha," he saluted them, the two beings disappearing as he turned around and began to pull Sophie down over the purple rolling hill. "I was hoping you'd show up before the volcano erupted, but whatever. It won't be too hard I suppose."

Sophie nodded as she kept in step with his own, coughing as she continued to breathe in the stuffy air. Deciding breathing would only hinder her abilities she stopped breathing all together, since she was a shinigami after all and knew how to stop breathing for silently hunting and reaping souls. "What is this place?" she asked, Naum looking behind before keeping his attention on the path they were taking.

"We are in the realm of Ga. Actually the full name is Gaia, but we've abbreviated everything over the centuries," he smiled, keeping a tight grip on her hand as they continued to wander farther down the road. "Here your earth would be called Ga, and the sky of gas and ash is called Ura. And the sea, which we covet above the rest of creation as our source of life, is called Ponta."

"What names," Sophie commented aloud, thinking how similar those names were to the names of ancient Greek gods.

"Yes, well they have stayed the same for most of the centuries, but as I said we've abbreviated over the years. I'd be wise to not call these places earth, sky, and sea. You'll be spotted as an outsider in an instant if you did something silly like that."

"So you say you live in the sea?" Sophie asked, "How does that work? Do you breathe underwater?"

"Sort of," he chuckled. "Your world is different than my own. The waters would actually be the equivalent to your air on earth in the long run. The only thing is you're constantly wet, I suppose, but you can walk around as if you're on land. Actually I am one of the only beings here that can make their way on land, except for the daemons."

"Daemons?" Sophie asked him.

"Yes, this land is used as a place for those who are dying or dead to go and rest. The daemons come and gobble them up, I suppose like your shinigamis?"

"Not exactly," Sophie pouted. "Do you have any souls that return?"

"That's the thing," he continued, "once you're dead you can never truly return. If you come back you're considered impure and kicked out of society to roam Ga as a daemon. That's what daemons are you see, souls that didn't properly die and can never return to Ponta. It's just how it works here."

"And Ura," she decided to ask, "what about the sky?"

"Same idea as Ga," he shrugged, "but it's a bit different… Ummmm I'll tell you more later, but right now we're about to enter into the realm of Ponta." Sophie nodded and looked at the water, the color a lot clearer than that of the sky. It looked blue like the oceans and seas she had seen before in her own world, but there was a clear coat to it like it was actually the sky. She had to admit she was hesitating about this, but since Naum was pulling her along she had to comply and followed him into the waters, disappearing in a light mist around her.

She gasped in amazement as the air suddenly became clear around her. Sophie hadn't noticed that there were cities upon cities hidden under the waters, the water acting as a sky as she noticed Naum's breath was back to normal. "Ponta is really like earth," Sophie thought aloud, Naum looking at her confused as she gently let go of his hand and started to walk in front of him. "I mean, I guess your definitions are different, but in a spiritual and supernatural sense Ponta is earth and Ga and Ura is the afterlives. Perhaps Ura holds different souls compared to Ga, but whatever I shouldn't try imposing my own ideology on you," she chuckled and quickly waved off the idea, "So where are we going?"

"My home," he said as he gave her an understanding smile and offered his hand back to her. "It's a few leagues away, but we can get there in about an hour. I'll show you around in the meantime, but you'll have to stick close. We don't like a lot of intruders here." Sophie nodded as she grabbed his hand, following him into the city as they made their way from one side to the other.

"What a grand place," Sophie commented, Naum giving her a smile as they continued down the road, "but why met me in Ga? Wouldn't it be easier for you to meet me here?"

"That's the thing," he sighed, "you're an outsider and seen as a daemon. Even Time and Space are seen as daemons here. The only being we see as a god or divine is mostly Life and she is told to live here in Ponta in one of the cities."

"Oh so you know her?" Sophie chuckled. "That's funny. I know Death and you know Life."

"That's right," he nodded. "She is the source of our thriving communities here, but lives down here. She actually lives up in Ura if you can believe that, but only shows up once a year during the annual celebration. Ummm… there's more I should probably tell you." Naum pointed up to a large building as they walked by, painted in white and covered in platinum all around its columns. "We believe in gods and we're polytheistic," he continued, "and that's the temple we've monument to Life. There is a court of virgins, almost all women, who come and pray every day. There's also a celebration every year before the coming of Life, where they sacrifice one young pure girl between the ages of thirteen to seventeen."

"Sacrifice?" Sophie frowned, "Why do something as barbaric as a sacrifice?"

"The girl is placed up on the alter there," he pointed to a large white stone slab placed at the top of the steps of the temple, "and sacrificed by cutting open her heart for all to see. I thought I should tell you just in case you're staying here for a long time. The time for sacrifice is almost upon us."

"But you still didn't answer my question," Sophie huffed, "as to why you have to _sacrifice~_ someone."

"Actually it's all just myth and tradition," Naum shrugged. "I'll tell you more about it later, but to be honest I've never liked the idea either. Sadly it's not my place to comment on the mortals' activities. It's been going on for at least three thousand years and probably more if this keeps up. Anyways my home is on the outskirts of the city, right where my mother is. Did I tell you about her? I suppose I didn't," he chuckled nervously.

"No you didn't," Sophie told him, "so who is she?"

"She calls herself Eve and she lives at the house up there on the other side of the hill," Naum pointed. "Once we're inside she can explain to you what she does and everything that happens here, but I'll have to go back into town to gather food for tonight. You won't mind if I leave you so soon, do you?"

"No that's alright," she chuckled as she waved him off. "This is just a curious place, that's all."

"Well please stay on her property," he continued. "If anyone catches scent that you're actually an outsider you'll be arrested and thrown back into Ga."

"I don't think that'd be a problem," Sophie smiled, "as long as you don't take all day that is."

"I won't," he chuckled as they walked over the hill and made their way to a little cottage out in the middle of a forest. It was small and made from the hollowed trunk of a large tree, but Sophie shrugged off the idea of how weird living the tree must be since the rest of this world was much different than her own. Naum grinned as he plucked a piece of growing fruit from the tree, throwing it over to Sophie who instantly caught it in her hand. "We try to grow our own food here," Naum explained, "but sometimes I have to go into the city to buy more, like meat for instance. Don't worry about getting sick. You can eat the fruit that's living in Ponta. Just don't eat anything in Ga and Ura, especially Ga. If you eat something in Ga then you turn into one of them, a daemon."

"Alright," Sophie nodded, looking at the curious new fruit in her hand as she munched down on it. Her eyes lit up, it tasted just like a peach!

"That's called an ula berry. We're famous for growing them. Come inside! Eve is expecting you." Sophie smiled at Naum's enthusiasm as he led her into the house, closing the door behind her as he called for the woman named Eve in the house.

Sophie looked around, curious at the objects around the room. The inside was tastefully decorated with floral wall paper and curtains. The ground had a large rug covering most of the room, covering up the dirt that was hidden underneath. What perked her interest were the bottles all around the room, pots boiling and the smell of fermented chemicals in the air. "We create potions and medicine," Naum explained as he took out a strange looking root from a cupboard and started chewing on the end, "its Eve's specialty. She used to be this great Goddess of Life, but she retired many years ago and met me here. This was my home, you see, and since I would hang out here every day and I had nowhere else to go she adopted me."

"So she's not really your mother?" Sophie nodded.

"That's correct," Naum chuckled, "but it's quite alright. I still see her as my mother regardless. Would you like a sea root? It helps sooth headaches and heat strokes."

"No that's alright," Sophie put up her hands, Naum shrugging as he closed the cupboard and slumped down in a nearby chair.

"Maybe she went out…" Naum thought to himself, offering Sophie to sit beside him as he kept an eye on the pots. "Well I'll stay here till she gets back. You can go to sleep if you'd like. Traveling can tire you out, and since you've come a long way I'd think you'd need a break."

"Ummmm… thank you I suppose," Sophie nodded.

"Just sleep here on the clam while I go look for Eve for you. She probably just went off to tend to her garden. She does those things at the most unnecessary times," he sighed, getting up and throwing the rest of the root into one of the pots. "_I'll be right back~_" he told her, dashing out of the house and leaving Sophie alone sitting contently on a couch, but she supposed this was the clam he was talking about. She set down her bag beside her on the ground and sighed, her eyelids flickering as she noticed how tired she really was.

!#$%^&*()

Hearing a large array of voices Sophie slowly opened her eyes, yawning as she stretched her arms out and pulled her body out of the slump she was in over the edge of the clam. She heard a light chuckle coming from the other side of the room, noticing a blur of a womanly figure in bright white. Rubbing her eyes and adjusting her vision she noticed it was indeed a woman, a beautiful woman in a light white cloth that barely hid anything underneath. She had a light blue shawl over her shoulders, wrapped over her bosom with matching sandals to match. "You must be Serbus correct?" she asked, Sophie nodding as she groggily shifted off of the clam she was sleeping on to give her a better look.

"Sophia Serbus," she told her, holding out her hand for a shake, "but I prefer Sophie. W-ho are you?"

"Eve," the other woman chuckled lightly, "and if you're wondering where Naum is he went back into town. Come sit back down. You look tired."

"N-no I don't," Sophie pouted as she was forced to sit back down as the older woman pressed her hand against Sophie's chest, "I actually feel rather refreshed –"

"Don't give me that Miss God of Death. You creatures are _always~_ tired," she giggled at her. Sophie sighed as she let the woman sit beside her, looking her over and noticing how bright her extra-long emerald hair was and how light her indigo eyes stared into her own crystal blue and shinigami green eyes. "So you are a God of Death," the woman asked, "and this great rival against Naum no? I do have to say, I've only met a God of Death other than yourself one other time, and he was quite a stiff when I **first** met him."

"Sadly that's just how it is where I come from," Sophie shrugged. "We live only to reap souls. Do tell me though how your world is different from my own? Naum didn't really explain everything well."

"He can get sidetracked," Eve chuckled, "but I guess I can tell you about us. Ummm… before we start would you like a beverage? I have some potions if you're thirsty."

"Nah that's alright," she held up her hand.

"But I _**insist~**_" Eve huffed, staring at Sophie holding out a cup of green water.

"If you insist," Sophie pouted, taking the cup and slowly drinking the liquid inside.

Eve grinned and patted her on the head, pulling out her own cup and filling it with the liquid from one of the pots before sitting back down. "Now you're question," she giggled as she thought to herself. "Usually I expect payment for information like this, but since you're one of Death's little followers I'll leave that for another time." She set down her cup on a nearby table and rubbed her nose, letting out a sneeze as the fumes made their way into her nose. Sophie smirked at the little squeak that came out of her mouth before the woman continued. "I assume Naum has told you about our different dimensions? Ponta, Ura, and Ga?"

"Yep," Sophie nodded. "What is with those names?"

"Actually those names come from _**your~**_ Greek mythology," Eve explained, "that came over from the first Empress."

"Empress?" Sophie asked.

"Yes our worlds are very different, but are similarities too," she smiled. "You see there is this legend, which I actually know the origins of and have witnessed this first hand. Before our worlds used to grow together, Ponta, Ura, and Ga I mean, but way at the beginning when the world was being created creatures called daemons came forth. They were created from damned souls that were rejected to become humans, and thus they roamed Ga till the end of their years. If you want to look at it another way: Ponta is your earth, where you can live and breathe. Ura and Ga are supernatural realms where the dead souls go after they die. We have a problem of souls staying here in Ponta; that's why we have Goddesses of Life. Anyways Ga is where the tainted souls go, like daemons, and Ura is where the pure souls go, which is why the goddess, Life, lives up there. She has created these beings called Goddesses of Life and they go about taking beings back to their original destinations. Some go to Ura, others Ga, and if they weren't supposed to die they go back to Ponta. These goddesses are actually dead, but have been given new life by, well Life. The original work the goddesses were supposed to do is give life, but as time went on their jobs were tweaked. There aren't many males who are Goddess of Life, but there are a few who are. Naum is one of them."

"Wait," she interrupted her, "so your Goddess of Life are like my Gods of Death?"

"Similar I suppose," she shrugged, "but you associate yourselves with death. We give life. That's the difference." Sophie nodded, trying to clearly understand everything, but most of what the woman was telling her was going past her head and out the window. "Also Miss Serbus, our world lives in a maternal type of structure. Meaning females are the ones mostly in charge and the males usually obey. They grow similarly to your own world, but over time they've grown apart from their similar beliefs. Before it used to be paternal here, but now it's maternal, and it's always been maternal since the beginning of time. That's a reason why Life lives here actually, but enough about that. Do you have any other questions?"

"I actually do," Sophie chuckled. "I heard about temple worship from Naum and various deities. What goes on here?"

"The deities are usually supernatural beings that have shown their selves to the humans here," Eve continued to explain. "The temple worship in this particular city is just a branch from that, a way for them to find favor with these deities that may or may not exist anymore. Some are for good harvests, others to chant death away from their lives. Things like that. I'm guessing Naum told you about the sacrifices?" Sophie nodded and Eve couldn't help but grin. "Yes they do sacrifice young maidens, but this is prepared every year in advance. This is to bring a good harvest and to call upon Life, but she doesn't usually come down for those. She actually despises them. It defeats the purpose of living, right? To kill others I mean." Eve sighed as she slumped back in her chair, Sophie setting her cup down somewhere before leaning back on the clam. "I have to show up in her temple most of the time during this time of year, since she doesn't like to go. That ceremony is to also ward off Death, who would show up sometimes showing that the crops will be bad and there will be famine that year. Actually if Death shows up the maiden lives, but if Life shows up she doesn't. Weird isn't it, that if Death comes someone lives and if life comes they don't."

"Yes it is," Sophie pouted, "but there must be a reason why there's a temple. Why only girls?"

"They are the dominant of this species of mortals," Eve explained, "and they usually don't die unless they attack each other. There's also a hidden truth behind it, which there was that Empress three thousand years ago that ruled over this people. Actually she didn't come from here, she came from your world and teleported herself back and forth, but she reformed society and changed many of their beliefs. Even warred against the Ga dwellers and defeated them for a short period of time. She tried to change their attitude towards human sacrifice, but alas many didn't like that idea. Still she is valued in the history books as the greatest that ever lived because she brought great peace. There's a throne in that temple as a symbolic gesture just in case she ever comes back. Now there's more to that temple, but since you're tired and Naum will be out late I'll let you sleep. Come with me and I'll let you rest in one of the extra rooms."

"Okay," Sophie answered meekly, following Eve as she stood up and made her way up a winding stairs.

Sophie followed behind and walked down a narrow hallway, the other woman opening the door for her and inviting her inside. "I actually redecorated for you in mind. I painted the walls gray so they don't blind your eyes while you sleep. I know how you Gods of Death tend to hate bright lights so I dulled the place for you."

"T-thank you," Sophie bowed, the woman giving her a wave and a giggle as she said goodbye and went back downstairs. Sophie smiled because she left the door open for her, sighing as she looked around the room and set her bag down at the foot of the bed. Flopping down she rested her head on what she assumed was a pillow and instantly went back to sleep, trying to process everything that had transpired in her unconscious mind.

!#$%^&*()

**A/N: Tada! More information for you XD Well I hope you guys are excited for this new adventure. I am =3 Now doesn't Naum seen to have the same problems as Sophie? Oh I can't wait to go more into that! XD**

Gaia – Ancient Greek mythology, "land" or "earth"; goddess or personification of Earth in ancient Greek religion, one of the Greek primordial deities. Gaia was the great mother of all: the heavenly gods, the Titans and the Giants were born from her union with Uranus , while the sea-gods were born from her union with Pontus

Pontus – Ancient Greek mythology, "sea"; an ancient, pre-Olympian sea-god, one of the Greek primordial deities. Pontus was Gaia's son and, according to the Greek poet Hesiod, he was born without coupling. For Hesiod, Pontus seems little more than a personification of the sea, ho pontos, "the Road", by which Hellenes signified the Mediterranean Sea. With Gaia, he fathered Nereus (the Old Man of the Sea), Thaumas (the awe-striking "wonder" of the Sea, embodiment of the sea's dangerous aspects), Phorcys and his sister-consort Ceto, and the "Strong Goddess" Eurybia. With the sea goddess Thalassa (whose own name simply means "sea" but is derived from a pre-Greek root), he fathered the Telchines and all sea life

Uranus – Ancient Greek mythology, "sky" or "heaven"; primal Greek god personifying the sky. His equivalent in Roman mythology was Caelus. In Ancient Greek literature, Uranus or Father Sky was the son and husband of Gaia, Mother Earth. According to Hesiod's Theogony, Uranus was conceived by Gaia alone, but other sources cite Aether as his father. Uranus and Gaia were the parents of the first generation of Titans, and the ancestors of most of the Greek gods, but no cult addressed directly to Uranus survived into Classical times, and Uranus does not appear among the usual themes of Greek painted pottery. Elemental Earth, Sky and Styx might be joined, however, in a solemn invocation in Homeric epic

Ula – Celtic – sea jewel


	76. The Parallels

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I'm sorry guys for not uploading a chapter for a while. My mind has been on other fanfics and I don't know. I just need a bit of a break from this for a while… probably. Don't worry I'll post chapters every week (I have enough for a month or two if it's only one a week(though I doubt I'll just do that)) just I'd like to have my mind on different stories and different ideas. I currently have a little Grell fanfic in the works and two others I've been meaning to get to. I wrote little blurps for them, but right now they're just left unattended. So I don't know. We'll see. My other two fanfics is an UndertakerxGrell fanfic where Grell, after the Jack the Ripper arc, has to go help a certain mortician we know about. Sadly the poor little red-head sees a _little~_ too much then he should have and turns into a 'Stockholm syndrome' type of relationship. Meh I was just trying it out. I don't know if I'd post it or not. And it'd be rated M just because… it has to be =3. And the other is a TK Bakura fanfic (yugioh) with OC as main character. It's completely different from the story I had been writing years ago because I figured there was no point in trying to figure out what I was trying to write. So there you go. That's what I've been working on. Yes I know, I should finish the stories I had been writing, but my head wants to do other things! And I've been working on this for almost a year, so it's time to move my mind around a little. I bet I'll start working on it once summer school starts and I'll narrow down the fanfics I'll work on, but for now it'll just be working with those fanfics and seeing if I like them… so yeah. There you go. Now I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter! (and sorry for ranting DX)**

!#$%^&*()

Sophie groaned, an array of voices calling to her inside of her head. She took the pillow and slammed it into her face, trying to muffle out the sound as best she could. Unable to get back to sleep she woke herself up, rubbing her head in frustration and trying to figure out where she was. Oh that's right. She was in Naum's world now. Sighing she got out of bed, frowning once she noticed she had fallen asleep in her clothing. "So you're woken up," she heard a womanly voice come from the door, "but I see you have troubles with nightmares. You kept yelling and mumbling to yourself before you went quiet again."

"Oh sorry," Sophie chuckled nervously, "I-I always have nightmares when I get comfortable in my sleep. Sorry about that."

"It's not problem," Eve smiled, "Naum suffers from the same problem. The two of you must have similar lives or something. Aren't you about thirty five years old?"

"About," she shrugged. "How do you know –"

"_I have my ways~_" she grinned. "Now I wonder what you were dreaming about, but you don't have to tell me if you like your privacy –"

"No that's alright," she smiled. "I'll tell… Ummmm… I was just having a dream about this time when I was alive where my mother and my caretaker almost died… then I saved them I supposed, but I had this chilling feeling in the pit of my stomach. It was a time when my caretaker took away my memories, but before he did and I was blacking out I heard a voice in the back of my head. Then a multitude. That usually never happens you see so I had to wake up."

"Ah," Eve realized, "you must be hearing the virgins at the Temple of Life. That must be it! They have spiritual prayers at this time, and they actually started a while ago. That must be what's speaking to you… so that means they must have the dagger."

"Wait," Sophie held up her hand, "don't you know that they would have it?"

"I don't," she shook her head, "because no one has ever truly seen these daggers. The priestesses must use the dagger as a religious object of some sorts and don't know the true reason behind it. Anyways enough about that." Eve grinned walking into the room and pulling out a door, grabbing a pair of clothes from the closet and throwing them on the bed. "Naum will be back just before nightfall and I'll cook dinner for the two of you. In the meantime I figured you would like to see this city and the safest time to wander the streets is at night. For you I mean, not normal humans. There's a tub two doors down to your left where you can freshen up. I advise you to so you can smell like a normal being around here. Your scent smells of blood and death and a mere human will tell you don't smell similar to them."

Sophie smiled, sitting up and stretching her limbs. "Alright," she agreed, "but how long do you think this will take?"

"We can discuss the details after you freshen up," Eve giggled, "but for now I'll be creating potions. _Call me if you need anything~_" she finished with a chuckle, leaving Sophie in the room as she heard her footsteps patter down the stairs.

Sophie sighed as she looked at the clothes, a long white robe with a slit leading up her right leg. There were also white pants, to Sophie's relief, and a light cerulean and silver vestment that would tie around her chest with a silver rope. There was also a long, thick cerulean scarf that she decided would go around her waist to hold everything together, noticing a white towel laid beside the rest of the clothes. Sophie smiled once she noticed this, grabbing the towel, walking down the hallway, and wandering into the bathroom. Then she locked the door behind her, since she didn't want anyone walking in on her while she was trying to bathe. She looked at the tub and noticed the designs were similar to the one that was at Undertaker's house. So she didn't have a problem turning on the water and waiting for the tub to fill a little more than half of the way, before stripping and throwing her clothes off to the side and walking into the tub. She smiled. The water wasn't too hot or too cold. She sighed as she let the water soak into her skin, flakes of dry blood coming off of her body and dissipating into the water. Noticing a bottle and reading the label, she figured it was the shampoo and followed the instructions on the bottle as she placed it on her head. The same she did with a bar of soap, which smelt of sea-foam and fish. She chuckled, humming to herself as she tried to come up with an explanation to how she could take a bath underwater. She'd have to find time to write this in her black book, she decided, and hopefully Naum won't be back for a while so she'd have time.

!#$%^&*()

A young girl in a white floral gown skipped up to the large hallow tree, knocking on the door and before inviting herself in. "Mrs. Eve is Naum –" she paused as her eyes narrowed in on an unfamiliar being, a woman no less, writing in a black book before looking up and noticing her. She gulped as vibrant crystal blue and shinigami green eyes stared into her own bright lilac eyes, turning away to the floor in embarrassment. "W-who are you a-and do you know where Mrs. Eve is –"

"Eve went out to tend to her garden," Sophie told her with a slight smile, noticing the other girl's long orange hair braided behind her head, keeping the bangs from her eyes except for a few fringes, "and as for me, my name it's Sophia, but you can call me Sophie." Then Sophie sighed, feeling the stare on her as she went back to writing in an attempt to ignore the other girl.

"Sophie…" she said slowly, huffing as she went to a cabinet close to the clam Sophie was sitting on and pulling out a root, then sitting down next to her and snarling quietly to herself. "I suppose I'll wait for her then," she sighed, "since Eve never likes being disturbed… What are you doing here anyways?"

Sophie casually looked at her before shrugging, her eyes going back to her book as she continued to write in her book. "You haven't even introduced yourself to me, so why should I tell you why I'm here?" she finished in a snappy voice, the girl growling as she spat the end of the root on the ground.

"What are you another suitor for Naum?" she sneered. "You know I'm getting pretty pissed off to find you _she-devils_ running about like you own this place. And what's with that look on your face?" she growled as Sophie looked up from her book and started to look at the wall, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to not show that disrespectful girl some sense in that blunt mind of hers. "Oh you want to snap or something? Go right ahead you knifing –"

"Rehana what are you doing here?" came a voice from the door as Naum walked into the room, slamming the door closed with his foot and walking across the room to set the food in his hand down on a table.

"Naum!" she grinned happily, rushing over to him and wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He grumbled in protest as she giggled, kissing him on the cheek and causing his face to turn a new shade of pink. "I wanted to stop by before I was forced to go to bed," she explained, "but I see you're having _other~_ company –"

"Now it's not like that Reha," he sighed. "Pardon her Sophie. She's a bit protective of me at times." Naum ignored Reha's huffs and pouts behind him, confused with the whole ordeal as he took out the food and began to put them away in ice boxes and other places around the room.

"No harm," Sophie shrugged as she crossed her leg on top the other and set her book down on top of her knee, continuing to write in her little black book and paid no attention to the others in the room. "I just wasn't expecting her."

"But hey now –"

"Reha please," he sighed, "I'll explain in a second… So what are you doing over there?"

"Catching up on some writing," Sophie continued casually. "I write down all the little mishaps that have happened to me over the years. There's a bunch of little spells and descriptions in here on other species, but I've never had time to go through everything."

"Wow," Naum chuckled with an intrigued look on his face as he set the rest of the food away and walked over to her. "A skull and cross bones on the cover? Of course a being associated with Death would have that."

"D-death?" Reha gulped, Naum looking over at her before giving her a smile. "W-who exactly are you?" Reha frowned as her head her hands to her chest, frightful of what the woman could actually do.

"What? Is Death _so~_ foreign here?" Sophie sighed before a chuckle escaped her lips. "Wait I shouldn't be surprised. You're a place of _Life~_ after all."

"_Hey~~_" he growled as he sat down next to her, "Life is a good thing to have around –"

"Yes, but Death is always there too," Sophie interrupted him as she flipped a page. "Unknowing, unseeing, till the last standing moments when Life becomes so unbearable that Death invites you into its arms and lets you depart." She let out a smile, the two of them looking at her wearily as a smile glazed on her face before she slammed the book in her hand and set it aside in her bag. "So Reha told me you have suitors too," Sophie smirked, "What's with that?"

Naum chuckled nervously, "Oh **that**," he sighed. "I'm what, thirty five I think, and it's about time I get married I suppose. Darn, I hate it though! Being married to some woman who won't respect me and is only using me for my powers."

"That's why I don't see why **you're** here," Reha growled. "And why are you two casually talking? Shouldn't you kick her out by now –"

"This is Sophia Serbus, a God of Death," he told her, Reha gulping once she realized what she was while Sophie turned to him with a disapproving look on her face. "What?" he chuckled as he grinned at Sophie, "She's my girlfriend alright? I trust she'll keep this secret between us, right Reha?"

"Now that **someone** told me, I suppose I will," she sighed. "S-so you're a **God** of _**Death~?**_ Naum w-what is going on here? What has happened?" Reha walked over to the clam, sitting on Naum's knee and looking deeply into his silver steel eye with emerald in the center with worry, a weak smile on his face as he gently rubbed her cheek.

"Sophie would you like to explain –"

"I don't know," Sophie answered with a sigh. "I don't know what's going on myself Reha. What are you exactly? A human?"

"I'm one of the virgins at the temple," Reha smiled proudly, "and I took the position so I could work closer to Naum and get his attention. Worked didn't it?" She giggled happily.

"Yes," Naum chuckled playfully, "she's one of the virgins at the temple. Not a priestess. She's in a group of girls selected to be the sacrifice, but one out of twenty would chosen from each group. So she'll be okay," he smiled. "She helps around the temple learning the various chants and praying. You see, every girl that is there becomes a priestess, a big prestige really. Once you've passed seventeen you are a full-fledged priestess, able to go through life knowing that you don't have the fear that you may be sacrificed. Actually Reha's almost at that age. After this next sacrifice she'll have her birthday in the fall and be able to take the oath."

"Yep," she smiled happily to the woman. "I'm sorry if I've been disrespectful. My name is Rehana, RehanaTaranaki, but you can call me simple Reha if you wish. It's what my friends call me after all."

"Well thank you," Sophie nodded, reaching over for a cup on the table beside her and beginning to sip from the tea within.

"Oh I forgot," Naum chuckled, "that I haven't said that the priestess and Goddesses of Life work hand in hand. So I'm always at the temple it seems… like that God of Death building that your kind congregate in. It's just we're more connected with the humans it seems, that's all."

Sophie nodded, finishing her tea before standing up. "Now Eve told me that I can go into the city as it gets dark. Coming?"

"What?" Naum pouted. "Now? What if you get caught or hurt –"

"Look the sooner we find those daggers the sooner we can get back to our own lives," Sophie huffed. "I dislike the feeling that some simple being is controlling me. Now Eve gave me a hint that the dagger that could be controlling me is in your temple. Is there a way I can get in?"

"W-well only Reha and I can go in there," Naum frowned, "but perhaps we can get you in some way… I-I'll think about it."

"Right," Sophie sighed, giving him a tired look even though she must have been asleep a few hours now. "It's not like I'm ungrateful for the hospitality you've given me, but my own home needs me back. No one is really giving me the details and I'm started to get irritated. This darn game of theirs," she grumbled under her breath.

"For the record I don't know anything either," Naum chuckled, "but anyways I'll bring you around the city if you wish. Reha would you like to come along?"

"No I need to get back," she smiled finally being noticed, "just wanted to come and see that you were okay. I heard that you suddenly left Ponta for some reason, but since you look fine I'll stop worrying. Though… what exactly are you two talking about?"

"I'll explain later," Naum smiled, "tomorrow when I go back to work. Now if we're going to go let's do it now. I want to explain _everything~_ before dinner is ready." Sophie nodded as she grabbed her bag and followed the two, closing the door behind her as the others casually talked to each other like old friends. She smiled; glad that Naum had a small love of his own, though as soon as the smile came on her face it had faded away just as quickly once she was reminded of Jericho. To have a friend like Reha, a lover like Reha… that's something Sophie barely has anymore. Sure in the beginning Jericho liked her, but now he's slowly leaving her behind as he continues to stress himself with wanting to become the master of his own household. It's changing him. Maybe she shouldn't have stressed that he **needed** power. That's not what he really needed. Sophie just wanted him to have a decent backbone instead of acting inferior to others. That's why no one takes him seriously, and that's what Sophie meant when she told him to grow up. "Hey Sophie are you coming?" Naum called, Sophie looking up before giving him a smile.

"Yes I am," she nodded, waving over to them as he held her hand. Naum noticed the sad look in her eyes as she had her eyes downcast to the road, deciding to ask her later as they continued towards the city and close to the temple.

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Since Naum had left to work early in the morning and she had nothing to do, Sophie decided to go back into the city to look around while Eve was asleep. She could swear that the woman was similar to Undertaker, at least in the little habits like sleeping in late and never wanting to be disturbed when they're working, **actually** working. Sophie noticed that Eve was a doctor and medicine woman, healing those who came into her shop from colds to wounds with a grin upon her face. She used techniques Sophie have never even heard before, spending most of the day yesterday watching Eve work on her clients before going out and working on her garden. Her garden was where she grew most of the herbs for her potions and medicine, though a few times she would have Naum go into the forest to gather specific plants if she didn't have any.

Still Sophie felt this world was odd, especially since most of the inhabitants lived in the water and were below the domain of the demons. Daemons, she corrected herself in her head as she walked along the cobble stones and glided into the city. She was glad that she could change her aura and appearances, though all she did was change her aura so she felt like one of them. Besides everyone was nice and didn't bother her, as long as she didn't bother them that is. The daemons brought about her curiosity as she moved through the city, stopping at the temple and looking at the white marble and paint being scrubbed for the day. That Reha girl was a strange one, but as long as she made Naum happy she could care less. She had a strong hatred when she found Sophie the other day, as the others do when Sophie had been walking around the city until she tuned her aura with theirs. That must have how it was with the daemons and that only perked up Sophie's curiosity even more. There was something Naum and Eve weren't telling her and she wanted to find out, her gaze looking over as she looked at the edge of the ocean where Naum had led her from. The realm of Ga was very close to where Naum lived, which may have been why he was a Goddess of Life. The closer one is to both land masses the more one has to be cautious of their surroundings, alerting those around them of any signs of daemons or outsiders. Sophie was conflicted to go back up there as she walked along the road, leaving the temple behind as she stepped off of the road and made her way up the hill towards the surface.

Before she could go any higher a hand stopped her; Sophie turning around in a flash to find Naum grabbing hold of her wrist with a frown on his face. "What are you doing Sophie?" Naum snarled, Sophie pulling her arm away from him as he grunted roughly. "You're not supposed to go up there –"

"Naum you can't stop someone's curiosity," she grinned, Naum rolling his eyes as his angry demeanor quickly subsided.

"You know curiosity killed the squid, right?" Naum huffed and shook his head.

"But no one accomplished anything sitting on their butts and twitting their thumbs," she smirked back.

Naum walked around her cautiously and blocked her movements towards the surface, much to her disappointment. "Anyways it's a good thing I stopped you. There was an advancement of daemons and I fell back making sure no one would be in harm's way –"

"If there's an advancement then I'll do what I can to help," she smiled at him, lightly pushing him aside as he let out a startled huff. "You've been caring for me for two days already and I'm getting bored. Might as well help you right?"

"Sophie don't –"

"Naum I'm going whether you like it or not," she huffed, stopped and turning around holding a vicious grin on her face, "_Unless~_ you have the balls to pull me back to Eve's house… no? Great –"

"Serbus as your caretaker at the moment I strongly advise –"

"Advise Naum?" she snorted causing a growl to escape his throat with irritation on his lips, "Try harder than _advise~~_, little Kaoboros."

He narrowed his eyes and ran up to her, grabbing hold of her hand roughly and causing her to look into the gray mist in his eyes. "_**Don't tempt me**_," he cautiously warned her, Sophie raising an eyebrow with intrigue as he tried to stay strong. "I don't know what authority you own back in your own world, but here we do things **my** way. If you dislike it go back home, alright –"

"I knew you had a backbone," she smirked at him, Naum's eyes widening in astonishment once he realized she was only testing him. "I was wondering how long it would take till I saw it. Well no matter," she shrugged as she pulled her arm away and began walking down the sand, "I'll go back. Just know that you can't hold me forever Kaoboros, so whatever you're hiding it can't stay hidden for long. _I'll find it~~_"

Smirking Sophie left, Naum's mouth almost dropping till he started sneering under his breath. "Damn it," he grumbled as he turned and made his way to Ga, "sneaky goddess. Eve was right. Death likes to toy with you." He pulled his white hood over his head as he emerged out of the water, assuming Sophie had gone home and he wouldn't have to deal with her for the rest of the day. How wrong he was.

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**A/N: And now I realize I should have posted this sooner DX Oh well! What do you think? Excited for another chapter? Depending on my weekend I may or may not post another chapter for this story. We'll see. I just want to get at least one out there this week. As always I hope you enjoys this!**

Rehana – Indian – sweet smelling plant, a beautiful, pure, balmy scented flower

Taranaki – Māori – shining mountain peak


	77. The Purpose

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I'm sorry for not posting anything for a while. I was too involved in trying to figure out my yugioh fanfic that my mind was on other things. I wanted to write that one instead of this one, but hey I have a few more chapters to post. So I've just been neglecting the reviews ;3 And just so you know, I've wanted to complete a yugiohxOC fanfic as much as I want to complete a kuroshitsujixOC fanfic. Just yugioh was first on my mind and to be honest kuroshitsuji was replacing yugioh. Now my ideas are back… different, but back nonetheless, so that's why I've been doing other things. I only have one chapter up right now, but whatever. Anyways I'm sorry for not posting anything. Still I hope you enjoy this next chapter ^^**

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Instead of heading straight back to Eve's house, assuming she was still asleep, Sophie went back into the city and walked around, talking to the people in their native tongue with a smile on her face. She had dulled her eyes so they were a plain crystal blue, but her hair she kept vibrant and auburn red. Honestly her hair was tame compared to the other hair colors she'd seen, ranging from bright fiery reds, reminding her of a certain livewire shinigami she knew, to dark cool purples. Heck, the first time she saw Reha's hair she was amazed by how bright it was, but according to the young girl her hair was the less beautiful around the city, which Sophie found to be ridiculous. Upon deeper conversations Sophie had learned of Reha's background, along with Naum's own background.

Reha grew up in an orphanage and since she had no parents she was brought into the temple for her purity. Reha explained that being a priestess was the highest honor imaginable, but all she cared about was being close to Naum. Naum she also met at the orphanage, but instead of being a baby brought in he was the same age as her and had seen his parents die before his eyes at the age of eight. They had been childhood friends ever since, but only a few months since Naum were living at the orphanage a woman came by and adopted him. Naum actually knew the woman very well, since the woman came by his parents' home as a frequent visitor and sometimes patient. Reha was actually grateful that Naum got to live at his old home again, but still this made Sophie concern. If she was going to look at their lives, hers and Naum's were on constant parallels. Losing parents by the age of eight, being kicked out of your home and sent to an orphanage, and being brought back a few months later by a much more mysterious being then Sophie would like to admit. That woman, Eve, felt strangely like Undertaker. Not by aura, but something else… like how she was slightly different than Naum, but oddly enough they were similar then they would like to admit. She guessed Eve knew his parents, and Naum did answer her in saying yes. Still the idea unnerved Sophie as she made her way through the town, deciding to buy some food with the currency Eve had given her and try the food out for herself.

As she chewed on a piece of seaweed another thought crossed her minded, Rehana. Childhood friends, but yet she was close to death as Haden was every day. Unsuspecting to the each other that one was closer to death then the other would like to admit, Rehana constantly having to worry if she was going to be the next sacrifice every year. Of course, over the years they came to shrug off the feeling of worry, but still it was obviously there by the way Naum held her like she would vanish in his grip if he even stopped to blink. Sophie sighed. She wished she could have had some vague warning, some indication that death was coming. Haden didn't tell her a thing and by the time she found out it was too late. She had to admit, the allure of life's trance could be too overwhelming to leave. Life, with all its beauty was constantly leading you to Death, your demise. Perhaps that's why Sophie had grown cold at times, but it was her defense to seeing another person she knows die before her. Naum had seen the same horrors as she, but yet is able to go through his life without much care that his friends would die. That's what troubled Sophie. Was it better to live a carefree life without worrying that your friends would die or a life filled with worry, but able to laugh carefree with your friends knowing you will one day die defending them from the world. Sophie thought the latter, since that's what she lived for. Her father was a warrior and thus she would too, even if there was perhaps a dagger around here that had been speaking to her and beckoning her to obey. If it came down between her friends, family, and even her home to herself she was going to choose herself, letting the world destroy her if it was necessary to keep everyone she knew safe. Besides she had already made that decision years ago, when she was in the orphanage talking to Haden and Miss Robin. She was never going to back down, never give into defeat till she knew for certain they were safe. Then, only then, would she let go and fall, fall to the demise she had always embraced with open arms.

That's when Sophie decided that it was time to act instead of wait around for Naum to get his ordeals in order. Besides she was never one to follow the rules fully anyways. There was _always~_ a way to get around them. Continuing down the steps she bought clothes from local vendors, collecting white cloth and similar to the tones she had seen on Reha. Then, slipping behind a vacant alley and throwing the clothes Eve had given her into her bag, Sophie slipped on the white garments and held herself high. Then she wandered down the street and towards the temple, determined to confront these voices in her head.

!#$%^&*()

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Reha had been going about her daily business, fixing food for the others before cleaning up and wandering around the temple. Her heart swelled every time she passed by a group of young girls asking questions and learning, seeing that the temple was in order. Even though she wasn't a full priestess yet she had been given tons of responsibility. Everyone suspected that she was going to live, and so did she. A hard worker as herself would never have the gods frown upon her with misfortune… right?

Reha sighed as she made her way into the back, knowing those casual statements her elders had given her to be untrue and Sophie's words stung her more then she would admit. Naum always said that Death came when you least expected it and to always be prepared when it does, but Reha usually laughed those thoughts aside. This time she didn't, as the raffle for the next sacrifice of the year was being picked by the elders. It was completely random, the names in a big oyster and the elders would pick from the slips. So far Reha had been safe, avoiding the selections with ease every year. This year she felt was different and Reha didn't like the feeling that her name may just be brought out of the oyster. She had come so far as an orphan and she didn't want to leave this life, and more importantly she didn't want to leave Naum. Besides he had been through so much already, losing his parents and then being bullied at the orphanage. Naum was the one who stopped the bullies, but still she knew that Naum was a poor and traumatized soul. She let this _**Sophie~**_ stay, only because she kept Naum happy. Also she was curious herself to why she was there, a God of Death. Death… just the name sent a chill down her spine. To have a being connected to Death here kept her petrified; hoping nothing bad would come to them. Naum already had enough on his plate, fighting the daemons and keeping order in the other realms. He didn't need Death breathing so close to his throat, waiting for him to fail so it could take him to Ura. Reha had not question that Naum would end up in Ura, but still she was still nervous. She didn't want him to leave her, and her him.

She looked up to notice a weird movement from behind a pillar, raising an eyebrow to see that same woman whom was keeping her on edge here, of all places! Keeping her presence unknown Reha followed her, following the being that called herself Sophie down the white hallway and through the doors. Sophie's head was up in the air as if she was trying to find something, trying to sense something. Reha narrowed her eyes. She was getting uncomfortably close to the holy relics that were kept in the back when they weren't being used. Still making sure Sophie didn't notice her Reha hid behind a pillar, watching as Sophie darted her eyes around as she reached her hand out to open the door.

"Hey you," Sophie shot up her head and pulled her hand back, looking over to find a much older woman, perhaps forty, narrowing her eyes at the younger as she prayed her disguise would hold up. "What are you doing? You know half-fledged priestesses are not allowed to go into the Holy Chambers."

"I-I'm sorry miss," Sophie casted her eyes down, speaking in a meek voice and looked away. "I-It won't happen again." Reha raised an eyebrow, noticing Sophie's performance. She was obviously putting on an act, staring her bright blue eyes up at the elder like a whimpering seahorse.

The elder woman's eyes lit up in shock, frightened that she scared the younger girl. "It's quite alright my dear," the woman smiled, "no need to frat. What's your name?"

Reha gulped. If Sophie got caught then Naum would be in serious trouble. She sighed with frustration. This woman really didn't know what she was doing, did she – "Athena Ernest," Sophie smiled happily.

"Athena… A-athena?" the woman asked, Reha's face suddenly turning flushed at the name. "Athena… you're named after the high Empress! How do you know that name? It is absolutely forbidden to use it." Reha gulped. Oh they were done for now!

"W-well my parents named me so I haven't bothered changing it," Sophie frowned, whimpering her bottom lip. "I'm sorry if my name is offensive, but it's not like I **want** to have it. Besides if my parents gave me that name then I will use it. I loved my parents after all…"

"It's alright," the woman smiled and rubbed her back, "I won't tell anyone. Is this your first time here?"

"N-no," Sophie shook her head, gently smiling, "but since you were my elder I gave you my real name. Everyone tends to call me Sophie for some reason, so you can call me that if you wish."

"Sophie… a very uncommon name, but not unheard of," she nodded before chuckling. "Sophie it is. Now I'm sorry for intruding. Can I trust you won't go in there?"

"Of course," Sophie smiled, the woman smiling and rustling up her hair.

"Good girl," she chuckled. "Now if you need me you need to only ask."

"Okay," Sophie smiled happily, watching as the woman turned away and took off down the hallway. That's when Sophie's eyes turned cold; sighing once the woman was too far away from earshot as she scratched the back of her head and fixed the white veil on her head. This place was definitely hiding something, and she was going to figure out what was going on –

"Sophie what are you doing here?" Reha huffed, making her presence known as she walked over to her and grabbed her by the arms. "You shouldn't be here! Go home! Eve will be worried –"

"I could care less," she answered with venom in her words, pushing the girl off of her and shooting daggers with her eyes. "I am here for a reason Reha," Sophie tried to explain, "and I won't stop till it's done. If Naum can't handle it fine, but I won't stop till this control over me has vanquished. Alright? So leave me alone and let me do my work –"

"You're such a horsefly!" Reha suddenly cursed at her, causing Sophie to slowly closer her mouth and stare at her with an irritated look on her face. "Sometimes you just need to take your time –"

"Death does not rest Reha," Sophie responded roughly, a sudden gulp escaping Reha's throat as she noticed the blues, greens, and yellows swirling around in Sophie's eyes. "True, it's nice to bid your time and wait, but right now I can't afford that. Even being here for a few more days will be longer than necessary and I'm not spending a lifetime in this world. I don't know what Naum has told you, but I will tell you this," she huffed as she walked over to Reha, Reha taking a few frightful steps back as her eyes gleamed into her own, "your life is a very beautiful lie indeed. Life is notorious for that, showing as a beautiful lie that everyone wants to go to and cling to. Death is the reality, the painful truth. Our lives always end, and depending on our actions we may go somewhere else or end up on a shelf to collect dust and rot away. Even then it isn't certain, for the ultimate death is a disappearance from total existence. So however you laugh life away know this, whether you like it or not Death will come to you. Today, tomorrow, years from now, but it will come. I find it easier to invite Death, not shy away. So with whatever time I have left I need to use wisely, and right now your attitude and bickering towards me is getting irritating," she finished with a huff, slowly turning her gaze away and looking down the hallway.

Reha gulped, rubbing the back of her head as Sophie crossed her arms over her chest before looking at her annoyed. "How could you get so bitter?" Reha frowned, "And what do you mean you're from a different world? Aren't you a daemon or something –"

"I come from a world leagues away from here," Sophie tried the casually explain, "and the reasons I'm here is because there's an item here taking control of me. My world has one too, an item that has a hold of Naum's mind and speaks to him."

"R-really?" Reha frowned at this new piece of information.

"Yes," Sophie nodded, "why do you think I'm here? I wouldn't be in this strange place if it weren't for that. That moment when Naum ran off several days ago was because of that item, someone controlling it from my own world."

"But why –"

"If you don't understand then don't bother," Sophie let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm behind schedule now… and to answer your former question is this," she slowed down her breathing, calming herself down as she let out a sigh, "Naum and I are very similar, a similarity we don't want to admit. He was raised by a woman of Life, while I was raised by a man of Death. We lost out parents by the age of eight, but my case was more brutally then Naum's it seems. The difference is my first love, the childhood relationship you and Naum had at your orphanage, died only a year or so after my own mother… so don't ask me why I'm bitter. I'm bitter because I want to be bitter. I choose to stay bitter. I care too much for the small amount of friends and family I have left to back down to Life's various whims right now. I need to succeed to get back home."

Reha stood in utter shock, a frown on her face as the other explained her own situation. Reha can see why the woman was angry, serious. If she had died when Naum was young she **knew** he wouldn't have been able to handle himself. He may have even died too… Reha could tell Sophie cared just as much for her own kind as Naum did his and that made a smile show upon her face. "I'll help," Reha gently grinned, her smile growing as Sophie turned her head and looked at her stunned. "If it's important for you to go home then I'll help you, but you have to promise that Naum won't be hurt, alright?"

"I can't make any guarantees, but I'll try," Sophie sighed and giving her a nod. "Thank you though."

Reha nodded back and looked down the hallways, looking back and forth and making sure no one was coming before she pulled out a key and began to fumble with the lock. "I may not be a full-fledged priestess yet, but they have given me the keys to almost everything. If someone asks tell them you're helping me carrying a few of the relics to the front." Sophie shook her head and helped the girl nudge the door open, sneaking in and gently closing the door behind her before it could make a sound. Reha motioned Sophie to follow her, using Reha's silent hand signals to avoid any triggers that could set off an alarm. "You'll have to help me," Reha chuckled, "I-I don't know what we're looking for –"

"That," Sophie pointed to a white dagger set in the middle of the room, Reha's eyes widening in fear as Sophie crept closer.

"Wait don't!" she stopped her, Sophie quickly stopping and turning around to meet Reha's frightened expression. "Y-you can't take that –"

"Why not?" Sophie stared at her, Reha unable to avoid the glow in Sophie's eyes as she continued.

"That dagger is our most sacred relic, given to us by the First Empress and the Divine Creator itself." Sophie paused, noticing the fear in the girl's eyes. So this Empress, the same one who must be named Athena, gave them this dagger? This was becoming more and more interesting. A lot more lively than the mysteries in her own world, and Sophie was starting to love this game.

"Even if everything you say is true, this dagger is the one controlling me," Sophie huffed, "and I won't let you stop me now while I'm so close. Now if you're done…" Leaving the woman's gaze Sophie reached her hand towards the dagger, about the grab it from its cradle before they heard the intercom blare.

"Attention. Attention," they heard, "all priestess gather at the front of the temple."

That's when the door began to rattle, a priestess putting her key into the door and slowly turning the nob. Knowing this may be the last time Sophie could ever do this, she wrapped her hand around the dagger and pulled it away, Reha letting out a horrified yelp into her hands as the door opened. "What are –" They paused as they shielded their eyes from the light, Sophie letting out a loud yell as light radiated from the dagger. Reha had to look away to avoid the strength of the beams of light, blinding her as the others had to close the door and yelp in shock. Sophie slowly opened her eyes and looked down at the dagger, watching the top of the handle suddenly look back at her. The handle looked like a bird, a dove to be specific with white wings beginning to flap as Sophie gripped it hard. She began to hear faint voices again, Sophie letting out a scream as she kept a firm grip on the handle as the white light consumed her, unknowing that white bands began to show up on her wrists and feet and the skull and thorns on her left hand began to glow with intensity.

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Naum looked up from his work, feeling the disturbance in the air. The other creatures did too, turning their gaze over to Ponta as a bright, white glow streamed out of the water and into the clouded sky. "S-sophie?" he whimpered, his hand starting to clutch his chest as he felt a sharp pain and started breathing heavily. "W-wha… h-howw…"

"Kaoboros!" one of his comrades yelled to him, dashing over to him and grabbing him into her chest. "Hey now… hey?... Shit wake up!"

"Come on we have to get out of here," another woman sneered, her light green eyes glaring as a shadow of creatures began to notice the fallen man. "Get up." The other woman nodded and they helped Naum to his feet, carrying him as they retreated back into the water. "Damn daemons," she sneered. "They took away our home and turned it into scum, those bastards."

"Hey we can't care about **that** right now," the other huffed, "Kaoboros fainted for some reason… I-I don't even know if he's breathing."

The other bit her bottom lip, letting in a gulp. "Well let's get back to the temple. We can heal him there – What the hell?" she gasped, looking at the glowing light coming from the center of the city.

The other shrugged as they pulled Naum down the streets, pushing people past as they set him down on the ground and shielded their eyes. "Damn…" she sighed, "H-how will we get into that –"

"Serbus!" they heard a loud voice say, Naum jumping to his feet and running into the temple, "Don't! Don't!" Then he paused. "N-no…" he gulped, the silver in his eyes streaming as he realized something, "N-not Reha… Rehana!" Naum cried, desperately trying to dash into the temple as the two girls held him back. "NO LET ME GO!" he growled, "LET ME GO!"

"Hold him back!" one of them shouted, finally pinning him to the ground and noticing as tears began to stream down his face.

"N-no… R-reha…" Naum bit his bottom lip in an attempt to stop the tears, praying to the gods that this wasn't truly happening to him again.

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**A/N: And now I leave you with a cliffhanger ^^ And yes, Sophie just triggered something she shouldn't have. Tends to do that a lot it seems XD Well I hope you guys are enjoying this. I'll be starting summer school next week and since I'm taking a creative writing class I don't know if I'll have time to write this fanfic or not. We'll see ^^ I won't say yes or no, but we'll see. Oh. And I have a poll up on this account. Please take the poll! I don't know the assignments I may get in creative writing, but I want to see what characters you guys like. That way I can perhaps post the little blurps I write for my class… if I can write fanfics. I don't know. It's easier to not have to make up stories every single time. Anyways I should get going now. THANK YOU FOR READING!**


	78. The Higher Divines

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well sorry guys for not posting as many chapters as I should. I don't know. It's the summer and I was taking a bit of a break ^^ I'll be starting summer courses tomorrow so I decided to post one more chapter for this story and then see how the classes will be. Then I'll see how I'll be writing these fanfics. For all I know I may be putting a few on hold, but I plan on getting this story done. Same thing with the Grell fanfic I have posted and the new yugiohxOC fanfic I've posted. Just so you know… ENJOY! =D**

!#$%^&*()

As the light overcame her Sophie let out a scream, shutting her eyes as her hands gripped the dagger tightly. Then she heard a low faint sound, slowly opening her eyes to find herself surrounded in an array of light. "_Sophia~_… _Sophia~_…" she realized was the voice, looking down at the dagger and noticing the head of the handle was talking to her, its yellow beak moving to talk. "_You think you're so clever~. You think you're so smart~. Are you really~? Did you find what you were looking~ for?_"

Sophie gulped, "I-I don't know what you're talking about –"

"_You found it, the missing~ part of yourself_," the dagger continued, "_here~_… _here in this place~_…"

"Bha –"

"_That missing love~ you lost. You realize~ who it was now, don't you?_" Sophie blinked, noticing the sly smile on the bird's face. "_Haaaaaden~_… _Or do you prefer __Haaaaaariel~?_"

Sophie growled, "Shut up," she sneered as she clutched the… WHATEVER THIS THING IS by the body and rustled its feathers around. "What are you inferring to? I left that part of me behind years ago –"

"_Ahhhh~ yess_… _if you call~~ your true intentions being bottled up inside of your soul till you explode_," it chuckled at her. Sophie growled and the bird continued to smirk, the bright contents of its gem stoned eyes staring deep into Sophie's soul. "_Aren't you jealous~? Naum never has to think about it, for his young love is still living in his world. You~, however, lost your love long ago and seeking to gain it back. It never will~~, unless you find_ –"

"I don't care about that!" Sophie yelled.

"_Oh but you do~_" it spoke back, a shine coming from its eyes and causing Sophie to yelp at the angry light, "_Don't accuse~ __**us~~ **__of being wrong_."

"U-us?" Sophie looked confused.

"_We know all~~_" it continued in a strange set of voices Sophie could barely wrap her head around, "_we see~ all. Your soul, even this pitiful~ soul that has decided to grow within you, is the reason why we~ have ever come to be. For you~ to lose that knowledge puzzles us_… _Why would a creator leave its creations in the dark~?_"

"I think we're going off topic here," Sophie narrowed her eyes, snarling at this strange voice, or voices, or perhaps nothing at all, that was speaking all around her and inside her head. The only way to keep her head from exploding was to stare at this dove in the eyes, this weird dagger that had the audacity to speak with her.

"_We~ apologize_," it grinned, "_we never~ get to speak with you~~, since your 'other' soul mentally blocks us away_." Sophie snuffed, glad that was the case since she didn't even know whom she was talking to and really could care less – "_You __**should**__ care, Sophia~_" the voices continued to her shock. Was this reading her mind? "_To stoop so low~ is puzzling indeed, but I suppose that's what species like humans do~~. They never truly know the contents of their souls before it's too~ late~~. You are bitter now, Sophia. You are confused. You can't understand why Naum~ is able to live his life without the cares or worries you always have. It's because of that girl… and if you wish~ to bring him down with you all you must do is kill~~ her_ –"

"I will do **no** such thing," Sophie huffed. "I'm glad for their happiness anyways –"

"_If you~ don't then __**we~~**__ will_," it continued. "_This one single being is throwing the universe~ off balance. He broke the rules to revive her from illness. She's not supposed~~ to be alive_."

"Isn't that a decision _**Death~**_ should make?" Sophie smirked, "And if you're so high and mighty, shouldn't you have stopped it before it happened? Have you ever thought perhaps this is how the universe is supposed to be, thrown off balance? After all, not _everything~_ can be perfect."

"… _You speak very highly for a being that does not know the infinite~ knowledge of the universe nor the hidden powers you have not~ found to the words you have spoken_," it answered. Sophie gulped, noticing the vicious tone in the voices' words. "_It is your human~~ form that is speaking, a speck of dust in a grand universe of time and space that will surely never stop. The natural order of the cosmos is so~~ grand that your puny little mind can never understand. The godly form that you carry within you, however, we will surely listen to its words_."

Sophie shook her head. "Even if I could that part of my soul would _**never~**_ want to speak to you. You don't understand. If there is a natural order to the universe, light and dark, space and time, life and death, then shouldn't the natural order be that the universe will soon perish? As a loose piece of clothing, once one small thread of string is pulled the rest of the cloth will come undone. Your little off balance is either something that must be or something that **should** have been. Eternity is a long spread of time, but yet still part of time. If what your suspicions are true, even eternity will end for you. Then another will be created or slowly spread into existence. Since the tale goes that the creator came from nothingness, but how could have a something grown from a nothing in the first place? Was it a thought? A _feeling~?_ You don't seem to know," she finished with a smirk.

"_Nor do we have~ to_," the voices continued. "_Regardless you must stand aside. Your poorly developed immortal body is standing in our way_."

"**Never**," Sophie hissed. "I will let myself die before I let that happen –"

"_If you do that then what will happen to your own~ world?_" it stopped her. "_Your existence in that world is needed, if your ideas hold true~. We~~ do not care if your world is destroyed from your absence because that is from your own~ stupidity. Then it was to be that you're killed in this moment, if you wish to save this young girl's life. With what you say is true 'it must be', correct~?_" Then the glow began to fade, the dagger growing silent in Sophie's hands as the darkness began to flood the room.

Suddenly Sophie noticed something, the visible golden bounds around her arms, ankles, and even around her neck. Her eyes widened in fear as she dropped the dagger, pulling on the chains as they disappeared as the light of the dagger was consumed into its blade. That's when Sophie turned around, looking over at Reha as the girl opened her eyes and looked at her. "S-sophie?" she gulped, "W-what just happened? –"

She let out a scream as Sophie jumped at her, her large white wings fanning out as she grabbed hold of Reha and wrapped her body around her. Reha gasped in horror as Sophie lay on top of her, the grip around her fading just as quickly as her scream. "D-don't…" Sophie gulped as she looked back at the dagger with vengeful eyes, "Don't yo-u _**dare~**_ lay a f-finger on this creature. Y-you go against your o-wn rules if you destroy h… er…"

Reha watched as Sophie's eyelids closed, falling limp on her body. "Sophie!" she yelled, shifting her body so she could get up and grab hold of her. Then her eyes widened, noticing the large hole in Sophie's wings. The gods must have tried to kill her, or whatever this woman was sneering about a second ago. Her white wings fluttered around the room as Sophie groaned subconsciously, unable to react to anything that was happening to her body at that moment.

Before Reha could get up the door slammed open, her body instinctively shifting away as several elders walked into the room and stared at dismay in wonder and terror. "W-what happened…" one said, the other staring at daggers and the white wings in the room.

"A **daemon** was in here," another elder sneered. "**That** must be punished –"

"No!" Reha cried out as a group of priestesses grabbed hold of her, another group pulling Sophie away as Reha tried to get back to her. "Don't! The voices were speaking to her! The Gods! She can speak to them! In their own tongue!"

They paused, staring at the girl as she began to cry, their eyes shifting over to the dagger before their baffled eyes rested back on Reha. "Nevertheless it is **forbidden**, humans and daemons, to _**ever**_ touch the Divine Dagger. This woman must be made example of and be sacrificed to the Gods. It is the only way to please them."

"No you're wrong!" Reha screamed, "You didn't hear them! The gods will be furious if you kill Sophie! They will send all their furies upon us! You'll destroy our worlds! –" She yelped as she was slapped in the cheek, whimpering in fear as they silenced her and turned their attention to Sophie.

"Take her away," an elder ordered, the others pulling Reha out the door in one direction as the others pulled Sophie down the hallway towards the front.

"W-what if that girl is telling the truth?" a priestess asked as she talked to the elders. "What if –"

"You have not been here when a daemon tried to steal the dagger many years ago," a elder interrupted her. "They said the same thing, voices speaking to the holder as they mumbled in a strange tongue. After that event we had forty years of drought and we cannot stand for another. Last time we let the daemon go, but not this time. We need to set an example that daemons can't run around as they did three thousand years ago. We must show them whose boss of this domain."Leaving the startled priestess aside they walked to the front of the temple, a crowd slowly starting to gather as the light that was beaming from the temple had faded away.

Naum stood up and pushed the stunned Goddess of Life away, looking up and noticing a powerful presence coming from the temple. It frightened him. "My brethren," an elder began as the inhabitants in the city began to gather, "I bring you tidings of woe. This being, this creature, this _**daemon~**_ sneaked into our realm in order to destroy us. This daemon snuck into our most Holy Chambers and tried to steal our Divine Dagger, given to us by the Gods themselves." Gasps of fear and shock went through the crowd, the elder holding up her hand to silence them. "But fear not!" she continued. "The Gods have spoken to us and have told us what to do! We must sacrifice this daemon today, at this hour, at this time, with the Divine Dagger itself –"

"No you fools!" They heard a loud voice coming from the crowd, Naum growling as he pushed everyone aside as he made his way to the temple. "She speaks lies! The Gods could never speak to the mortals," Naum huffed as he began to walk up the stairs, "Even with the dagger the Gods cannot speak to mortals. Only through messengers like angels. This is an **angel**, not a daemon. She came here by divine right to bring you a message –"

"Do not listen to a mere child my sisters and brothers –"

"I am not a child!" Naum growled, the silver in his eyes swirling around and quickly taking over the other colors. "I am the one true heir to the Kaoboros family! I am here to protect you! What I speak is the truth. Any prophecies have come through me, Naum Karawan Kaoboros, by the Gods through visions. The priestesses at this temple know this and so should the rest of you. It is my family who can communicate with the Gods. Not even daemons have a being that can do this. Only **I**. Perhaps you should hold your tongue before you speak," he glared at the elder, "because it doesn't matter the age the body is, but the age the soul inside the being. I have grown well beyond my years then many of you can hope and dream for and I will **not** stand aside as a Goddess of Life and see our world destroyed by foolish intensions. That is my duty to protect this world and that is what I intend to do. So step aside. If you do not want the woman's help then let her go. We will take over matters from here –"

"You think just because you're immortal means you can push us around," the elder sneered, "well no more! –"

"**Silence**," they heard a low, coarse feminine voice coming from behind the elder, the priestesses looking over in horror as Sophie slowly rose to her feet and pushed them aside. "Immortals were created as morals are. There are not as many differences as you think. There are matters you do not understand. Don't speak of them as if you do." Sophie hissed in pain, looking behind her as her white wings twitched in pain. The hole was still visible in her wings as she shook her feathers making sure her nerves were okay. "Listen to me," she said as she held up her hands and caused the audience to grow quiet, "My name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, a servant of the darkness and God of Death. I am not a daemon or a part of this world. I have come from a world many leagues away, traveled a long distance to make myself known here. This dagger, which you call the Divine Dagger, has been speaking to me and telling me to come. Naum Karawan Kaoboros has had the same problem happen to himself, a dagger within my own world speaking to him and telling him to come. The difference between your dagger and the dagger from my world is the calling. Your dagger calls me here is a demanding, yet fearful and in a hopeful manner, but the dagger from my own world is calling to Naum to destroy, to obliterate my own. I am here as a liberator, not as a destroyer, and I hope you will cooperate with me as we continue to understand the situation."

"Sophie," Naum mumbled under his breath so the others couldn't hear, "Why did you –"

"Your world has been kept in the dark," Sophie smirked at him, "and they should know what is to come. Besides, you're trying to kill me. I'm going to fight back."

"Oh gods," he rolled his eyes and shook his head, chuckling to himself.

Then Sophie stared at the elder who had been talking to the crowd, the woman gasping as she stared into the bright light that was coming from her blue, green, and yellow eyes. There was a level of power that was flowing in her eyes and she felt frightened, fearful of this new and dominant being before her. "Now…" Sophie sighed as she scratched the back of her head, "What to do now?..."

"Ummm… You guys," Naum chuckled as he turned around to the crowd, "Please go home! The Goddess of Life will take matters from here –"

"Wait a minute," the elder huffed once Sophie's gaze had left her own. "Our sacrifice to the Gods must happen this Sunday."

"You're thinking of a sacrifice at a time like this?" Naum snorted. "No matter," he huffed as he walked past the elder and began to pull Sophie into the temple with him, "do not worry. We will discuss this inside without prying eyes." Sophie looked at him confused as she was turned and was pulled away by Naum, Naum pulling her through the temple till they got to a nice quiet spot where no one would bother them. "What do you think you're doing?" He growled, "Telling humans our plans like that. You're going to get yourself killed! –"

"Look Naum, I hate to be a bother. I just want to get home," Sophie told him. "So **help** me. I don't have time to laze around till something happens."

Naum sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Alright, I'll show you what's going on here, but we're as busy as we can get right now. If you can prove to these people that you are as good of a person as you're trying to proclaim, then I suppose taking that dagger won't be a problem."

"Understood," Sophie nodded. "Besides I told you I wanted to help. I hate being left in the dark over these matters."

Naum sighed as he nodded back and scratched the back of his head, a yell coming from the end of the hallway as they heard the scampering of feet. "Naum!" Reha cried out, grabbing hold of him and holding him close. "Oh it's horrible. HORRIBLE!"

"W-what?" Naum asked as he patted her on the back nervously.

"T-they said that… that…" Reha gulped as she turned her head away.

"That?" Naum asked her with a gentle smile on his face.

"That… that I am the next sacrifice," she told him, looking over at Naum as his eyes suddenly went wide and the smile vanished from his face. "T-the sacrifice for Sunday."

"Rehana I am sorry if this is my fault –"

"No it had nothing to do with our sneaking about," Reha reassured Sophie. "I was selected from the names and when they brought me to the presentation my name was drawn a second time. Then… then the third time…"

"N-no…" Naum shook his head as he suddenly grabbed hold of Sophie's clothes and glared at her. "No this is your fault! You came here and now everything is turning to ash! How could you do this to me? To us? I trusted you –"

"Do I have a reason for you to **not** trust me?" Sophie glared back into his eyes, noticing the anger and fear swirling around in the contents of his silver steal and emerald eyes. Then her eyes slowly softened, much to Naum's surprise. "I… I really hope this isn't because of my presence. I want to set things right again Naum. I want us to succeed. There are voices calling to us and chains around my body. As much as this place is beautiful, there are flaws here as much as my own. Once I am done here we **have** to go to my own world… I have to help **you**."

Naum gulped, noticing the sparkle in her eyes. She was obviously worried about him and he could tell just by staring at her. "Alright," he sighed as he let go of her clothes, "okay… if you think it will help. I will confess to you that I heard them speaking to you, the Gods I mean."

"Oh really?" she looked at him confused before chuckling lightly. "What did you find out?"

"… You lost your love and because of me the universe is set off balance," he frowned at her, "and I have **never** heard them call someone a creator. What aren't you telling me?"

"A-aaah heh eh…" Sophie took the veil that was on her head and grinned at him. "I am as clueless as you are. I think they were trying to talk to someone else, but that soul doesn't like speaking to other beings. It'd rather watch from the sidelines."

"Huh," Naum nodded, "I sort of have the same problem… well let's get going. Reha just stay here. I'll come back to spend time with you, I **promise**."

"But –"

"_**Promise~**_ Reha," he told her, grabbing hold of her back and pulling her into a bone-crushing hug, "I will make things right. I can't think of letting you be just yet, but this is serious. I don't know if I'll be able to control myself on Sunday if I see you d…" Naum sighed as he looked down, avoiding her gaze.

Reha smiled, wrapping her arms around him and hugging her back. "Don't worry about it Naum," she smiled warily, "I-I understand this is something you have to do. I will wait for you and help you however I can."

"Good," Naum pecked her cheek and running a finger over her lips, staring into her bright lilac eyes filled with sadness. "I **will** come back. Do not worry. Besides I have Sophie with me. We should be fine." Reha nodded as he let her go, kissing her lips tenderly before turning away and ushering Sophie down the hallway with him. Reha watched till he disappeared, a tear shedding down her face as he watched him leave and hoped he would stay true to his word.

!#$%^&*()

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Sophie pulled the cloak Naum had given her closer to her face, coughing lightly as she followed him out of the realm of Ponta and into Ga. "Are you okay back there?" Naum asked without even a glance.

"As good as I'll ever be I guess," Sophie answered, following him to an encampment just at the top of the cliffs overlooking the mortal city at the edge of the sea. "Oh Kaoboros is back already?" a woman noticed with a smile as she looked up from her work.

"About time," another huffed. "You ran off all of the sudden and expected us to hold the daemons off ourselves. What a hippo's butt."

"Hey I had some business to take care of," he grumbled under his breath before changing the subject. "Everyone this is Sophia Serbus. She will be working with us for a while."

"Sophia?" one of them asked. "A strange name… where do you come from? Are you a daemon? Naum tends to find the most helpless little being he can find and raise them. It'll get him killed one of these days," she snickered.

"A-actually I –"

"Sophie is my cousin of sorts. She's currently living with Eve, but I suppose I can't keep her away from the fighting," he shrugged, knowing they would all find out sooner or later who she was from other people. Naum just needed to work with her for a moment, build up Sophie's relationship here before everything goes too far. "She's interested to help."

"Ah? A cousin you say? Well you must be able to hold your own in a fight, seeing as Naum let you come here," another woman commented.

"Actually I can," Sophie smiled, "and I've been training as a warrior and fighter since I was old enough to walk. Anything else you'd like to ask me?"

"N-nope I think we covered it," someone shrugged.

"Here I'll show you around," Naum smiled as he waved to the women before walking through the camp and making their way up a high cliff. "Ga isn't as awful as the mortals think. There aren't as many daemons as they assume, but still we have to be cautious. We keep the entrance into Ponta safe while also transferring souls to and fro around the realms. Ura is where good souls go and Ga is where bad souls go. No one truly goes back to Ponta, but sometimes there are moments when a soul will impact the world greatly and thus the person is brought back to life. Though that doesn't happen often, but those priestesses say it does all the time. Anyways we're currently having a problem with the daemons, but if you stay close to me then you'll be alright."

Sophie nodded as she looked around, eyeing the burning landscape as lava dripped down from a nearby mountain. "… You know this is like Hell," she decided to comment, "but on earth… Did something happen to bring these daemons here?"

"There's actually a tale, yes," Naum nodded as he ushered Sophie to sit next to him as they overlooked the landscape. "Long ago humans and daemons roamed the world together. The daemons, for souls are their source of nourishment, ate helpless humans in a bloodless rage that engulfed the entire world in crimson red. There were times that they would devour so many that the daemons would start dying and eating each other because the humans had almost died out. The daemons had driven the humans into the sea, but yet they were plagued with daemons coming in unsuspectingly and devouring humans when they were alone. So there was an uproar from the humans and they fought against the daemons, the reason why they are cautious of any being that is abnormal to themselves. They drove everything out, from daemons to angels and life and death gods. The humans never understood that several of these creatures were gods in their mists, even though they would worship and pray for help and guidance from them. Before they could just appear, but now they have to speak to them through different methods. It can get very frustrating at times.

"Eve was one of the Goddesses of Life who had stayed hidden and over time the humans came to respect her. She was able to establish a way for our kind to live among the mortals again, a vow that we would protect Ponta against the daemons that roam Ga. The humans still hope for a being to come along and drive the daemons away and bring them back to GA, but now a days everyone have accepted the loss. Unknowing to the humans, there are actually many daemons who do **not** prey upon them and try to eat them as often as others. Some it takes them a century before they get hungry for one soul. The daemons do keep the order and balance in the world, devouring souls that us goddesses may have forgotten, but it's harder for them because they cannot go into Ponta. I hope one day we can reunite the realms as they once were… actually similar to what you have Sophie," he smiled. "To think you have daemons living among you. You're even part daemon yourself! Even angel! It's amazing the breeding that has happened in your world. There isn't a clear cut distinction between one or the other. It gives me hope for my own world that we can accomplish what you have."

"Well it really just takes time," Sophie shrugged, "and it was never easy. We still have problems just like you, but I suppose it's harder to see them if you don't know the reasons. Anyways do the daemons have a leader?"

"They do," Naum nodded, "and I've talked to him. Actually he doesn't eat souls as much as the others and he among those who want to bring the balance back to this world. So for now we'll just wait. The daemons would be coming back in half an hour." Sophie nodded as she looked over the hill and down the cliff, towards the ocean. Even from above she could barely tell there's a city right there, but she supposed that's how the waters are. To look along Ga she only saw desolation, a frown coming to her face the longer she looked. She wished she could help Naum with his problem, but this is something he had to do on his own without her help. Those are the terms of their worlds. The only reason why she's meddling in his affairs is because of the dagger and once she either has gained the dagger or has control she will leave. She just hoped it won't take long. Sophie knew William will have a large stack of paperwork for her to do once she gets back. She sighed, wondering if the hole in her wings will grow back to normal anytime soon. She was worried about her wings now, noticing that they aren't healing as fast as they should. Perhaps it was because she was attacked by the gods… or whatever they call themselves that is. She just hoped she can figure out who they are before time runs out of them, perhaps for both of their worlds.

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**A/N: And more confusing stuff ^^' If you have any questions just ask! So pretty much I just made stuff up to make this other world interesting. Meh I don't know. I just went with my gut and wrote stuff down. Anyways I hope you've enjoyed this. In a few more chapters they will be returning to Sophie's world, so get ready for that! =D SEE YOU LATER!**


	79. The Diverse Daemons

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't posted anything for this story in a while. Summer school and my new fanfic is keeping me occupied. I'll try to post more often, but it probably won't happen for a while. I have to get studying for a new language (Chinese of all things) and biology, so I'm swamped on time. Plus it's the summer. I'm working hard on driving so I can have my license by the end of June and my parents are having me do other things in the meantime. So there you go. And I need sleep. Can't stay alert if I don't sleep! Well… yeah sorry about that. I'll probably try posting another chapter for my Grell fanfic after this. I haven't posted anything for that in the LONGEST time because I ran out of chapters to review. Oh well *shrugs* I'm just busy I suppose. Well… ENJOY!**

! #$%^&*()

Sophie's head turned to the commotion below them, Naum letting out a sigh as he stood up and summoned a long hunting sword, holding onto the hilt as he walked towards the ledge and looked over. "I'd rather you don't go running into the fight. So stay up here while I work."

She pouted, but gave him a nod as he stepped down, falling from the sky and landing several yards in front of the ranks. As Naum spoke to the other Goddesses of Life, Sophie's mind wandered away to her hands. She sighed, remembering the long golden chains that had bound her a few hours ago. Why were they there in the first place? This trip was getting more and more complicated, and Sophie just wished things could get back to normal… as normal as they'd get for her she supposed. Looking up she could see the battlefield, the daemons starting their advance towards the goddesses. Deciding the best way to show off her skill was to help, she summoned a bow to her hands and a quiver appeared behind her back full of long arrows. Pulling out an arrow from her back she strung it casually to the string of the bow, waiting for Naum to let out a command. Then she noticed a presence behind her, spinning around with the string pulled back in her hand and her eyes narrow. She raised an eyebrow, noticing the daemon that was before her didn't make any advances towards her and only looked at her. "What do **you** want?" she growled.

"I can't believe you don't know who I am," he chuckled as he ran a claw over his tongue and grinned. "The name you may know me as from your own world is probably Lucifer or Hades perhaps."

Sophie paused, slowly letting the string in her hand contract as she stared at him cautiously. "Hades you say?" she eyed him suspiciously, "Are you telling me you're the Lord of the Underworld?"

"That would be correct," he grinned, crossing his arms over his chest as he waited for her to speak.

"Why would you be **here**?" Sophie frowned. "So… this Ga place is the equivalent to Hell… Are you the reason why these daemons are here?"

"Oh you must be confused little god," he chuckled lightly, "but no worries. This is among the many places in the universe that hold my kin, but I'm usually not here at a silly time like this. Since **you're** here, however, I decided to show my presence for the time being."

"So this terror is the work of the daemons here?" Sophie asked.

He grinned. "Daemons and demons are similar, aren't they? Sadly these mortals cannot tell the differences between them. Pity really." Lucifer chuckled at the look in Sophie's eyes, her hands clutching the bow and arrow as she waited for him to continue. "You mustn't raise your bow to me. I am not the one you are supposed to be fighting." At that moment they heard yelling from below, the daemons dashing at the goddesses at lightning speed as the goddesses held up their weapons and with a battle cry ran towards them.

"I don't believe in the words of spit," Sophie huffed as she continued to glare at Lucifer. "Tell me one good reason why I should believe you –"

"I only came here to discuss a matter with you, seeing as you haven't been going down to Hell and speaking to me in person." He took a few steps towards her and she took a few back, a chuckle escaping his throat before he sighed. "Cautious as ever, aren't you Serbus. I won't bother you for long, seeing as you're close to gaining a new insight into the power you hold. Put down your weapon so I can speak with you, being of darkness." Sophie eyed him suspiciously at the title, unstringing her bow as she kept the arrow in her hand. He smiled, taking another step towards her as she glared back. "Now there is a matter of your soul that we have never covered. See, that soul living inside of you left without as much as a note. So I would like to know why and how I should go about planning for your soul –"

"My soul doesn't belong to **you** Lucifer," she sneered. "I am human. My soul doesn't belong to you unless I'm contracted or I'm cast down into Hell when I die, and trust me I don't plan on doing as stupid as that in my lifetime. So if you're trying to tempt me it won't work. I loathe beings like you who think they can step all over me just because of who I am."

He smirked, a growl escaping her lips as he chuckled. "Can never expect less from you Serbus. Regardless of your thoughts, you will soon be another pawn in my army."

"I do not care for the whims between Heaven and Hell," she huffed. "It's a pitiful fight and I never plan on associating myself with such squabbles."

"Then listen here," Lucifer growled back, narrowing his bright red demonic eyes at her, "like you I seek for balance and with you running around on the surface world is… degrading I should say? To the being you used to be. _Besides~ _I can never call a being like yourself _master~~_ until you can prove yourself."

Sophie snorted, "That's fine by me because I don't care for being called a master. Look demon, or whatever you are, I will never, under any circumstances, align myself with a being like you. I may have been taught to see life and existence from every side, but it doesn't mean I will casually place my services in a being's hands. I am a God of Death first, a shinigami and mortician next, and anything else I feel is important in last. For you to have the nerve to appear before me and demand that I help you is ludicrous. I will not stand for your attitude towards me, and to be frank I'm reluctant in helping you **just** because you suddenly expect I will. Well no sir. Whatever relationship my other soul may have had with you is over. _**Move on~**_" she growled at the end, emphasizing her point. "Now if you're done then either fight me or leave. I have no tolerance for inadequate beings."

Lucifer stared deep into her eyes and Sophie stared back, his red eyes swirling around with hatred buried in the glint as Sophie sneered back with anger and frustration of blue, green, and yellow swirling in her own. Then he blinked, suddenly taking a step back once he noticed she meant her words, but not backing down at the challenge before him. "I see… If you will not stand to reason I suppose I will have to take you by _force~_" he slurred his voice so he was hissing at her, Sophie snarling back as she bared the edge of her teeth. He stood up tall, turning his eyes away as he shook off the feeling of being stared at by the other being. "I am willing to patiently wait till you understand your situation, but do know that I own you –"

"You do not," Sophie snarled, "It is Death who –"

"Death does not," Lucifer huffed back. "He is only a contract. He doesn't fully own you… or perhaps not **yet**," he chuckled lightly, the grin on his face starting to grow as Sophie glared back and began to set her arrow back into her bow. "Even if he did own you, your soul still belongs to the darkest reaches of the underworld. Trust me young Serbus, I know more about your situation then you think."

"Perhaps if you came here on more friendly terms instead of showing up when your army was attacking my own I wouldn't be as snippy," Sophie shook her shoulders and stood up straighter.

"Well," he chuckled lightly, "I won't keep you. Good day Serbus."

"Good day," Sophie responded, keeping her eyes on the other being till it disappeared in a flash of fire and the smell of brimstone nuzzled her nose. Then she sighed, turning her attention back to the battle below as she pulled on the string and aimed for the daemons. "I'll have to tell Death about this," she mumbled under her breath as she let go of the arrow and in a streak of black cleanly shot a daemon in the chest just before it grabbed Naum by surprise. He looked up in shock as Sophie continued, pulling arrows from her back as he took on the remaining army. "Or perhaps Undertaker too… I-I'll figure this out. What a weird request though, to have me join forces by him. What would he want with me anyways? To show off that he has me probably. That _**scornful sea serpent~**_, thinking he could show up unannounced and talk to me so casually. A god awful general if he's going to leave his army to the wolves. Have it his way I suppose. I won't go crawling to him anytime soon," she finished with a snarl in her voice, letting out a large breath of air as she collected herself and continued with her slaughter from above. Her blows became more accurate as time went on, stringing two daemons together with only one shot as Naum used Sophie's assistance as a way to get through the crowd and towards the end.

"You must hate that man," Sophie heard from behind, turning her head slightly to see who it was out of the corner of her eye before landing another clean kill through the neck of one daemon and hitting another daemon in the chest with the other.

She shrugged as she lowered her bow, looking over at the other with an uninterested look on her face. "I loathe demons Time, whether they were angels are not. I don't see why he has to come up to me and speak like that, acting as if he has a shred of authority around here."

"Ouch," Time chuckled lightly. "I will make sure I stay on your good side. You look like you are close to killing anything that moves."

"I am," Sophie answered as her arrow went flying through the air and strung three daemons at once in the chest, "and I'm taking it out on these innocent creatures. They just happen to be in my way."

"So vicious!" Time shuddered. "No wonder you're thought to be Darkness, even Chaos. So… wow."

A slight smirk appeared on the corner of Sophie's mouth, letting go of one last arrow before sighing and holding the bow with both hands. "Well I **did** grow up with a human who trained me to fight, a father who was a great centurion in the Roman army, and a mother who strongly loathed people who thought too highly of themselves. Then of course there's Undertaker too," she chuckled lightly," that actually taught me a few things too. It's all the same really. It's keeping my survival intact I suppose. Now if you'll excuse me I think Naum needs my help down there."

Time nodded as she took a few steps back to give Sophie room, "Be careful Serbus. You're close to falling off the edge of whatever sanity you may have left."

"I know," Sophie chuckled as she stepped off of the cliff and began to plummet down onto the ground, "I lost my sanity years ago!" she yelled back as she landed on the ground.

Time watched as Sophie took off, shaking her head as she turned around, "Not what I meant, but I suppose Sophia will learn that soon enough." Then she vanished in the blink of an eye, loud screeching filling the air as Sophie moved through the mob.

! #$%^&*()

Naum had finally made his way to the end, where their leader was standing petrified in astonishment and fear. The daemon bared his sharp canine teeth and ran at Naum, his long claws about to tear him apart. In one swift motion Naum landed his sword into the being's stomach, a dry cough escaping the daemon as it began to fall backwards. Naum saw its cinematic record play suddenly in front of his eyes, but took it no heed as the daemon woke up again just as suddenly, flinching as Naum cornered him to the ground with the edge of his sword in his throat. "Now give me a good reason why I shouldn't slay you here, _**despicable daemon~**_" he hissed.

"I was only following orders," the daemon hissed back, "and you're one to talk. You've been following orders too –"

"I give the orders, not follow," Naum huffed. "Besides the last time I followed orders I got myself killed… anyways surrender at once or I'll kill you where you lay and let your body disappear never to return –" Naum blinked, looking over to find a flash of black light coming down from the cliff he had been standing on and landing on the ground. Then his eyes widened once he saw who it was, a being dressed in a large black cloak covering its eyes wielding a gigantic black death scythe. As fast as a bolt of lightning the being ran through the crowd, slashing the daemons apart with a simple flick of its wrist as they screamed and fell to the ground. The goddesses fell to the ground stunned, trying to put up their defenses as the being came closer.

Naum flinched as the powerful being come towards him, throwing his sword up in defense as he saw this creature a bigger threat than the daemon. He heard the daemon whimpering behind him and yelping as he was slammed into a boulder, crying out as a hand started strangling his neck with enough power to snap him in two, but surprisingly gentle enough to keep him alive. "How does it feel _**daemon~**_ to have your army fall before you and Death stare you in the face? _Hmmmm~?_"

"Oh gods I'm sorry!" he began to pitifully cry. "I won't ever do this again! I will leave you alone if you let me ga –"

"What I most despise are **cowards**," the being growled, the daemon whimpering in fear and trying to avoid its eyes. "Now tell me," the being suddenly said in a calmer voice, the daemon freezing in terror as a grin began to grow on his captor's face, "who gave you the orders to attack? What is your business with these mortals? Is it terrorize them or simply to devour them?" Naum gulped at the sudden change in tone, quickly noticing that this being was Sophie and realized she was on his side.

The daemon, however, was still whining, knowing full well what his answer was going to be. "I-I… I-it was to –"

"_Go on~~_" Sophie encouraged him, the daemon crying out as the hand began to grip tighter, "or else I'll find whatever remains of a daemon I can find and leave you to the slaughter."

The daemon gulped, closing his eyes and knowing full well that it he would have to tell her. "W-we were only here to… to devour you…" He waited for an answer, but didn't get one. So he slowly began to open his eyes, letting out a cry of distress as he felt the sharp edge of a blade gently press into his stomach. His eyes shot open as he heard the being laugh, staring in horror at the blood dripping down her cloak and onto his face and the intense shine of blue, green, and yellow coming from the creature's eyes.

"I knew it," Sophie spoke to herself as the daemon began to cry out in pain, "I knew you daemons would only go after the weak, the feeble, the humans. Well know this daemon: where _you're~_ going isn't back home, isn't back to Ga, but to a place worse than even Death can create. I hope you enjoy the ride. They'll be _glad~_ to have another soul to feast upon."

"WAIT NO –" The daemon screamed, holding out his hand to Naum as he stared in horror at what Sophie was doing. The daemon's cinematic record flew out of his chest, but was instantly absorbed into Sophie's scythe. She grinned as she dug the blade deeper into the daemon's body, ripping at his heart and stomach as he still used his lungs to breathe in a breath of air. The intense smell caused Naum to gag, the body suddenly bursting into flames as black fire engulfed the body.

Naum stared at Sophie as she lifted her scythe and pulled it away, casually turning away as he whimpered in fear and took a few cautious steps backward. "What's the matter Naum?" Sophie asked as she stared at him, her eyes looking back at him in a calm and content manner. He gulped and she smirked, a frightened shriek suddenly escaping his lips as she gently smiled back at him. "You got what you needed right? The daemon leader is dead and you know he was only after the souls. I think this was a very productive day, _don't you~?_" she grinned.

"Y-yes master –"

"My goodness not you too," Sophie groaned as she shook her head and took a step forward. "The name is Sophie, Naum, **not** master. Don't expect our relationship to change just because you saw me kill a few creatures. I still want you to call me Sophie." Then she paused, deciding it was best to let him have some time to himself as she walked around him and towards the rest of the goddesses. Naum stayed at the top staring at Sophie in fear, unable to shake off the blood that had splattered all over his face. And he thought **he** was terrifying? No, no there was an alarm in his mind when he gazed into Sophie's eyes when she stared at the daemon. It was as if she had lost her mind, consumed with the blood on her hands. Not many daemons ever got to that point, not even the absolute rulers of the realms. Naum shook his head as he made his way back, deciding it was best to discuss this with Eve later. "Oh your comrades here were telling me about your problem," Sophie smiled as Naum came back to join them on the other side of the battlefield.

"Y-you did?" he sighed, the others knowing why his hands were shaking as he ran a hand through his silver-green hair.

"Yes," one of the goddesses nodded, a few of the others looking at Naum with concern. "I was just going to tell her what is going on here –"

"Then go right ahead," Naum sighed wearily. "Sophie you best listen to us."

"Oh I am," Sophie smiled, turning her attention back to the goddess.

She nodded and looked into Sophie's eyes, quickly looking away as she felt the woman's eyes pierce deep into her soul. "We have plot out the daemons who have gathered their own communities and the daemons that are only here to devour us. We need to go into a few of the nearby communities and establish an alliance to combat the other daemons, but so far they don't want to talk to us –"

"I'll go in then," Sophie nodded, "and I'll have Naum come with me as an interpreter. Whatever is going on here must have made you weary, so go back to Ponta and recharge your batteries till Naum calls you back. We will handle matters from here."

"B-but going alone would –" the goddess paused, gulping as Sophie stared back in an uninterested way.

"It is easier to create peaceful alliances when you're not armed tooth and nail banging down their doors. _Besides~_" she grinned, "it seems to me that many daemons here aren't truly daemons. It's just what your society has portrayed them as. Now go back and Naum will accompany me, right Naum?"

"Y-es?" Naum looked at her confused, his mind back in gear once he heard her question.

"It will take you at least a day –"

"Never mind that," Sophie held up her hand, "just go home." Looking at her wearingly they left, leaving Naum and Sophie standing at the edge of a wasteland filled with the bodies of daemons. "Well let's get going then," Sophie said, "you must have horses somewhere –"

"When we meant a day we meant by **foot**," Naum interrupted her, finally snapping out of his gaze and following Sophie as she began to walk back into their camp. "There is no such thing as a h… hh-or-se here –"

"How bothersome." Sophie sighed, "I guess I'll have to do things myself –" They turned to hear a loud neigh, Naum cringing as a large black horse ran over to them and instinctively galloped to Sophie. She giggled as the horse nibbled at her ear, Sophie gently running a hand over his nose and looking into its bright blue eyes. "I'll get you some food when we get there alright?" she told the horse sweetly, the horse neighing and scraping a hoof at the ground as Sophie smiled back. "Come Naum," she said as she put one foot in the stirrup and in a swift motion had her rear sitting in the saddle as she held onto the cantle with one hand. "Well come on," she rolled her eyes and held out her hand, Naum staring blankly at the creature and wondering if it was demonic. "He won't hurt you unless you piss him off. This poor little horsy hates to wait and so do I."

Naum sighed as he held out his hand and grabbed hold of her own, yelping as he was lifted into the air and set in front of her. He blushed as her hands wrapped around him, having to grab hold of the reins she gathered them up in her left hand. "T-this is the strangest thing I have seen," Naum commented.

Sophie chuckled lightly, "Well you get used to strange stuff you don't understand by now. So where are we going?"

"O-over that way," Naum pointed, "and when we get there I hope you don't go wandering around and spooking the others. The daemons will despise us if you do that."

"Yes sir!" Sophie grinned patting her feet against the horse's stomach as he went off in a gallop. Sophie laughed as Naum yelled in fright, trying to grab hold of the saddle as they took off through the sulfur-filled landscape.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Sophie sighed as they finally made it to a camp, the camp reinforced with a skull-constructed wall and large broken bones used as spikes. The horse slowly walked inside, Sophie pulling on the reins as she noticed no one was guarding the entrance. "What do we do Naum?" Sophie decided to ask, seeing as she didn't know the customs of this world.

Naum sighed as he let go of the cantle, exhausted from the ride that actually took an hour or two to get here instead of a day. "Necrosnare?" Naum called into the camp, "Necrosnare of Graveshroud?" He grumbled under his breath scratching his head. "Darn that daemon! He never wants to show up –"

"_You called~?_" they heard from behind, Naum letting out a frightened squeak as Sophie snickered with amusement. "Oh what is this? I don't believe I've seen you before miss."

Sophie chuckled lightly, throwing Naum off to the side as he slid off the saddle of the horse gasping for air. "The name is Sophia Serbus," she told him as she held out her hand, "but you can call me Sophie."

He eyed her suspiciously, confused why she was holding her hand out to him. "Ummm… Sophie that's not how we operate around here," Naum responded as Sophie frowned and set her hand down.

"Then what then?" Sophie sighed. "Ugh! You guys are confusing me."

Necrosnare smiled, "How about the two of you come inside. You can leave your big… ummm… beast here if you'd like."

"It's a horse," Sophie chuckled as she tied the reins up on the saddle and gently pet the black horse's nose. "I use him to ride around in the deserts."

"Deserts?" he raised an eyebrow before grinning amused.

"Now, now," Naum huffed as he grabbed hold of Sophie's hand and pulled her close so he could whisper. "Hold your tongue. We're treading on light waters here –"

"Yeah I got that," Sophie rolled her eyes, Naum yelping as the horse nipped his hair till he let go of her. "So your name is Necrosnare?"

The man chuckled, scratching his head as he led the three creatures into the camp. "You're a peculiar one, aren't you?"

"So I've been told," she sighed and shook her head.

"Can't really tell who you are…" he stared down at her, Sophie turning and staring right back at him. Naum let out a tired sigh, letting the other being hold the curtain for them as they walked into a temporary dwelling place that was made out of skins. What type of skins, Sophie didn't **want** to know. She raised an eyebrow as he ushered them to sit down on a blanket, reminding her of her time back with the Native Americans. "As for my name young one," he smirked once Sophie raised an eyebrow and Naum sighed as he sat down, "The name is Xaskesiel, Xaskesiel Necrosnare, but I like to go by Necrosnare of Graveshroud or Necrosnare for short. I am the leader of our little refugee camp, the Helvilo of Graveshroud we call ourselves." He took out a bottle of red wine, or what Sophie presumed was wine, and began to pour it out into glasses.

"Thank you," Naum held up his hand, "but we don't need any beverages –"

"Is that red wine or blood?" Sophie decided to ask, Naum giving her a shocked look as Xaskesiel smiled before chuckling lightly. "Because a being I know makes wine out of the blood of the sinful souls at point of death. Thought I should ask," she shrugged.

"How correct you are," Xaskesiel grinned. "_My~ my~_, who is this intriguing being you brought along with you Kaoboros?"

"As I said I am Sophia Serbus, but I prefer to be called Sophie," she nodded as she sat back against a wooden chest and began to take her water skin from her bag, "and I am also a servant of darkness and a God of Death."

"Oh you're one of us?" he asked.

"Excuse me?" Sophie raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean by 'one of us'?"

Xaskesiel looked at her cautiously as he set the bottle in his hand down, slowly drinking down the wine in his cup as he tried to figure out who she is. "Let me explain," Naum said as he broke the tension. "The Helvilo are a branch off of the daemons, living here in Ga when the humans kicked them away from Ponta many years ago. As time went on some have lost their true identities, becoming daemons and savoring the taste of mortal flesh. Helvilos, before this all began, were supposed to reap souls, but the Goddesses of Life took over their job and now they have nothing else to do except eat." Sophie looked over at Xaskesiel before looking back at Naum, starting to understand his point. "Actually Xaskesiel's camp is one of the only groups of Helvilo in the entire world that still reap souls. They keep a bucket list of scrolls and tablets of humans that have passed through Ponta and moved to either Ga or Ura. We work frequently with them, but you can see why tensions are tight considering we had to help the humans kick even the Helvilo out of their homes."

"Are there other species that have this problem?" Sophie decided to ask, "I mean… have been kicked out even though they did no wrong to the mortals?"

"Yes," Xaskesiel answered for Naum as he casually sipped more of his wine, "a great number. We are a refugee camp from the daemons, for daemons want to devour or wipe clean our existence. We have been fighting back for centuries now, but many have seen our fight as worthless and joined the daemons. Terrible really."

Sophie nodded, a grin forming on her face. "Can I state an observation?"

"Of course," Xaskesiel offered, flinching back as she scooted across the blanket and stared into his eyes, gently pulling back his light baby blue hair and staring into his eyes.

"… He has eyes **exactly** like shinigamis," Sophie explained, Xaskesiel looking at her shocked as Naum gulped. Xaskesiel reached over for a weapon, but Naum held his hand to the handle of his sword and shook his head sternly. Xaskesiel turned his eyes back to Sophie's and staring into her own eyes. He gulped as he felt her staring deep into his soul, a smile on her face spreading as his heart started to beat faster and faster. "You have double-iris and eyes like a grim reaper. Were you a human once?"

"H-how did you know –"

"Just like I suspected," Sophie chuckled as she continued to stare. "This only happens when a human is transformed into a shinigami. So are you telling me the Helvilo is my equivalent to shinigamis?" she turned her gaze to Naum, much to Xaskesiel's relief.

"Yes I suppose," Naum shrugged. "I never gave it much thought before."

"J-just who are you?" Xaskesiel asked as Sophie smiled and let go of his face, scooting backward till her back fell against the chest.

"_Wahoooo~_" Sophie let out an exasperated sigh, closing her eyes for a moment as she grabbed her skin and began to drink from the refreshing cool water. "Just tell me Mr. Necrosnare," Sophie continued to ask, "when you say leader, do you mean leader of everyone or just leader of your small community?"

"Leader of all Helvilo," Xaskesiel continued, "but the other divisions have a hard time cooperating and it's hard to even hold meetings and collaborate on our situation. Now I have given up," he sighed as he stared over at the flap of his tent and thought to himself.

Sophie nodded, "Yes it's hard to find common ground for so many beings," she chuckled, "but don't be discouraged. You'll figure out a way to speak to them." Xaskesiel eyed her as she opened her eyes and set her water down, placing it back into her bag before continuing. "I… I have been called many things," Sophie began, "but I suppose here you would call me an intruder. You see Xaskesiel Necrosnare, I am not part of this world. I come from a different world, leagues away where none of your kind could possibly reach… well I suppose Naum can, but that's beside the point," she shrugged. "Anyways my full name is Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, but I also go by Athena if I don't want to reveal my real name. Seeing as you're the leader, I trust you won't give that information away."

"Y-yes… Sophie…" Xaskesiel thought to himself, Naum raising an eyebrow when she spoke of her other name before she continued.

"I have heard that Athena is a sacred name around here so I go by my real name, but still I am wondering why…" Sophie thought before she shook her head, chuckling lightly to herself. "_Anyways~_ in my world we have many different realms. The main realms are called Heaven, Hell, and Earth. Supernatural beings live in heaven and hell and humans live on earth, but there are many beings that live on earth and there have been accounts of humans going to hell or heaven in supernatural experiences. Evil souls, demons, live in hell. Good souls and messenger of God, angels, live in heaven. I live on earth and work as a shinigami. Shinigami go around the world reaping human souls, recording their souls, which we call cinematic records, in scrolls with bindings we call books. Most shinigamis are the souls of humans that have been changed to reap other humans, but there are different species that call themselves shinigami. For example I know many half-breeds consisting of shinigamis with demons and shinigamis with humans. There have been breeds with demons and humans, but I usually don't count those since they tend to go to hell. Even angels with other species, and the list goes on and on," she grinned and chuckled lightly. "Now I may work as a shinigami, but my true job is a God of Death. A God of Death was assigned a job by Death, or they have their own set of skills and made a deal with Death. Either way that is my main job, but being a shingiami is next. I'm guessing that's how it is with Goddess of Life, right Naum?"

"That's right," he nodded.

"We have been able to get… vaguely along over the centuries, but I can't quite understand why your world has all these problems," Sophie commented. "Sure my own world has our own flaws, but your world is a disaster. Perhaps it's because you don't have a rule to leave humans alone? That's how we've been able to stay stable for centuries. The humans don't really know of us and thus we can go about without any problems. Besides there is a purpose to all these groups being created. Shinigami reap souls, demons devour souls that have been left behind and forgotten by shingiamis so they don't roam the world as ghosts, and angels keep the peace and are messengers from God. Just by looking at your group I can tell there are angels, demons, and even humans among you Naum. They are all Goddesses of Life because they were chosen with a purpose to keep the peace, be leaders and all that. That was the true purpose, but I suppose it will take a few more centuries for your world to either work or destroy itself in the end."

"How could you possibly know all this?" Xaskesiel asked.

Sophie looked over at him, giving him a crooked smile. "Shinigamis have a tendency to store information and I've read through practically every book in our possession. Plus I go looking for the knowledge, expecting that no one would be able to understand everything if they don't go looking for the information themselves. Also most of the knowledge I have gained is from experience, self-gained knowledge and coming up with my own ideas. Yes, maybe they don't hold completely true for you, but it does for me."

Xaskesiel smiled, drinking down the rest of his wine and letting out a tired sigh. "Thank you for all of this," he responded, "Everything is coming together now."

"Oh?" Sophie asked, watching as the man stood up and walked over to the chest she was leaning against. He opened the chest and rustled through the contents, pulling out a small scythe that Sophie quickly realized to be the standard death scythe the students at the academy were given.

Xaskesiel smiled as he gently ran a finger over the blade, Naum eyeing him suspiciously as he handed it over to Sophie and sat back down. "Many years ago, before the humans drove us away, a being gave this to me. She called herself Athena, just Athena, and helped resolve our problems." He sighed as he sat back and let Sophie examine the old scythe in her hand, careful not to break it accidently and make the man mad. "She appointed me as head of the Helvilo and we lived in peace, but that was until a different power came through and swept us away. It happened many years after she left, and we thought she would come back and save us since she said she would return when she could… but she never did. You may know her as the First Empress. That's what the humans tend to call her, but she was even more of a goddess then the gods they worship. It's strange really… I never thought much about it till you told me the other name you use, Athena. Do you know anything about this?"

"Sadly I do not," Sophie sighed, "but don't worry about it. If she ever plans on coming back she will, but it is **I** who is here to help you, not her."

Xaskesiel nodded as the smile was still on his face as he continued. "I can see you're here to help and I am grateful. Sadly I do not know what use you can be around here. Almost everything is in chaos and there's not much I can do about it anymore. I will supply you with men and supplies, but that is all I can really do."

"That's alright," Sophie smiled. "I'm only here as a negotiator. It is Naum over there that needs your help. I am only here on a… temporary business."

"Temporary?" Xaskesiel frowned. "Just why are you here?"

"There is an item here that is controlling me and I'd rather get to the bottom of all of this before it takes me over again," she explained, "and besides the dagger told me to help. So I'm here to help. I don't think I can stay here any longer then I have been, but if I can form the foundation blocks your world can construct the rest. Alright?"

"Sounds like a plan," Xaskesiel chuckled. "Thank you Serbus –"

"Please call me Sophie," she smiled, "and you're welcome." Sophie stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes, helping Naum up as he groaned and scratched his head. "We will send you news if we need help. Naum can go over the rest of the details later. There are a few different camps we have to get to before nightfall and I would like to actually sleep for once."

"Alright," Xaskesiel grinned at the easiness in her tone. "I will speak with you later Kaoboros."

"Yes Necrosnare," Naum nodded as Sophie walked towards the door deciding to leave, "have a pleasant night," he said as he left the tent after Sophie.

"Have a pleasant night," he smiled, grabbing the scythe and setting it back into the chest.

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: … And that's where we stop. Well there you go! I don't know what more to say here… Uhh… sorry again for posting this chapter VERY late. I've just been getting busy. Well see you later! I have a few more chapters up that I may get around to reviewing… though I don't know how much longer I'll keep with this story. I may just move on to working on one fanfic for a while till I run into a writer's block before moving back to this one. Just so you know ^^ It's not like I'll stop this for good, but I'm just busy. I need to get good grades in my classes. Even though there's only two of them it's still hard work DX Well… SEE YOU LATER!**

Lucifer – name that in English generally refers to the Devil or Satan, especially in reference to his status as a fallen angel. In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer means "light-bearer". It was the name given to the Morning Star, i.e. the planet Venus when seen at dawn. Use of the name "Lucifer" for the Devil stems from applying to the Devil what Isaiah 14:3–20 says of a king of Babylon whom it calls Helel (Shining One), a Hebrew word that refers to the Day Star or Morning Star. This association developed in Early Christianity, in the 2nd or 3rd century. In 2 Peter 1:19 and elsewhere, the same Latin word lucifer is used to refer to the Morning Star, with no relation to the Devil. In Revelation 22:16, Jesus himself is called the Morning Star but not "Lucifer", even in Latin (Vulgata stella splendida matutina). "Lucifer", began to be applied to Satan, but it was certainly used in this way by 3rd-century Origen, and some scholars claim that the identification of "Lucifer" with the Devil was first made by Origen, Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo

Helvíti – Old Norse – "hell"; compounded word of Hel, "goddess of the realm of the dead", and víti, "punishment"


	80. The Uncontrollable Drones

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys. Long time no see huh? ^^ Well I've gotten some questions about if I'll be starting this story back up again. Honestly… I don't know… I wanted to take a break from writing this story and started working on another one, but you know what I'm starting to get back into the mood of writing about Kuroshitsuji again =3 So I may! I don't know yet. This chapter was just on my files and I figured I'd post this next chapter for you because it was done. You can say that I suffered from a large amount of writer's block and needed a break from this story, plus I couldn't keep up with the personal messages because, ever since changed their format, my messages are coming up all screwy and it takes two-times as long to go over someone's message then it usually did… Well I'm sorry for being gone for so long without an explanation. You could say I wanted to write about something new, and currently I want to come up with my own unique story and have been trying to come up with ideas. Now that school has started again… I don't know. Now if you guys have any idea that'd be great because I've gotten lost on what I was trying to write… Though the lucky thing is that I have a quick little outline of what I was going to write up to, so all I need to do is remember what I wrote. I just started reviewing my story, I think I'm on chapter 46 right now, and after I'm done I'll decide if I want to write more or not… you know what I probably will! ^^ I just need to remember all the little details I placed into the story so far that can help me with the later chapters. For example: I've forgotten why I have Sophie and Naum looking for daggers ^^' That's _sort of_ an important piece to have to finish this part of the story XD Well… I think I explained for myself for now… I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as much as I did making it ages ago =D**

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Sophie let out a tired groan as her head hit a pillow, her bag falling off of her shoulder as she grumbled under her breath. "How tiresome," she mumbled as a giggle came from the door of the room she was in.

"Yes, trying to keep order is _hard work~_" Eve smiled, walking into the room and sitting down on the edge of the bed, staring at Sophie as her breath began to slow down. "What is the plan for tomorrow?"

"Well," she huffed, "we talked to every settlement from Graveshroud to Murkcraft. Ugh! Murkcraft was hard to find, and our last one too."

"And very far away," Eve thought to herself. "Wow… to travel so far… that's about halfway around Ga!"

"Yep," she sighed, "and the plan is for Naum to deal with everything later. For now we've gained their trust and now I need to set my eyes back on the dagger."

"Good luck," Eve told her, "it'll be hard to get a hold of that dagger. Especially you. Since it controls you it doesn't want you to touch it, so you'll be pushed away every time."

"I noticed," Sophie grumbled, "but that's alright. Anyways I've come to understand that daemons are just blood thirsty creatures, nothing more. There are many species that your kind hasn't even recorded and I'd say invest in some paper to write them all down. I'd forget them for **sure**."

"That's only if they want to," Eve explained, "and I don't force anyone to create materials they would rather live without."

"Whatever," Sophie huffed, "and a map too… Naum is going to prepare for the next wave of daemons and he wants me to help tomorrow. So he told me to sleep."

"Understood," she chuckled, "and I won't disturb you any longer. Have a pleasant night," Eve said as she left the room and left the door wide open.

"You too," she answered lazily as she yawned and went to sleep, hearing the _**'pitter' 'patter' **_of feet walking down the stairs and out the front door.

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"What do you mean by that?" Sophie asked Reha as she lifted her white cloak over her head to hide her face.

"I am saying that I will keep an eye on the dagger for you," she grinned. "What usually happens is when you use your powers the dagger starts to glow. So we gather around and chant to give you extra energy. Just something I picked up on after being there for a year. The thing is that we also chant to slow down the energy source, meaning you are actually losing energy when you're fighting instead of gaining."

"Hmmm…" Sophie thought, looking over at Naum with a frown on her face. "Well I guess you should do that then. This is all a trial and error experiment and if you think that will help then go right ahead."

"Okay!" Reha giggled as she pecked Naum's cheek. "I'll see you later Naum. I have to start preparing for the sacrifice ceremonies."

"You know," he said, hugging her in his chest as he swayed from side to side, "I don't see the point. I can't stand to think you'll have to die in a few days. Reha really? Can you just… just run away?"

"You know I can't do that," she frowned, "but don't worry about me. I'm more worried about you. This dagger that is in her world… what if it causes you to go crazy?"

"I'm more afraid of how I'll be able to live without you," he frowned back, Reha's eyes going wide as he gave her a slight smile. "I… well I suppose I can tell you later –"

"No tell me now," Reha said, Sophie looking over at Naum with a worried look on his face.

"I… when your birthday came I was going to…" Naum looked away, trying to avoid her eyes. Reha grabbed his cheek so she could stare into his eyes, seeing sadness in his usually bright silver steel and emerald eyes, but now were slowly turning dull as he fought back tears. "I was going… to ask if you would like to ask me to be your mate for the rest of our lives," he cracked a smile, Reha gasping as her eyes stared at him in shock and tried to process his words. "I hoped to keep you with me, through live and death and the worlds beyond. I know that would have been too much for me to ask of you, and I would rather you live a happier life then one tormented with daemons like me –"

"Naum," she stopped him, a tear rolling down her cheek as she smiled and laughed half-heartedly. "You… you want me to be w-ith you? Even after all that has happened?"

"Yes," he smiled back and wiped away her tear. "I… I want to open my heart to you, but seeing as you'll soon die…"

"Now, now," Sophie huffed, cutting the tension as she walked over to them and flopped her arms over their shoulders, "don't think she'll die so soon Naum. Besides if I'm as you say I am, I should be able to keep Death away. Okay?"

"I can't trust that Sophie," he frowned, turning his attention back to Reha and smiling back at her. "I h-ope you'll have a good afterlife in Ura. I **know** you'll end up there… a-and tell Life I said hi –"

"Sophie's right Naum," Reha smiled weakly, grabbing Naum's cheek again and trying to give him the best smile she could. "These are hard times. Perhaps something will happen that will stop my death. Either way I must get going. See you later Naum… Sophie."

Sophie and Naum gave her a slight wave as she disappeared into the temple, Naum sighing as he turned around and headed up the road to Ga. Sophie followed behind him, skipping behind him with her hands behind her back; taking her time as he grumbled under his breath and emerged out of Ponta. "Okay can you stop that!?" he sneered.

"What?" Sophie grinned. "I'm not doing _anything~~_ wrong."

"Can't you just be serious?" Naum sighed and shook his head, "You know what I doubt you can –"

"Lighten up a little, will you?" Sophie huffed as she hustled past him with her back to him. "I come across this stuff _all~ the time_. It's easier to go about everything without all that frustration and anger. It'll cause the situation to become overwhelming. So laugh a bit! It won't hurt since… you know."

Naum rolled his eyes and watched Sophie walk into the camp, a smirk coming to his face as she left and chuckled as he walked behind her. Then he raised an eyebrow, noticing a large assembly of daemons waiting for them. "Please don't tell me this is an ambush –"

"Far from it," Xaskesiel emerged from the group with a wide grin on his face, looking over at Sophie as she giggled lightly. "Once you came to each one of us and discussed the situation _we~_ decided to come together to help you."

"Hello Xaskesiel," Sophie smiled happily, the other daemons snickering at him as he let out a huff.

"It's Necrosnare, Serbu –"

"Please call me Sophie, Xaskesiel," she insisted, grinning at him as he scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I'm guessing you're all Helvilo?"

"That's correct –"

"Well then you have your army Naum," Sophie smirked. "What's the plan now?"

"AAahhhh…" he looked away, Sophie smile waning at the nervousness in his voice.

"It looks to me our leader doesn't know how to lead," Xaskesiel snickered, the others starting to laugh as Sophie walked back over to Naum with her arms crossed over her chest.

"You know Naum," she said softly so only Naum could hear, "this is your army, not mine. If you want to put this world back in the balance you will have to do it yourself. I won't be around all the time to help you. Understood?"

"Y-yes…" he answered looking away.

"Now don't be so frightened!" she laughed and slammed her hand into his back, knocking the wind out of him. "Grow a backbone! You have calculated everything that needs to be done, trust me I saw you, so go about your plan with your head held high and a stern voice on your lips. You've led the Goddesses of Life, haven't you? So what's so different about this?"

Naum coughed into his hand as he collected himself, sighing with his eyes closed before opening them and staring deeply at the daemons gathered around. "I see your point," he said simply, making his way over to the crowd and glaring at Xaskesiel. "Necrosnare of Graveshroud comes with me to my tent and we will discuss the plan in there. Gather your generals and meet me inside at 0800. Sophie you… ummm… can stay out here I suppose."

"Sure thing boss," she saluted him and chuckled, Naum rolling his eyes as he pushed past the crowd and towards his tent. "What do you do for fun around here _anyways~_?" she sighed, Xaskesiel laughing as he slammed his hand onto her shoulder and patting her lightly.

"Whatever you'd like, but I'd doubt you'd approve," he grinned. "Now play _nice~_. If I hear that any of you has so much has **touched** Serbus in a disgusting manner you will have to deal with **me**. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" the daemons answered at once, Xaskesiel leaving and having his main generals follow behind him.

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Sophie huffed as she watched the daemons sit around lazily doing nothing whatsoever, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Nothing to do…" she groaned, suddenly hearing a neigh in the distance as an ominous black horse made its way into the encampment and galloped over to Sophie. "Hey there!" she laughed happily. "What is it?" The horse gave out a few neighs and scratched its hooved against the ground. The daemons looked at the two confused; Sophie nodding as she slowly hushed the horse and gently gripped its nose. "_I see~~_… how many?" The horse neighed one last time and Sophie nodded, turning her attention to one of the daemons and pointing to one of them. "You," she suddenly said in a stern voice, "go tell Kaoboros that the daemons are making their way here. They are led by six generals, planning on laying siege on Ponta… well go!"

He yelped and stood to his feet, dashing away as Sophie sighed and climbed up on top of the horse. "And what's a little girly like yourself planning on doing?" a daemon asked, the rest of them laughing as Sophie smirked back.

"I'm going to _greet~_ them," she grinned, the daemon gulping at the colors swirling in her eyes and staring deep into his own. "Tata," she gave them one last wave, galloping off into the arid land and making her way over a rim of volcanos before coming across the daemons. "There you are," she snarled as she pulled her large black scythe from her side as her black haze began to circle around her. "Hopefully Reha can keep those mortals away from the dagger long enough for me to keep control," she decided, pulling her black hood tighter over her face and waiting for the daemons to make their move. One general let out a call and the first wave of daemons dashed up the volcano towards her, Sophie grinning deviously as she yelled back and galloped towards the daemons.

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"Necrosnare!" a daemon ran into the tent and interrupted the meeting, "The outsider took off and told me there's an assembly of daemons on their way, six generals strong."

"Thank you," Xaskesiel nodded, "assemble the troops." The daemon nodded and quickly left, Xaskesiel sighing and looking over at Naum. "It looks like your plan of taking them by surprise won't come to fruition. What's the plan Kaoboros?"

"We…" Naum thought as he rolled up the map in his hand and set it aside, "We will go join Serbus on the battlefield. I doubt she can take on a swarm of six thousand daemons strong and live to tell the tale. Necrosnare, assemble ten of your units for battle. The remaining thirty will create a wall formation to stop any advancement of the daemons. I will leave three of my own units here, but the other four will follow me to the battlefield. Understand?"

"Loud and clear," Xaskesiel answered him, speaking among his own generals as they left the tent.

"Naum what should we do?" one of the Goddesses of Life asked him.

"The bowmen and sorcerers can come with me. The rest of you stay here and keep watch over the Helvilo. Sophie may trust them, but I certainly do not," he huffed, leaving the tent and calling his units over to the outside of the camp.

"We don't have much time," Xaskesiel said, pointing over to ring of volcanos out in the distance. "They will spew pumice in fifteen more minutes. My troops will have to leave once they do and you will have to retreat into Ponta."

"I see that," he huffed, "but I already sent a few scouts out to tell us of the battle –"

"Kaoboros!" came a voice in the distance, a young goddess making her way to them and letting out staggered breaths. "There… the battle…" she coughed into her hand, collecting herself before she continued. "It is the strangest sight I have ever seen," she finally said, shuddering to herself as she rubbed her arms uncomfortably.

"How?" Naum asked.

"That o-outsider has already taken out several units and one of the generals," the goddess continued, "but she won't be able to last for much longer. She's been stabbed several times and it's only a matter of time till she passes out from blood loss."

"Come," Naum said to his troops as he took off to the volcano, Xaskesiel ushering his troops along while Naum dashed ahead. When he came to the top of the volcano he gasped in horror, dark colors of blood flying through the air as a large shadow made their way across the daemons. There were screaks and squeals coming from them, but as daemons fell dark energy sucked them up in a fog drifting over the field.

He looked up to hear the volcanos rumbling, gulping as Xaskesiel joined him and snickered at the sight. "_My~ my_," he grinned, "I have never seen a power that strong in eons."

"Only leave a few units here," Naum said bluntly. "The volcanos will be erupting soon and the eruption will eliminate the daemons in the gully. Keep bowmen and spear throwers here to aid Serbus. The rest should head back."

"Read you loud and clear," he smirked, Xaskesiel speaking to his generals and having them turn and leave them with only thirty men.

Naum looked over at Sophie as she made her way through the mob, noticing her slowing down and letting out a gulp. "Okay aim there," he told his men, his troops aiming and firing into the rows of daemons.

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Sophie let out staggered gasps, her side bleeding all over the ground as she yelled and slashed her scythe in a circle around her body. These daemons were nothing but drones, barely considered footmen and less intelligent than primates. Her goal was the take out their leaders so the daemons would take off, and she only had two to go. The generals were side by side hiding behind their troops as the daemons came at her from all sides. Her sight was growing hazy and her mind turning blank, crimson pouring out of her side in a river of blood around her. This only encouraged the daemons on, slurping up her blood and quickly gaining excelled strength. She had to come up with a plan and fast! Or else these daemons will drain her of the rest of her energy –

She gasped as she felt a sharp breeze and a row of daemons fell around her, looking up to see Xaskesiel waving at her and Naum giving her a nod. She nodded back and narrowed her eyes, tightening her clothes around her wounds in an attempt to stop the blood as she dashed through the daemons and hacked them in two. "You!" she yelled, a daemon's head flying past her head as she pushed her way past the daemons and aimed the blade of her scythe at the two generals. "What is the meaning of this?! _**You cowardly swine~**_" she sneered at the end of her voice, the daemons whimpering at the tone in her voice as they turned to run away.

"Monster! You monster!" one of them yelled, running as fast as she could to escape her.

The other stood her ground and sneered back, taking out a blade and grinning at her. "_Let's dance~ outsider_," she growled, snarling as she ran towards Sophie with her blade raised. Swiftly Sophie evaded her attacks, jumping away to hold her side. "It's not over you know!" she laughed as she aimed for Sophie's head. "**You're** the swine! You're killing everyone, everything! There's no justice to those mortals being there –"

"_What did you say about __**them**__~?_" she answered, grabbing the daemon by the neck and grinning madly at her. The daemon shuddered in fear, feeling a chill going down her spine as she tried to turn her head away. As she did the only thing the daemon could see was a black haze surround her troops and rip them apart, not even doing them the courtesy of swallowing them up, and left the bodies in the dirt. "You don't seem to _understand~_ the importance of mortals. Perhaps you should look into it," she smirked, throwing the daemon to the ground and raising her scythe to the daemon's neck, "for you see, daemons are needed in this world just as much as humans. You just need to realize this. Your world has been fighting for so long that you've lost sight of the true goals, and it'll only lead to your own ruin –"

"There's no point! Don't you understand!?" she yelled at Sophie, her red eyes beaming with rage. "I can only take orders! That's why I've been spared –"

"Then would you like to join us?" Sophie asked her softly, the daemon shuddering in fear as Sophie only grinned confidently back. "Either join us or I chop off your head."

The daemon squeaked as the God of Death pushed the blade into her neck, blood slowly dripping down her skin onto the ground as Sophie grinned deviously. "You're only a daemon for hire anyways and I can see the bright light coming from your soul. You'll be able to better yourself if you do. I can see it in your eyes that you want to."

She blinked, looking away pondering her thoughts before sneering and throwing the blade in her hand at Sophie. Sophie stepped to the side and evaded the attack, Sophie's blade digging into the daemon's neck as she let out a scream. "I will never go back on my orders!" she yelled at her. "I never, ever will! I made an oath I will carry out his order and I'll never go back!"

"Have it your way," Sophie answered bluntly, her daemon's eyes widening as the blade stabbed slowly, ever so slowly, into her neck. Sophie laughed demonically as the daemon screamed in pain, her body slowly becoming a lifeless twitch as she tried to squirm away.

"That's enough Sophie," came a voice from behind, Sophie rolling her eyes as she turned her attention over to Xaskesiel. "I know her. Let her go."

"X-xaskesiel?!" the daemon gasped, crying out in pain as Sophie roughly ripped her blade out from her neck as it continued to bleed uncontrollably.

"Luhar," he snarled back, pinning her arms back down as she whimpered underneath him and blood flowed down her body. "Why were you sent?"

"C-cinderburn," she gasped, "H-he… ee wants…" Luhar coughed and spat blood on his face, Xaskesiel groaning as he pushed away the blood from his face.

"I can't understand her if she dies Serbus!" Xaskesiel called to her. "Help me! Save her!"

"Why should I?" Sophie asked casually. "She's a daemon right? Are you on their side?"

"She was only doing as she was told," Xaskesiel frowned, "and I was hoping I would never have to encounter her on the battlefield – Luhar!" She gasped for air and spat up blood, her neck bleeding out uncontrollably from Sophie's scythe.

Sophie sighed and pushed Xaskesiel away, placing her hand on the daemon's neck and letting a white glow appear in her hand. Luhar screamed at the light coming from Sophie's hand, Xaskesiel gasping and turning his head in horror at the light radiating from her hand. "Now Xaskesiel," Sophie said softly to get his attention, "go finish off the daemons. I will stay here with Luhar and escape before the volcano erupts. Finish them off and go back to the camp. That's an order."

"Alright Sophie," he nodded, looking at them with a frown on his face as he trekked back through the daemons hacking them apart with the axe in his hand. He stopped at the top of the hill, Naum looking over at Xaskesiel with a glare as he glared back. "Finish off the daemons and head back to the camp," he said bluntly, "orders from Serbus."

"B-but what about Sophie –"

"She needs to handle some things," Xaskesiel sighed as he turned around. "There are only ten daemons left. Take care of them and let's go. We'll die if we don't." Naum nodded and called his troops back, the last daemon falling to the ground as they turned and ran back towards the camp before the volcanoes started to erupt.

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**A/N: Oh wow! *chuckles* I didn't know I wrote something this awesome ^^. Now we're getting somewhere in this story =D Well as I've said, I plan on reading all the chapters I wrote before continuing to write… that is if I do or not. Hopefully this chapter will hold you over and thank you to those who've messaged me and asked if I'm continuing… and for any readers who have been waiting patiently for another chapter. I'm sorry that it took me so long to post, but… well you know why ^^ Well… I hope to see you guys later. BYE!**


	81. The Coming Invasion

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! So I've noticed I haven't posted anything in a while so here's the next chapter. I've been working on trying to finish this arc so I can move on ^^ Tell me what you think! I think the story is still confusing, but that's just me. I don't even know what I'm saying half of the time XD Well… that's it! ENJOY!**

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"Where the hell is she?!" Naum sneered as he grabbed hold of Xaskesiel's neck and began to strangle him. "You told me she would be back. You told me she would be fine. Where is Sophie now?! The volcanoes are erupting!"

"I-I don't know –"

"You don't know?!" Naum growled, staring deeply into Xaskesiel's eyes. He gasped in terror, seeing silver and emerald swirling intently in his eyes and anger radiating as he shoved him away and pushed him to the ground. Xaskesiel sneered back as Naum held his sword to his neck, the blade slowly piercing into his skin. "I made a promise that I would keep Sophia Serbus safe from harm. You so much as have the _**nerve~**_ to make me a liar that will be the last thing you ever do."

"Wait Kaoboros –"

"Don't you **dare** call me that!" He hissed, "It's Naum. Naum, damn it!" Xaskesiel yelped in suprise as the blade began to pierce into his neck, Naum's eyes glowing mad as the daemons stepped away in terror.

"Naum snap out of it –"

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Don't talk to me! I can't stand this! I can't stand another being I promised to care for die again! Not again! –"

"Enough," said a low voice, Naum's eyes looking up in shock as its owner jumped off of a large black horse and made her way to him, "let the man go."

"S-serbus…" Naum gulped, throwing his sword to the side as Xaskesiel coughed and quickly held his hand to his neck.

Sophie gave Naum a hardened stare and he looked down in shame, until Sophie looked down at the girl trembling in her arms as she pressed her hand on her neck. "Xaskesiel," Sophie said sternly, quickly getting his attention, "You know this daemon don't you. How?"

He frowned, standing up and dusting the dirt from his clothes. "I… here I'll tell you in private," Xaskesiel sighed and walked into the camp, Sophie walking past him and into the tent Naum had set up for her. Xaskesiel raised an eyebrow at the sight, the colors in dull grays, blues, and purples where the light could barely reach into the tent. He watched as she set the daemon in her arms on her bed, a groan escaping Luhar's lips as Sophie lifted her hand from her neck and inspected the deep cut. "Y-you see Serbus –"

"Come sit," Sophie told him, her eyes still on the other woman. "I still haven't healed her completely." Xaskesiel's eyes widened in shock as Sophie set her bag down beside her and pulled out a sewing kit, pulling out a thread and needle and quickly tying the end before turning her attention back to Luhar. "Hush little one," she said sweetly as the woman whimpered in pain, "It will all be over soon." Luhar nodded and closed her eyes tightly, Sophie beginning to sew into her skin as Luhar bit back tears. "So," Sophie began casually in a somber voice as Luhar laid on the bed, biting her lip and close to screaming, "who is this daemon to you?"

"… My sister," he sighed with disappointment. "We had different mothers and as is tradition we were given our mothers' last names. She is Luhar Rulebrood, born in Blackflame, and I am Xaskesiel Necrosnare, born in Graveshroud. I am a full-blooded Helvilo while Luhar is only half, but her mother was a highly acclaimed daemon so she didn't have any trouble till her mother passed away. She tried living with me in Graveshroud and learned to be a Helvilo, but she was always being teased and almost came close to dying once. So I let her go, Luhar going off on her own without me. It has been a few centuries since I last saw her… all I knew of her was Luhar became a daemon for hire. That's all I know about her…" Xaskesiel looked over at Sophie as she kept to her work, gritting his teeth at the small cry coming from Luhar's mouth as Sophie held up her head to finish the stitches. "H-how did you keep her alive for so long anyways?" he decided to ask. "Since I thought you had chopped most of her head off –"

"I only pierced through a quarter of her neck," Sophie told him, "and I kept her neck in place and her breathing stayed consistent with my powers. The only problem I have is getting away from the volcanoes as they exploded, but we made it back in one piece…" She grew silent as she pierced once more into Luhar's neck, tying the thread off and cutting it with a small pair of scissors. "Now don't speak for a few hours," Sophie smiled as she set her things aside and ran a hand over the girl's cheek, "If you do the thread will snap and you're too close to death for that."

"So… so Luhar will be fine?" Xaskesiel bit down on his bottom lip.

"Yes," Sophie answered bluntly, standing up and setting her supplies back into her bag. "Now there was one more daemon that had run off before I could kill him. I am guessing the daemon will be heading back to his master and telling him the events that happened here. Once Luhar is better I expect her to give me honest information. Can I trust she will do that, Necrosnare?"

Xaskesiel gulped, noticing the glare coming from her blue, green, and yellow eyes. "Yes Serbus," he bowed, "you have my word."

Sophie nodded, a smirk coming to her face as she nudged his shoulder and walked past him. "Go ahead and stay here till Luhar wakes up. Have someone alert me when she does. Good luck." Xaskesiel cracked a smile as she left the tent, quickly kneeling down beside Luhar and running a hand through her long, dark blue hair.

Sophie hustled through the camp to find Naum off to the side with his knees to his chest, hiding behind a wall so none of the soldiers would see him. "You were worried about me?" Sophie asked calmly, Naum looking up as he quickly rubbed the tears from his face and nodded. She smiled and sat next to him, placing a hand on his knee and rubbing it in a comforting manner. "Naum," she sighed as he looked away, "why would you go so far as to kill someone over me? Don't you trust that I'll come back alive?"

"I-it's just…" Naum sighed as he placed a finger in the dirt and began making patterns on the ground. "It seems that every time I grow to love someone they have to die. It's a miracle that Reha and Eve haven't died yet, but still I can see that Reha will soon… Sophie, I'm sorry. It was senseless for me to lash out at everyone just because you went missing for a few minutes. I just can't trust anyone to say that they'll come back to me…"

"Naum listen," she patted his knee to get his attention, "I'm not mad, but you need to understand that I have spent all my lifetime coming close to Death. It is natural for me to die and die again, but it doesn't mean I'm gone, not yet anyways. I don't like to be babysat Naum. You have to understand that beings will come and go in your life and there's nothing you can do about it. You just have to except it… not let revenge take over your heart and all that fun stuff."

"I… I'm still sorry," he sighed, leaning over to rest his head on her shoulder, "and I hope you'll forgive me. I promise to control my anger, alright? It's just something that happens sometimes… I lose control."

"Happens to the best of us," Sophie chuckled and patted his head, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as she rested her head upon his. "… You know if you need someone to talk to about this I'm here. That's why I'm around, you know. This stuff has happened to me too and I'd hate to see your little heart getting hurt over this."

Naum smiled, nuzzling his nose into her shoulder. "I know," he chuckled, "thank you."

"No problem," she answered back, the two of them growing quiet as they sat in the shade of the sun and waited for someone to come and find them.

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"Serbus she's awake," a goddess came up to her, Sophie giving her a nod and patting Naum on the back.

"See you squirt," she chuckled, Naum mumbling under his breath with his head buried in his knees. Sophie stood up and brushed the dust from her clothes, looking up at the evening sky before following the goddess through the camp. "Say is Naum _always~_ like that?" she decided to ask.

"Actually no," she looked over at Sophie and smirked, "but he does when he's with Eve and Reha. He must really like you or something –"

"Nah it has nothing to do with that," Sophie grinned. "It's just… well I don't know. He's just acting like I do sometimes," she chuckled, passing into her tent and looking into the room. Xaskesiel looked up with murder in his eyes, but they quickly softened once he noticed the amused grin on Sophie's lips. "So how's our little patient?"

"Just fine thank you," Luhar huffed as she sat up in the bed and glared at Sophie, "but if you hadn't cut into my neck I wouldn't be in this mess!"

"Well I actually found your honor admirable," Sophie shrugged, "but those sorts of things bring you to an early death."

"So you have no honor," Luhar grumbled under her breath. "Typical. You must be a daemon or something –"

"I am a leader to a few hundred of my kind and a master to many more. Don't tell me I have no honor," Sophie huffed, kneeling down next to her body and running a finger over her neck. Luhar shuddered as she tried to move away, Sophie smirking at her fear before letting go and waiting for her to notice. "As I said I find your honor admirable. I aspire to that every day even though such greatness usually ends in an early death," she chuckled lightly, Luhar looking in shock at the wide grin on her face. "Anyways you should be up and running tomorrow. Go ahead and sleep here if you'd like."

"W-why thank you Serbus –"

"It's Sophie," she smiled back, "and I dislike the formalities."

Luhar nodded and gave her a smile, looking over at Xaskesiel as she let out a tired sigh. "Well Necrosnare and I were discussing –"

"I told Sophie that you're my sister Lu," Xaskesiel told her.

"Xaskesiel!" Luhar huffed. "How could you –"

"She's someone I can trust Luhar," he told her, "now can you tell us what happened?"

"S-sure I suppose," Luhar sighed again, looking over at Sophie and back at Xaskesiel. "Well I was wandering and came across the city of Hellhound across the Ponta from here. There is a ruling regent there, Pinazaliel Cinderburn, and he hired me once he found out I was in town. He said he would need my skills as a Helvilo to take over the realm of Ponta, but I told him nothing. Still he gave me a place in his army and had me lead the attack today, but I didn't suspect to run into… into you Sophie."

"Right," Sophie chuckled lightly, "I figured you'd say that –"

"N-no you don't understand," she gulped looking over at Xaskesiel with worry. "Cinderburn is trying to infiltrate this nearby town in Ponta at the edge of the shore to achieve the holy relics. He kept speaking of a dagger that will bring about life and death, and was rallying his troops that if they gained the dagger then he could revive the plants and animals that had been here before and destroy the Goddesses of Life once and for all. I had to admit I saw the plan tempting, but how he's going about it… I can tell he has something more in mind then just achieving a dagger."

"So this dagger is pretty powerful huh?" Sophie huffed slightly. "There was one general that escaped me. I figured she'd go and speak to this Pinazaliel guy and –"

"Yes," Luhar interrupted her and nodded, "but it's more than that. You see… I can **tell** you're from a different world. I can tell you're here for the dagger… I've been close to the dagger once. You feel just like that object." She sighed as she held her hand to her throat before shaking her head and looking back at Sophie. "Cinderburn, once this general gets back to him, he will most likely open up a portal –"

"A portal?" Sophie frowned.

"Yes, a portal," Luhar continued, "that leads to **your** world or that's what I'm assuming. He has this power to create portals into different worlds and his plan is to make a large portal into this other world where another dagger lies and steal it away. You **have** to stop him. He's mad I tell you. Whenever he gets to another world he destroys _everything~_, the plants all die and wither away. That's one of the reasons why Ga is uninhabitable… because of him."

"Then when does he plan on opening this portal?" Sophie decided to ask.

"They had gathered a vile of your blood," she continued, "on your side. That general ran back to Hellhound to give it to Cinderburn and he will use the blood to contact your world through a portal. This battle was only a distraction. He planned on gaining your blood through this fight and then completing a ritual tonight –"

"Tonight?" Sophie frowned. "He's not giving us any time is he…"

"The ritual takes all night and the portal should open up before the sun appears," Luhar continued, "b-but you can never actually get there. You would have to be a daemon just to get through Cinderfury, and even if you got past there you have a few thousand miles to go. If you bring this whole army then –"

"We won't plan on doing that," Naum answered from the front of the tent, coming inside and standing beside Sophie. "I and Sophie will go. We can change our auras so they smell like anything a daemon can sense. The rest of the troops can stay here and protect Ponta from a possible invasion –"

"And I will go too," Xaskesiel said, giving Naum a grin as he eyed him suspiciously. "I've been there before. I can be the guide. Plus I have nothing else to do here except twiddle my thumbs and the two of you will need all the help you can get."

"Fine," Naum nodded, "but they won't let us in that easily."

"I-I can go," Luhar told them as she lifted herself from the bed and pressed a finger to her neck. "The pain is almost gone, I-I think –"

"Yes you're right," Sophie continued, pressing a thumb to her stitches and helped her up, "but I'd still advise you to keep out of the fighting –"

"No she's not going," Xaskesiel huffed.

"But Xa –"

"Lu you've almost died and I won't let you go back and hurt yourself again," he snarled at her. "Besides the three of us can handle everything on our own. You're speaking to legends here."

"Who's legend?" Sophie pouted.

"Oh," Naum chuckled as a slight blush came to his cheeks, "W-we're nothing special. I'm not even like my mother at all, s-so I don't see why you'd say that –"

"Still I expect the two of you will be able to deal with them," Xaskesiel nodded, "and Naum can go back to the town and tell the priestesses what is going on. Once he comes back we'll get going and Luhar you stay here and help defend the mortals."

"But –"

"He's right I suppose," Sophie sighed. "Your neck should be healed up by then, **if** they come here and attack. You can help lead the attack, since you will know their movements better than any of us. Now go Naum. Go tell Reha to keep a closer eye on the dagger. I'll stay here and make sure all matters are in order for you."

"Yes Serbus," he nodded, turning around and leaving the tent.

"… You know I always found it troublesome that they have to sacrifice humans once a year," Xaskesiel chuckled lightly. "I mean isn't that senseless of them? Sure I've come across daemons that eat their own kind, but I wouldn't kill someone unless I had to or I was completely starving."

"Why **do** they do that?" Sophie huffed, "Because there must be more to a sacrifice every year then just honoring Life. Did something else happen for them to change?"

"_Well~_" Xaskesiel chuckled lightly, "After the First Empress left chaos followed. When they sacrificed that year Death had arrived and that same year the mortals were completely driven into Ponta. Once that was over and they gathered help, the next sacrifice Life showed up. So perhaps it was a sign to them that the sacrifices were essential for their world. I don't know. It confuses me to no end too."

"I just stay out of that mess," Luhar shrugged as she leaned back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. "It's troublesome to come up with solutions for the reasons they do the things they do. They're just humans, mortals, with a free will and a free mind. It's what they decide I suppose, and I for one don't like to be a part of it."

Sophie chuckled, nodding her head as she stood up, "Yes well… Xaskesiel go ahead and say your goodbyes before we go. I have a feeling it'll be longer than just a night before this mission comes to a close."

"Yes Serbus," he bowed, watching as Sophie left the tent and closed the flap behind her.

"She's weird," Luhar huffed.

"Why do you say that?" Xaskesiel chuckled.

"Her eyes are crazier then Cinderburn's is, yet they are calm and warm. It's creepy if you ask me," she shuddered lightly, "so watch your back. I don't think you should trust her."

"I probably shouldn't," he grinned, "but you see, she is a God of Death, a _**powerful~**_ God of Death. I overheard one of her conversations with Naum and she told him how she meets with Death and he helps her. Yes, she may be more then what she seems, but to be so close to Death means she must have authority with him. So I'm willing to obey."

"Well be careful then," Luhar pouted. "I don't want to lose you too."

"Nonsense," Xaskesiel as he kissed the top of her head and stood up, "I can take care of myself. Have a pleasant night Lu." He smiled as he turned to leave her so she could rest.

"Pleasant night Xaskesiel," she smiled back, closing her eyes and pulling the sheets closer to her body till she quickly went right to sleep.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

It took Naum the rest of the day to prepare. He had explained to Sophie everything she needed to know and was now wandering about without him noticing. He sighed, slipping the black garments he would have to wear. He frowned in disgust, wishing he could wear something like white or even gray. Just plain black didn't go with his complexion, and even if it did he never liked the color. He slipped on long leather pants and a black vestment. His chest was bare, but for him the coldness of the night won't be the problem. He decided to wear a necklace, a tooth necklace that had the arrangement of razor-tooth shark teeth with some beads to suit. He also wore a bone bracelet on his wrists and ankles, slipping durable brown and black shoes on that will help him through the dry climate. Lastly he tied up his silver-green hair in a ponytail and let his eyes change color to more natural green and gray eyes that could be mistaken for perhaps a human and hopefully a daemon. Once he was ready he equipped himself with the weapons he'd need. His main worry was for Sophie, since he didn't know what has happening back home. Naum wondered if Reha was keeping the dagger safe, since he knew a few priestesses and even evil-controlled souls will be after its powers.

Deciding he was the best he'd look Naum walked out of his tent, walking through the chilling sky as he made his way to Xaskesiel. His eyes widened, coming across Sophie as she talked and laughed with the man. She wore a long black dress that went down to her ankles, but there was a slip running up her left leg ending just a few inches below the top of her thigh. She wore long black high heeled boots with buckles on them, something Naum had never seen before. Her auburn hair was left hanging down her face, one lone braid on the right side of her face as her long hair fell behind in waves. A bright green ring was hanging around her neck, now visible for all to see. The rest of her outfit was a dark blue and black combo, a blue and black cloth around her forehead and pulling back her hair with a matching cloth around her waist to show off her figure. She still had her bag around her shoulder, her black cloak around her neck as it always had been. She had a few bangles around her arms, charms that had images of creatures that he had never seen before. She also had earrings, two red feathers that were held together with blue and black string. Lastly his gaze fell upon her eyes, bright crystal blue eyes shining with intensity that Naum was still guessing that she was supernatural. He gulped, noticing the stance she was giving as if she was of royal blood or with confidence that he had never seen before that fit the woman perfectly.

Once they noticed him Sophie invited him over with a wave, Naum hesitantly walking over to them as Xaskesiel laughed and they paid no heed to his nervousness. "So Kaoboros, are you ready? We should get going if we are to make it at the gates of Cinderfury."

"Yes I am," Naum quickly huffed and shook his head to get into the idea of walking right into a den of daemons, "but how exactly will we get in undetected?"

"Well Naum, I figured you can change your aura like I can since I've seen you do it a few times," Sophie began to explain, "so Xaskesiel will lead the way with us following him. He told me he'll bring about three loyal men of his with us and we'll infiltrate the ceremony this man Pinazaliel is planning. According to Xaskesiel we won't come across any real problems as long as we can keep our auras like daemons because Pinazaliel has hired many daemons and many show up last minute for the chance of food being served." She sighed, "But I'm worried about my home. What if this daemon actually creates the portal? It'll be bad for both of our worlds."

"Don't worry about it Sophie," Xaskesiel chuckled lightly. "We'll live. Oh and Naum that's a tacky outfit, but as long as you have some cloak over you and hiding your face you'll be fine."

"Thanks for the information Xaskesiel," Naum glared at him and snorted, his eyes flashing to his normal silver steel with emerald eyes before converting back to its dulled color. Sophie rolled her eyes and threw a cloak at Naum for him to use, Xaskesiel ushering them to follow him as he took off into the arid land. Naum and Sophie ran after him, their clocks fanning out behind them as they watched the sun set behind them. It'll take a lot of energy to defeat a massive swarm of daemons, but if they were anything like the demons back in her own home Sophie will be ready for him.

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: And there we go! Will they stop the portal in time? We'll just have to see ^^' and since there's so many parallels has anyone figured out who Xaskesiel and Luhar's counterparts are? Just thought I'd ask ;3 Also mainly the names I've come up with are from name generators, so I doubt they're even real… though if they have some meaning that's cool too. I just like how they sound =D SEE YOU LATER!**


	82. The Bloody Portals

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys. It's been a while right? ^^ Sorry, but school is kicking my ass… I actually think I'll withdraw from one of my classes because no matter what I do I just can't raise the grade! That's actually one of the reasons why I haven't posted anything, another because I wanted to write up a few more chapters before reviewing one of them. So there you go. I hope you enjoy this next chapter and don't forget to review! (and sorry if I haven't answered anyone. Once again I've been busy and barely have time to myself these days DX)**

! #$%^&*()

The trio with a slim group of comrades passed through Cinderburn and was walking casually through the realm of the daemons. Sophie was slightly impressed. There were places for the damned to burn and rot, but yet there were other places for them to freeze and drown. The area reminded her of Hell in her own world, but there were several differences. Everything was decorated in a festive manner, not kept dull and boring throughout the years. It was as if this place was its own little society, different villages and towns and even cities as they passed by. They were all in a hurry to get to Hellhound, which Xaskesiel said was in the center of the realm, but from the look of the rising moon they had to be quick. They ran with superhuman strength through the roads and sneaked their way through every nook and cranny. Eventually they reached a rotting sign that would lead them down the road to Hellhound, Naum letting in a gulp as Sophie grumbled lightly from how long it was taking them to get there. "Now I hear the ceremony will be in one of those buildings," Xaskesiel pointed to a large spiraling tower that reminded her of a castle or cathedral. "We have to take this slow. The three of us will sneak in through the back doors and make our way inside while the others stay outside in case anything goes wrong. Once we do we have to see what Cinderburn is doing. If he's chanting we may be too late, but if he's still gloating then we have some time to stop him."

"I don't see why you're helping us so much," Naum snorted. "You have no business to."

Xaskesiel smirked, looking over at Sophie who had her eyes set on the town as he looked back at Naum, "It's none of your business what my intentions are. All you need to know is that I am not going to betray you or the woman. Now either we do this together or separate, but we have to do this now. The moon is too high in the sky and they may have already started –"

"Then stop talking and let's get going!" Sophie snorted; jumping down from the rocky ledge they were looking over and landing casually on her feet. She huffed as she made her way to the town, letting Naum and Xaskesiel follow if they wished to help. She had her own reason for being here. She had to defeat them in order for her world to stay intact. Too many demons in one area will destroy a world, as what happens with overpopulations of humans, demons, and even angels. Any species really, Sophie had come to understand, and that was why Death was so important. He kept a species from becoming too overwhelming for an environment. That was why she was here, to play Death in this scenario. She sighed, feeling her death scythe waiting for her patiently in her black haze as she neared a building, knowing instantly this was where a ceremony must be taking place.

She sneaked inside before Naum had a chance to pull her away, grumbling under his breath as he followed after her. Sophie took many narrow turns and followed a high concentration of dark aura as she made her way to the end of a hallway, stopping at a ledge and holding out her hand for Naum and Xaskesiel to stop. They looked over, seeing many daemons listening to a dark looking man speaking to them as they suddenly roared with laughter. That's when Sophie saw it, an altar laid out using black marble almost against a stone wall. That must be where they were planning on making their magic and sacrifices before opening a portal. Sophie had never seen anything like this and wanted to watch the whole thing play out, but if she did then the portal would open and her world may be destroyed. She sighed. Even if it didn't work it still interested her, but she'd have to stop them regardless. Before Sophie could summon anything Xaskesiel pulled her back, shaking his head. "Not yet," he whispered, "but once Cinderburn has stopped talking and starts his sacrifices."

"But didn't you say –"

"We can't have all these daemon eyes on us at once. I can play as the distraction and make a ruckus so everyone looks to me," Xaskesiel continued, "and once they do sneak behind the large rock tablet and smash the stone alter. That's the only way to truly stop this tonight. Then try to capture Cinderburn. If you two do that he won't be able to create the portal anymore." Sophie nodded at his words as Naum looked at him suspiciously, letting the daemon walk away and blend into the rest of the crowd. Sophie pulled Naum away before he had a chance to argue as they blended into the shadows, Sophie disappearing with Naum gripping her hand tightly as they vanished. They waited for Xaskesiel's signal, and the signal they were giving was the man jumping out of nowhere and landing at the daemon's feet before he started his chanting. Sophie tried to hold back a snicker as Naum rolled his eyes, finding his stupid stunt appalling and dumb with what they had to do. Either way, with Xaskesiel's apologetic cries and mumblings to the man, he gave them enough time to appear behind the tablet without anyone noticing. Then something happened that shocked even Naum, Sophie pushing him behind her in a swift motion as she summoned her death scythe. All in an instant her eyes changed to her normal intense crystal blue and shinigami green eyes, the aura a lot stronger then it had been when he last saw her. Then all eyes were on her, feeling her aura as she raised the blade of her long scythe and aimed it at the altar. Xaskesiel tried to hold off Cinderburn as he was shoved to the ground and the regent ordered his men to attack, daemons flying down from all directions towards them. Naum pulled out his sword that had suddenly appeared as his own aura revealed itself and he stopped a few, unable to stop the others as they slammed into Sophie.

For the daemons they felt they were too late, but for Sophie she didn't have enough time. As she slammed her death scythe into the altar it began to crack and break right in the center, but the collision of the other daemons caused her to let go of her scythe and she was slammed into the stone floor. She groaned before the daemons began attacking her, the scratches and bites they gave her doing them no good as she summoned a bunch of aura and they went flying through the air. At the shock Naum was able to get himself free, grabbing hold of Sophie before she could be ripped in two by a daemon. He pulled her back and snarled protectively, Cinderburn grabbing Sophie's scythe and ripping it out of the altar. "So a couple of goddesses have come to us, is that it?" he smirked, Naum's eyes narrowing at the daemon's smugness.

Sophie shoved Naum away and glared at the daemon's smirk. "I don't care what you call me, but that scythe is mine –"

"Actually I was hoping you'd come, _mysterious outsider~_" he smirked, Naum's eyes widening once he figured out that they had been played.

She snarled, but Naum stopped her before she could do anything. "Naum let go –"

"Sophie do you have a different weapon?" he asked before he glared at the daemon, "Because I can tell he's been playing us like fools."

Sophie sighed and brushed him away, giving the daemons, whom were trying to crowd them, a hard stare and they suddenly backed away with fear. She smirked, crossing her hands over her chest waiting for him to continue. "I can tell by your scent that you're a… wait let me figure this out." Cinderburn said, closing his eyes and sticking out his tongue like he was thinking.

Sophie snorted, "If you're just going to play games –"

"Hah!" he laughed. "You're a God of Death!" All of the sudden the daemons began to attack them again, Sophie summoning her guns and firing them at the daemons.

They all flinched at the gunshot and Naum stood at a ready stance with fear in his eyes, Sophie giving the startled Cinderburn a sly smirk. "I may not have been in this world long, but I'm beginning to believe you're as incompetent as a lower class demon and even more pathetic then an insect."

"_Oh is that so~?_" Cinderburn chuckled lightly; nodding at his guards to grab Xaskesiel and throw him on the altar. Naum and Sophie watched as he was reluctantly tied up, unable to stop them as they were cornered by the daemons that Sophie assumed to be his guards. "This **pathetic** excuse of a daemon is the leader of the Gods of Death," Pinazaliel told the group, the rest of them laughing at him. "We will teach them _all~~_ an example and attack every one of them right after we finish our ceremony," he told them, looking over at Sophie with a grin, "and we have **just** the right creature to carry out our plans –"

"Not if **I** have anything to say about it," Sophie smirked; shooting a daemon that was standing too close to her body and let him dissolve into an eternal nap. Then the room erupted into chaos, the daemons pouring in everywhere as Naum fend them off. Sophie still had her eyes on Cinderburn, glaring at him as he continued to hold her scythe with a cocky confidence. "And after I'm done with you," she snarled, "I'm going back home and leaving your pathetic world behind –"

"But what you don't seem to understand is my master has ordered me to do this," he smirked back.

"What master –"

"Lord of the Daemons, of course!" Cinderburn laughed as if she was stupid. "Don't you realize where you are little lost death god? Once I use your blood and summon a portal to your world we'll populate your world like flies. Even the daemons that live in your own world will quench with fear as we, Daemons of Ga, come and destroy you – What's so funny?!" he snarled, listening to Sophie laughing insanely as she held her hand to her side.

"Oh I'm sorry," she laughed and wiped away a tear, "I thought you said you'd **destroy** us? You must be mistaken. It is **I** who will destroy _**you**_." Cinderburn yelped at the death scythe was ripped away from his hands, Sophie holding out her own hand as her gun disappeared and she summoned the scythe back into her hands. She gave him an evil smirk, one that rivaled even the most powerful daemon in the universe. "_**Let's dance~~**_" she laughed, jumping at him with her scythe raised as she aimed for his head and tried to pin him down to the floor.

Cinderburn yelped and tried to dodge, barely getting out of the way as she aimed for his body. She was going at a speed that he couldn't keep up with, quickly being pinned to the ground with the long blade of her scythe. Out of nowhere she slammed four black knives deep into the daemon's hands, feet, and heart. Then her gaze left his with disinterest, casually walking over to Xaskesiel and quickly untying him. "Thanks kid," Xaskesiel chuckled as Sophie shook her head.

"Yeah no problem –"

Her eyes widened as she felt a knife imbed itself into her back, blood flowing down her back. Sophie snarled and threw the knife to the ground, chasing after Cinderburn with anger in her eyes. The three of them fought the thousands of daemons, Naum, Xaskesiel, and the God of Death that had accompanied them being the only main ones fighting as Sophie chased after Cinderburn with hatred in her eyes. She used her powers to slam him into walls, the daemon avoiding them as others came out of nowhere to try to pin the woman down. Sophie wouldn't have this, swinging her scythe around her and killing them with one deadly stroke. What she hadn't realized was that he had her blood on one of the knives he was holding, chanting a spell as he avoided her and daemons jumped out of nowhere to keep her away. Before she realized this it was too late, a portal suddenly summoning to his aid as Cinderburn laughed and jumped through it. "Let's take this war into the next world!" He laughed confidently, Sophie jumping after him with her blade raised and striking down on a daemon that tried to pass through.

! #$%^&*()

It happened in an instant, Jericho noticing as the earth began to shake. Everyone could feel the shaking, especially those in the shinigami realm and looked out windows and even the doors to wonder what was going on. He fell back in shock as someone else beside him jumped towards the building and fell to the ground. The shaking happened again and all eyes were on a large energy portal that had opened up in the middle of nowhere. He snarled, feeling the aura of a demon as the creature stepped out of the portal as if it were normal and looked around. "Now **this** is a paradise," Cinderburn laughed, staring up at the snog in the sky and laughed insanely. Then he noticed the other shinigamis, a smirk coming to his face at their confused or frightened faces.

Hearing a scream behind him Sophie jumped out of the portal as the daemons trickled behind her, swinging her scythe and hacking them in two as she kicked the head of a daemon at his feet. "**Don't you **_**dare**_," she snarled and looked up, her eyes glowing with intense anger, "**expect to come here without a **_**proper invitation**_." Cinderburn raised an eyebrow at the comment, "Do you even expect to get any respect around here?!" Sophie laughed at him, causing him to snarl. "You're pathetic! The only reason I let you come here is because I wanted to see how you'd fair. Well _little~_ daemon, ready to die and meet your maker?"

She stepped forward, Jericho letting in a gulp. The woman was going mad with bloodlust, licking her lips as blood trickled down her cloak, body, and down her scythe coating her hands. "Who are you?" Cinderburn raised an eyebrow, Sophie stopping her advance as her smile grew wider.

Cinderburn gulped, seeing the confidence on her face as he saw the colors in her eyes swirling around in an ominous glow. "Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, a servant of darkness and God of _**Death~**_" Once she noticed that Naum and Xaskesiel had come through the portal she ran for him, her eyes blazing for blood as he held up his arm and screamed as his limb was torn right off. "Didn't expect you to be good," she snorted, slamming the butt of her scythe and throwing the daemon into the trees. "Your generals were as incompetent as _you~_"

Naum and Xaskesiel did their best to hold off the daemons, corralling them back towards the portal and trying to keep them away from Sophie. Many were too scared to help Cinderburn, but the few who went in to help were severed right in half as Sophie's blade seem to fly around her on its own and cut them clean in two. They didn't even flinch when Cinderburn screamed, being pinned to a tree as Sophie laughed evilly and suddenly set the tree on fire. "Gods, that woman is not going to let him die, is she?" Xaskesiel decided to say, though he had a smug smirk on his face.

"Necrosnare get your head in the game," Naum snarled at him as he brought out his sword and stabbed a daemon in the chest before slashing another one in the arm. "Stupid God of Death."

"Stupid Goddess of Life," Xaskesiel snorted back, his axe gleaming in the sun as he brought it down and cut several daemons in half. "You should be thanking me," he commented smugly. "You wouldn't have been able to get here without me –"

"Yes I know that," Naum huffed, "but knock that off. You're one to talk –"

"Oh _I'm~_ one to talk," Xaskesiel chuckled as he split a daemon in several pieces as the bits sprayed onto them like raindrops. "Who made **you** king of the world?"

"Your mother," Naum looked over at him with a smug smirk on his face.

"Ouch! That hurts!" Xaskesiel huffed sarcastically, "If I had a mother that is," he laughed lightly before messing up Naum's hair and dashing away.

Naum snarled and looked around, watching as Sophie pinned the daemon to the tree as he screamed from the black flames, a monotone look growing on her face as she glared at him through angry blue, green, and yellow swirling eyes. "… Who are you trying to contact here?" she asked, Cinderburn laughing and spitting in her face.

"I'm not helping some daemon like you!" he laughed before glaring down at her through hardened eyes. "You have no right to speak to me when you know perfectly well your soul is as black as my own. You're just holding back, aren't you?"

"… Who is contacting you?" She asked one more time, pushing the blade of her scythe deep into his neck and causing him to start bleeding, "Or else your head is rolling right off and I'll have your soul tell me everything."

He smirked. "Without little Kaoboros around Ponta will fall whether I'm there are not, and with my men coming closer it's only a matter of time till I take the Dagger of Death," Cinderburn whispered, letting out a gasp as she stabbed him further.

"Damn you!" she growled, hearing him laugh as the flames took the rest of his body. She swiped her black scythe away and his body plummeted to the ground, nothing but burning ash and cinder.

Xaskesiel smirked, patting the woman on the back as she let out a cough. "What an ironic way to go," he chuckled lightly, "especially with that name of his –"

"Damn it Xaskesiel," she growled under her breath, clutching her chest as she straightened out her back and tried to glare him down, "this isn't the time for jokes –"

"What do I have to do to get some help over here?!" Naum yelled at them, Xaskesiel and Sophie looking at each other for a split moment before jumping over to aid the man. The daemons quickly fell once their leader was out of commission, either running back through the portal or dying by their weapons. Sophie got more and more frustrated as the daemons died around them, regretting killing Cinderburn much too soon before she gathered all the information she currently lacks.

Letting out a raged cough Sophie looked towards the portal, a groan escaping from the pit of her chest. "What are we going to do about **that**?" she huffed, looking over at Naum and Xaskesiel expecting an explanation.

"I don't know," Naum looking over at Xaskesiel with angry eyes, who whistled quietly to himself and looked away, "and I don't even understand what happened –"

"Well that seems to be happening a lot lately!" Sophie growled, straightening up her back and coughing into her hand.

Naum and Xaskesiel exchanged glances, Naum's sword vanishing from his hand as he walked over to Sophie and grabbed her shoulders. "Hey, are you okay –"

"Y-yeah it's nothing," she chuckled nervously, letting in a big gulp as she shook her head. "… We should probably close that up," Sophie thought, stepping through the portal and walking back into the other world. Naum and Xaskesiel began to follow behind her, until a loud voice called to Sophie and ran towards them.

"Step away –"

"Naum calm down," Sophie huffed, her hands crossed over her chest as she stepped back through the portal and glared at the shinigami that was stopped by Xaskesiel's axe. "So… Jericho," she narrowed her eyes, "what are you doing back?"

"L-look I –"

"Don't even start," she growled, taking a few steps and poking Jericho in the chest. "You jerk. You run away like some coward? How could you! –"

"Sophie calm down," Naum sighed, grabbing her arms and forcing her backward. Jericho's eyes widened, seeing an eerie white glow radiating from her eyes. He forced her to spin around, glaring into her eyes. "… Damn it," he growled, "they're corrupting you."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Sophie snorted, pushing his hands away and glaring back at him.

"… You should have told me you heard voices," he sneered, Sophie raising an eyebrow.

"Naum," she sighed and shook her head, grabbing his arm and pulling him aside, "you're going to have to explain this to me."

He frowned, glancing over at Xaskesiel and Jericho, who looked at them like they were crazy, before letting a deep sigh escape his lips. "Look… do you even know how my parents died?" Naum began.

"… I don't know –"

"My father," Naum chuckled lightly, gently grabbing Sophie's hand and rubbing her fingers, "one day, even though its forbidden, he grabbed hold of the Divine Dagger with his bare hands. A light surrounded him and voices spoke to him… and… when he woke up… all he heard was _**them**_."

"Them?" she raised an eyebrow at the tone of his voice, noticing Naum starting to get shaky as he continued to chuckle.

"I don't know what they are," Naum sighed, "but soon he wasn't himself anymore… he acted differently. He yelled at absolutely nothing, cursing the supposed voices in his head. He went crazy and one time, on a mission, he almost killed everyone around him with a justification that he had to. My father… he couldn't take it anymore and he stormed back for the dagger, grabbing it with his bare hands and crying out in a strange tongue as the light surrounded him. Then he disappeared and I never heard from him again." Sophie frowned, watching as Naum bit the bottom of his lip and began to draw blood. "M-my mother wouldn't take this. She seemed to know **exactly** what was going on, and I overheard that she was going to confront _**them**_… wanted to bring my father back in exchange for her own soul, but… she disappeared too and the two of them weren't seen ever again," he sighed and shook his head, placing a hand under her eye and brushing her eyelashes. "Don't… Sophie don't let those things take you. Don't go towards that light… I can't lose another person to them," he finished, letting go of her and taking a step backward.

"… Well," Sophie shrugged before letting out a sigh, stepping through the portal, "I don't know what you're talking about, but whatever Naum."

He gave her a smile and she smirked back, Xaskesiel laughing and skipping over to Naum. "What's the plan kid?!" he asked, Naum sighing as Sophie smiled.

"I suppose…" Naum looked over at Sophie, as if looking for guidance. Then his eyes widened, seeing the portal starting to close. "Sophie jump back!"

"Wha –" she gasped in horror, feeling a chill roll down her back as hands roughly grabbed hold of her shoulders. "DAEMON!" Sophie yelled startled, the portal closing quickly as Naum reached out his hands to grab her back into her world.

"Sophie!" Naum screamed, Xaskesiel pulling the man away from the portal before it closed up on his hands.

His silver steel eyes widened in shock, pushing the daemon away and beginning to cry out for Sophie to come back. "Get a hold of yourself!" Xaskesiel grumbled, Naum clawing at him and cursing at the man.

"Enough," they heard a rough voice, the two foreigners looking over at a woman with long, dark brunette hair push Jericho aside and glare at them, especially Naum. "I don't know what's going on, but you better explain yourselves," she growled, Naum narrowing his eyes as Xaskesiel simply smirked.

"_My my~_" Xaskesiel crossed his arms over his chest, setting himself between Naum and the other woman, "a part of my kin I see –"

"What are you talking about –"

"Don't play coy Obki," he smirked, causing the woman to raise an eyebrow, "you don't remember whom I am? I didn't think three thousand years would change us. Weren't you the one who told me to ditch the feelings I felt after my mate died and **man up**?"

"… Necrosnare?" Fiona paused, a smirk coming to her face as a chuckle escaped her throat. "Oh gods, what is going on here?!" she began to laugh, startling the subordinates behind her. "If you're here, that means –"

"Xaskesiel how to the gods do you know this woman?" Naum pouted, pushing the man away and grumbling under his voice.

Fiona smiled, holding out his hand to him, "Fiona Obki, head of the Obki family and God of Death. Welcome little stranger. I assume you're from another world?"

"W-why yes," Naum chuckled nervously, letting go of her hand and retreating by rubbing his arm with his hand. "D-don't tell me we're in Sophie's world now?"

"_Well~_ I'll have to say so," Fiona nodded, turning her eyes to Xaskesiel, "though you haven't told me why two little space travelers ended up here."

"Ummm… Naum Karawan Kaoboros, servant of light and Goddess of Life –"

"Ah you're Sophie's counterpart!" Fiona laughed lightly. "So you know Eve then?"

"Y-yes!" Naum exclaimed, surprised the woman knew his mother, "S-she's my mother –"

"Awe that's cute," Fiona smiled, before looking over at Xaskesiel with a neutral look on her face. "What's going on here Necrosnare? Why are our worlds colliding yet again?"

"Well…" he chuckled lightly, looking over at Naum with a nervous look on his face, "You should ask the kid. I'm only around to help."

"Naum," Fiona turned to look at him, getting the man's attention, "what's going on?"

"Ummm… m-miss you see…" he eventually sighed, scratching his head and turning away to look back where the portal had been. "D-o you know of a dagger –"

"Oh gods don't tell me those stupid Time and Space characters showed up," she growled, quickly getting Naum's attention.

"Yes ma'am –"

"You have to go to your own world and get Sophie back **now** –"

"But we don't even know how the portal closed," Xaskesiel explained, placing a comforting hand on Naum's shoulder and gently pushing him aside. "The daemons are trying to contact someone, but we don't even know who nor the daemon who grabbed Sophie –"

"It was Ekahuz Curseblade of Furybrood," Naum stated simply, Xaskesiel looking at the boy wide eyed while Fiona looked at the boy intrigued, "and he has been on my burning case ever since I was born." He finished with a snarl, Xaskesiel backing away slowly as Fiona simply stared at him with a look of sympathy in her eyes. "If he's behind this… oh gods we're in trouble," he sighed, Xaskesiel trying to crack a smile, though he had a worried look on his face.

"Who's Eka –"

"Curseblade is a human soul that was turned into a Goddess of Life, and had turned his back on his comrades and joined us daemons," Xaskesiel told the shinigami, looking over at Naum with a slight smile on his face. "Though… he's fallen even lower because he's started eating the deceased," he continued, a smirk coming to his face as he heard a few of the shinigamis trying to listen on their conversation groan with disgust, "but I've recently heard he's trying to corrupt those souls to turn them into mindless drones of loyal followers. He's putting me out of business," he chuckled, coughing slightly as he noticed the annoyed look on Fiona's face. "_Anyways~_ he must be behind the making of that portal, though I wonder who he was trying to contact –"

"If he has a counterpart here like I do with Sophie then it must be that being," Naum stated roughly, glaring at Xaskesiel before looking over at Fiona. "That being is up to something, and with the gods as my witness, I'm going to tear him limb from limb till the only thing left beating is his cold, dead heart," he snarled under his breath, a smirk coming to Fiona's face startling Xaskesiel.

"You're more like Eve then you think," she winked, Naum looking up blinking confused as she chuckled and turned to the shinigamis trying to listen to their conversation. With one cold stare they fled, Fiona smirking to herself before sighing. "Listen well," Fiona began, her voice becoming low so only Naum and Xaskesiel could hear. "We can explain more of this later, but right now you must come with me into the building… but at the first moment you can you must disappear. If the council gets wind of Life's involvement here they'll try to kill you," she roughly explained, causing Xaskesiel to gulp as Naum simply nodded. "Now," she continued, pulling a card from under her suit pocket and handed it to Naum, "once you've escaped go to this address and make sure no one follows you. He's a trusted friend and treasures Sophie's life more then you two will ever know. He won't harm you and will explain the matter to you better than I ever can."

Naum looked at the card as Xaskesiel tried to peek at the writing. "Undertaker…" Naum thought aloud, looking up at Fiona as she turned her back on them.

"Come follow me," she said modestly, Naum slipping the card into his pocket and obediently following Fiona as Xaskesiel groaned behind them and slugged towards the white, shiny buildings.

! #$%^&*()

**A/N: And now that's it for now! That's right, there's someone elses involved in this. I'm just wondering what'll happen to Sophie =O I hope you've enjoyed this. I don't know when I'll post another chapter, but hopefully it'll be soon ^^ So… SEE YOU LATER! =D **


	83. The Danger

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys. I don't really know who else is reading this, but here's the next chapter! In honestly this chapter isn't very exciting, or it isn't in my opinion. Just some filler stuff to move the story on I suppose. Either way I hope you enjoy this. And don't worry I'll try to get Undertaker in more! It's just a story mainly about Sophia, that's all. After this arc I hope to place him into the story more, but we'll see how it goes. Plus there's going to be some crazy stuff that happens during this arc and it's sort of important for upcoming chapters. There you go. I'm debating if I'll make another story and create a part II. Either it'll happen after this arc or when I reach chapter 100 or something like that. I don't know. I'm still debating about that. It's just that my mind is slowing down because I see how many chapters I have. So what do you guys think? Any opinions on the matter? Well… ENJOY! =D**

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Once the portal closed Sophie was forced to the ground, a group of daemons grabbing hold of her till her back was pressed against the stone tablet. Before she could even blink a hand slapped her across the face, scratching her left cheek with long talons. "Maggot," he growled, Sophie glaring back as she tried to move her hands away from the daemons around her, "you just want to incinerate my plans like Kaoboros does, don't you –"

He paused, Sophie spitting blood in his face and sneered. "Like I fucking care," she growled, letting out a surprised gasp as the daemons brought her arms further behind her back and began to make her joints crack.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Yes, must be Kaoboros' counterpart… Sderixah, go tie this woman up and throw her into a cage. We're taking her with us to Ponta," he smirked, causing Sophie to growl.

"Yes sir," one of the daemons beside him said, Sophie yelling at the beings as her hands were bound behind her back and her ankles tied together, a gag wrapping around her mouth so she couldn't bite back. The daemons brought her out of the building and she was thrown into a cage created entirely of bones, Sophie desperately trying to free herself until the door closed before her. She narrowed her eyes at the daemons, but saw that they had other priorities on their mind and didn't begin to taunt her as demons in her own world would do. She quickly realized that they looked to be under a spell, their normal colored eyes glowing orange while they stood motionlessly beside the cage. Sophie realized quickly they were humans, souls that were unable to find rest and ended up working for a bunch of daemons. She watched with hardened eyes as the drones walked to and fro preparing to leave the area. No wonder the daemons she was killing could barely get a scratch on her. They didn't have a right mind of their own! They were merely puppets following orders!... the perfect weapons to use in the ways of battle. The daemon that had grabbed her never showed up when she was set in a cart and they began to take her away, probably leaving ahead just in case she ended up freeing herself. She smirked slightly, why be in a hurry to leave? They were pulling her right out of this hellhole, and then would be the perfect time for escaping. Yet Sophie felt strange. In the back of her mind something was telling her to get back to Ponta, grab the dagger, and destroy everything. Was this a cry of the priestesses or voices of some other kind? It was strange… it wasn't the voices that she heard from the dagger, they were much too womanly.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

"Woh what a place!" Xaskesiel gasped, Naum looking up in awe as the man beside him staggered and began to get distracted by the white, shiny building. "So clean! A lot better than home!" Xaskesiel laughed, Naum rolling his eyes while Fiona sighed and shook her head.

"Xaskesiel, can you quit with the comments and just behave for once?" Naum huffed, Fiona simply looking ahead of where she was walking and trying to ignore their conversation.

"Never, little mighty one," Xaskesiel huffed back, a smirk coming to his face as Naum narrowed his eyes. "Besides I don't take orders from you. I live for myself."

"Well maybe one of these days you should change your attitude –"

"And if I do that I'll turn into a mindless drone," Xaskesiel snorted. "You think you know what life is like there in Ga, but believe me it's a lot worse than you think. At any moment you could be taken and your soul erased, unable to think straight and simply follow orders obediently and without question. All I have to say to that is no way in Ga will I commit myself to such insanity. You don't know what I have to do every day to stay alive! So perhaps I'm a bit ecstatic, but I'm simply here to figure out what makes that woman tick," he smirked slightly, "and besides if I have to band a group of sane daemons together and take over Ponta from you cursed Goddess of Life just to ensure the safety of my own community then so be it –"

"Don't say things you're regret later," Fiona huffed in an irritated tone, Xaskesiel sighing and closing his mouth while Naum simply glared at the man before looking back at the walls around him.

"… That's it," Naum huffed, causing Fiona and Xaskesiel to turn to him as he began to walk down a different hallway, "if you hate me so much then figure out how to deal with those daemons your own way! I'm gone! I'm sick and tired about everything I do being criticized by one being or another. I doubt you understand the importance of getting back to Sophie as soon as possible, because once she crosses the line between reality and the imaginary she'll be lost to that damn dagger. It will take her from this place, and once it does she'll die and her soul will be consumed into the essence that evolves from the dagger… Plus I assume that if the dagger in our world works that way just think how the dagger in **this** world works. Now if you excuse me I'll find my own way… Fiona." He bowed his head slightly before hastily walking down the hallway, Xaskesiel letting a faint growl escape his lips as he walked down the other.

Fiona narrowed her eyes, chasing down Xaskesiel before he got too far and punched him in his shoulder blade. "You idiot," she snarled, "how am I supposed to get information now, huh?! I know the council is already asking questions! If you're going to confuse everything here again, so help me your head will be chopped off and placed on a **stake**."

"He'll be fine," Xaskesiel answered simply shook his head and turned to Fiona, noticing the worried look hidden in her eyes, "but if you need someone to talk to those fools then I will do so. You know how Naum and Sophia are. Those kids have enough on their plate as it is. Naum will have a better time coming up with the solutions then being stuck sitting down and explaining the situation to others. So let him be! He'll get Sophie back and everything will be as peachy as it's always been." Fiona shoved him aside and walked in front of him without so much as a grumble, causing Xaskesiel to smirk as he obediently followed behind her.

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! #$%^&*()

Sophie stared in horror at the sight before them. Looking down from a ridge they could see the fighting, the daemons trying to storm into Ponta and take over the city Naum lived in. Reha… she must be down there somewhere, but where? What about Eve? Was she safely out of the city too? Noticing the daemons were distracted Sophie cut into the cloth around her hands with a knife hidden in the folds of her dress, the drones keeping watch on her barely paying attention as they were captivated by the sight below. What she was worried about was the Goddesses of Life. Where they being drawn back into the city, did Luhar betray them, and who was the main antagonist in this story? She snapped her bounds around her ankles and quickly undid the knot behind her head, picking the key with a small thin wire before taking everything slowly. The others were more distracted by their conquest to notice an escaping prisoner, so once the door was unlatched Sophie took off as fast as she could towards Ponta. "Get her!" one of the daemons suddenly snarled, the dead chasing after her as she leapt from the cliff they were on and falling into the water.

She swam till her feet touched the ground and she hustled through the city, noticing the Goddesses were currently defending the city as the drones were starting to close in. Sophie caught sight of Luhar and ran towards her, taking out her scythe from her black haze before she landed beside Luhar. "What's the situation?"

"There's too many of them!" Luhar gasped, "and we can't keep them away –"

"Sometimes force isn't always the answer, but skill and valor that bring about a good fight," Sophie instructed, Luhar frowning once she noticed three long scratch marks on her left cheek. "… What are the humans doing –"

"Most have already left into Rootblast, but a few of the priestesses are still in the temple trying to ward off the daemons," she thought aloud, "though… I think it's something to do with a dagger that –"

"Well fine," Sophie huffed and wiped the blood from her face, noticing the scratches on her cheek and winced. "I'll head to the temple and you keep the others busy. If those particular daemons become too overwhelming for everyone then retreat. I don't want unnecessary death." With those words Sophie took off as fast as she could, dashing down the ridge and running into the city. She narrowed her eyes to find that the priestesses were chanting, as if it was a last testament to the gods before they were struck by the creatures. "Now where is Reha –"

"NO LET ME GO! NO!"

Sophie's head quickly looked up, seeing a group of priestesses dragging Reha from the temple to the altar outside. "If we don't conduct the sacrifice now all will be lost –"

"So what?!" Sophie huffed, interrupting them as she briskly jumped up the steps with her bright blue, green, and yellow eyes shining at them in anger. "You think if you sacrifice days before the appointed time the gods will save you? That's the biggest bunch of bull I've ever heard of! –"

"Be quiet you insolent death bringer!" One of the priestesses pointed a finger right in Sophie's face, making the woman glare at them and snarl under her breath, "You brought this curse upon us and now we must rid ourselves of these beasts! All you've done is bring shame upon our livelihood with your presence and now our protector isn't even here to protect us. Go back to Ga you daemon, and take the dead wrench with you!"

"SOPHIE!" Reha cried, Sophie looking up in shock as she was tied to the altar and unable to move.

"REHA –"

"Don't even think about it," the priestess sneered, holding a knife up to Sophie's neck. She narrowed her eyes, realizing the weapon must have been crafted by a daemon to get rid of their monsters. Then she turned her attention up to the altar, her eyes staring at Reha blankly as Sophie tried to come up with a solution to this madness. There was one that came to mind, but she doubt anyone will like what she's about to do.

With one swift thrust Sophie pushed the priestess to the side, running as fast as she could towards the altar. In one swift blow she shoved the priestess that held the dagger up in the air to the side, tumbling over Reha in an attempt to shield her. "Sophie, what the –"

"Damn it Reha don't die on me!" Sophie growled, ripping the binds from her arms and shoving Reha off of the altar. Reha shrieked while she watched as a priestess ran towards Sophie, attempting to stab her with the dagger. In a swift attempt to save herself Sophie grabbed hold of the blade, letting out a cry as the blade slashed into the palm of her hand.

"NOO!" one of the priestesses cried out, Sophie ripping the blade from the other priestess' hand and gripping it tightly in the palm of her hand.

Sophie shuddered in horror, feeling a strange, warm sensation creeping up her arm and moving throughout her body. "Sophie let go!" Reha cried out, jumping to her feet and trying to pry the dagger from the woman's hand, "It'll take you over! You're not wearing the proper clothes! Let go!"

With a shudder Sophie dropped the dagger to the ground, taking a step back as she clutched her bleeding hand to her heart. "The beast touched the dagger with her bare hands!" a priestess yelled, "Kill her!"

"SOPHIE –"

"What did I say about letting you die?!" Sophie snarled, whipping out her large black scythe and slashing the blade at the humans, sending a dust of wind their way and throwing them towards the ground. "I can't let you end like Haden did. I can't! I can't!"

"Calm down!" Reha gasped, jumping in front of the woman and holding her hands up to shield one of the priestesses from an enviable fate. Sophie paused, staring into bright lilac eyes as her eyes quickly turned from bright green and yellow to blue. Reha blinked in confusion, watching as the scythe dropped from her hand and her head drooped down to the ground in shame. "Sophie…" she sighed, rushing over to her and grabbing the woman in a hug, "It's alright. Don't cry… I'll be just fine, you see." Reha looked up and chuckled, but then sighed as she noticed Sophie's head turning away and looking towards the dagger. "Sophie," she gulped, "w-what are you doing –"

"They keep calling," Sophie answered softly, though if she was talking to Reha or speaking to herself the woman couldn't tell, "a-nd… they're right…"

"No they're not," she huffed and tried to pull the woman away from the area, "now let's go before the daemons get here –"

"Reha they won't **stop**," Sophie shuddered, her eyes narrowing as she felt the voices getting louder. Reha gasped, noticing that Sophie's body was starting to glow in an eerie white light. "I… I'm just a mistake… a-aren't I?"

"Sophie stop –"

"I-I'm a failure –"

"Sophie!" Reha cried out, trying to pull the woman away before it was too late. Sophie's hand grasped for the dagger and Reha screamed for her to stop, the two of them barely noticing the group of daemons beginning to storm the city and coming towards the temple.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Naum let out a tired sigh, running a hand through his silver-green hair before remembering the card he kept and looked at its contents. "Well… if this is anything like my world the man should help me get into decent clothing… I hope." He mumbled something under his breath as he pushed through one of the doors of a shinigami building, trudging down a hill into the forest trying to make his way to the human world. He quickly noticed how separated the worlds seem to be, yet as the world is with him the supernatural world intertwines with that of the humans. Just they kept away from each other, but he wondered why they would as he noticed a gate in the middle of the forest.

"What the…" he paused, noticing markers set out on the other side of the rusting fence. Sighing he jumped over the fence and looked around at the various markers stuck in the ground, noticing names he had barely heard of and words he couldn't quite understand. "A place of Death," Naum quickly realized, remembering what Eve had told him about Sophie and her world. What intrigued Naum most was how Eve knew about this place, which could only mean the woman had been here herself. Shrugging he let his curiosity make the better of him and he looked over every marker, noticing every grave and where everybody seemed to lie. This world was turning into something he could barely grasp. Death, why was it here everywhere? In his world death is barely common and when someone dies he is one of those in charge to bring the body and soul back to life. Here that's not the case. The body is laid to rest while the soul is taken away into a different place… and it was strange to him. To not put in that extra effort to keep someone alive was odd to him, but perhaps if he ever saw Sophie again she could explain everything to him. After all when she showed up in his world she was as confused and intrigued as he currently is, but at that time she had a guide… Naum does not.

Sighing yet again he continued his wandering through the forest, noticing that the graves had various plants and animals living in the area. It was as if it was a life after death, which made him smirk to himself. Eventually he came upon a different set of markers, much more elaborate then the markers he had come across. There were statues everywhere, but there was one that stood out to him. In the middle of the graveyard was a large statue of an angel, towering over the others in its vast glory. There was much detail and preparation placed in this one burial site, which made Naum wonder who exactly was buried there and what was their importance in this world to hold such fame. He crouched down, noticing that most of the name was rubbed off, but he could make out a few common words from Sophie's dialect. "Iy-a… Iyaus… Iya us eim," he read aloud, placing his fingers along the engraving and looking at the objects around it. He noticed many symbols portraying to death, but one stood out to him. There was a faint engraving of flowers, mainly thorns drawing the person around the base of the statue. Naum wandered around the statue till he was facing its back, noticing that several of the thorns disappeared under one of the flaps of the statue's dress. Unable to see because of the dark, Naum summoned a faint bright light to his fingertips and looked inside, his eyes widening at what he saw. There was a large skull with thorns intertwined into the skull, roses fanning out and incorporated itself into the image. There was much detail on this one image compared to the rest, and most of the image was intact because it was shielded from the elements by the statue's dress.

"I wonder…" Naum thought aloud, deciding to stand to his feet and stare up at the statue. Whoever this being was there was significance to their death, especially since it was engraved with the image of the skull. That could only mean one thing, "This being is important to Death," he decided, giving a slight nod to the statue and deciding to move on. If he didn't Death may catch him before he escaped, and Naum didn't want death to come to himself just yet. He continued his walk, but wasn't impressed with the rest of the markers. They didn't hold as much splendor as that statue, but yet it wasn't properly maintained. Naum wondered if anyone knew of that statue, but perhaps, over time, the image was forgotten. Just then he heard a cry, his head looking up to notice a bright light coming from the middle of the forest. He began to run and jumped over the fence, dashing as fast as he could towards the sound. Once he came upon the scene his eyes widened in shock, seeing Sophie and Reha tumbling out of a bright light as Sophie shielded the woman behind her with one hand raised in front of her.

Reha yelped as Sophie growled, her eyes radiating a light Naum had never felt before. He didn't know what was going on, but once he spotted the Dagger of Death in Sophie's left hand he knew exactly what was happening to her. "Damn it you souls!" Sophie snarled as her hand radiated a bright light and continued to shove the humans and daemons away from the portal, "Back off before I kill you all!"

"Sophie stop!" Reha yelled in frustration, trying to pry the dagger from her hand as it lay limp on the ground. She shuddered in fear, Sophie keeping a deadly grip on the blade as the handle began to squawk and flap its white wings.

Once the dagger's wings fanned out, Sophie produced large white wings behind her back, Reha shuddering before she narrowed her eyes and continued to try to pry the dagger from her grasp. "_**Die~**_" she hissed in a dark voice, Reha blinking in confusion at the foreign language that escaped her throat.

"Damn it!" a voice came from above, Reha yelping as she was thrown away as someone pinned Sophie to the ground. "Snap out of it!" Naum cried out, shaking her head as he stared at blank eyes. "Don't do this! Don't! Damn you! –"

Reha yelped, Naum's face turning pale as energy came out of Sophie's hand and slammed into the being behind his back. Naum looked back in shock, seeing Ekahuz staring at her in shock until he was thrown backward through the portal. Sophie groaned in pain as the portal closed, her hands shivering as her body started to ache. Then in a swift motion she threw the dagger off to the side, letting out a cry as pain shot up her arm and she curled up on the ground. "God… Re-eha…"

"By the gods Sophie," Reha frowned, looking at Naum with frightened eyes and wondering what they should do.

Naum sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking over at Sophie and noticing her eyes was being to look towards the dagger again. "Reha grab that dagger before Sophie takes it again," he huffed, Reha giving her a slight smile as she walked over to the discarded dagger as Naum rolled Sophie over to examine her body. She groaned, her eyes closed as he reached down and grabbed her left hand. Naum shuddered in horror, seeing an engraving of a skull and thorns on her hand as her body continued to glow. It was exactly like the image he just saw, but yet there weren't any flowers or roses on her marking. "So she's branded too," Naum thought aloud, Reha looking over curiously before going back to work and trying to figure out a safe way to grab the dagger off of the ground. Flipping her hand over Naum noticed the dagger had cut deep into the palm of her hand, a burn across the grove of her hand where the dagger kept its grip on her.

Carefully setting her hand down Naum looked up to her head, running a hand through her hair noticing three large claw scratches across her left cheek. Sophie groaned, slowly opening her eyes and coming into contact with his bright steel and emerald eyes. His eyes widened, noticing the only color in her eyes was crystal blue with a strange green and yellow haze shining from the whites of her eyes. "… N-naum?" she blinked in confusion, her head quickly shooting up and looking around. "Where's Reha –"

"Here," Reha exclaimed from afar, giving Sophie a little wave before gripping the dagger with a ripped piece of her dress and wrapping it carefully into the fabric.

Sophie let out a relieved sigh, Naum staring down at her confused as her eyes began to flicker close. "W-where… a-re…"

"Your world," Naum told her, Sophie nodding as he gave her a slight smile, "and don't worry. Just go to sleep and we'll talk when you're better."

"O-okay…" Sophie sighed; her body limping to the ground as Naum quickly grabbed her and pulled her body onto his lap.

Reha slipped the dagger in a fold of her dress before walking over to the two supernatural beings, kneeling beside them and running a comforting hand through Naum's hair. "… Hey," she began in a soft voice, "are you okay?"

"No," Naum frowned, shaking his head as he stood up and held Sophie tightly in his arms. "How would you feel if your counterpart was dying right in front of you?"

"… Well what now?" Reha shrugged.

Naum gave her a slight smile, a chuckle escaping his throat as he looked up to the sky and noticed the sun's rays were beginning to appear over the horizon. "There is a place someone has told me that will help house us, but first I have to find the building," he tried to explain, taking a card out from his pocket and handing it to her. "Find this place, this _Undertaker_, and apparently he can help us."

"Let's get going then," Reha nodded, gripping Naum's arm as he picked up Sophie and led him through the forest. "… What will happen to us?"

"I don't know," he sighed, "but I wish I knew… Eve won't tell me anything so I'm kept away from the light about all of this. It's just something we need to figure out on our own." Reha frowned, but tried to keep some sort of smile on her face as they came to a fence and walked over. Then Naum led her through the graveyard, Reha looking around in curiosity as Naum walked as if he knew exactly where he was going.

)(*&^%$# !

Coming upon a sign marked '_**Undertaker**_' Naum figured this was the best place to start. Reha opened the door from him and Naum looked inside, gripping Sophie tightly in his arms as he noticed a dark, eerie presence lurking within the room. "Ummm…" Naum coughed, Reha patting him on the back and insisting he continue. "Uhhmmmm… is there an undertaker here?"

"… Undertaker?" Reha asked, walking past Naum and walking into the room. "… Naum I don't like this –"

"_Hellllloooooo~_ –"

"EEEEEAAKKKK!" Reha yelped, slamming into Naum's legs as he looked down at her in confusion. Then Naum looked up and raised an eyebrow, seeing a tall man with long white hair and a large black robe and hat on jumping down completely from the ceiling and giggling into his sleeves. "What in the name of Ga is your problem?!" Reha sneered, Naum shaking his head and sighing.

"Thanks for giving us away Reha," Naum huffed, unable to walk through the door and simply stare at the Undertaker in an annoyed manner. "I take you're the Undertaker –"

"The one and only," he giggled again, Reha quickly standing to her feet and keeping the two men an equal distance away from each other. "Have you come for a custom made coffin for you and _your lovely companion there~_?" he grinned, Naum raising an eyebrow before he chuckled lightly.

"Ah, I don't know what this coffin is, but I would rather not find out," Naum tried to explain, pulling the card he had tucked in the folds of his clothing and reaching into the room to hand to the man. "I was referred by a… Fiona… Fiona Obki I believe –"

"Oh her?" he huffed, Reha narrowing her eyes as Naum simply stood his ground. "Don't tell me it's about the books –"

"No, I don't think," Naum blinked wondering what the man meant by his words, but quickly shrugged off the idea and sighed. "No… ummm… to make a long story short my mate Rehana and I are looking for a place to stay. You see sir, my mother, Eve, advised me to come here and I don't know where to start. From the look of intrigue on your face I can tell you know what I'm talking about. If I know my suspicions, the humans will be walking out of their homes once the sun rises and we don't have much time to find help."

"Eve you say," Undertaker thought a loud, a large grin coming onto his face as he chuckled lightly. "My boy, what's the pretty little thing you have in your arms?"

Naum narrowed his eyes as Reha growled, pulling a small knife from her pocket and aiming it at the man. "Don't you dare hurt her –"

"If you expect me to help you little priestess and Goddess of Life you'll need to be more cooperative," he interrupted her, Reha's eyes widening as Naum simply gave him a blank stare. "How about you hand to me my _pretty little maiden~_ before you regret your presence in this world, _hmmmm~?_"

"… Naum don't do it –"

"Reha calm down," Naum told her, glaring at the man wondering what his reasons were. "How about I hand her over, but first you invite me inside? If not we'll take our troubles elsewhere –"

"Come inside little Life child," Undertaker smirked, noticing the annoyed look on Naum's face. Sighing in defeat Naum walked into the building and closed the door behind him with his foot, handing the woman over to the Undertaker. The grin on the man's face quickly waned once he noticed the state Sophie was in: all the blood and the large claw scratches on her left cheek, which only a blindness gnat wouldn't be able to see. "… Do you know Eve?" Naum asked, the man looking up as a giggle escaped his throat and began to walk towards the back of the building.

"Yes I do," Undertaker answered simply, Naum following the Undertaker down the narrow hallway while Reha gripped Naum's arm uncomfortably and wondered who this man was. "I'm guessing you're little Sophia's counterpart?"

"You would be correct," Naum nodded, following Undertaker into a bedroom and stopping at the door as he set the woman on the bed. "… Is your name truly the Undertaker?"

"_That's for me to know and you to find out~_" he giggled into his sleeve, Naum shaking his head and looking around the room. The building, from first glance, was very plain and dark even as the sun began to rise in the sky. That gave Reha an unnerving feeling, but for Naum he was expecting this.

This man was definitely the counterpart of Eve, he could tell, and knew from what he knew of Eve that he must have a lot of secrets that he will keep from them. Though even if he was suspicious Naum could tell the man was worrying over Sophie, leaving the room to grab a bowl of water and rags before rushing back inside to personally tend to her wounds. What amazed Naum was that he didn't seem surprised by her state, only startled when they walked into the room holding her limped body in his arms. Could it be that this Undertaker and Eve know what's happening to them? That they know of the daggers that they are supposed to obtain? This was a tale without much of an answer and Naum wished they would simply tell them what's going on, but sadly he doubt that would happen. They're never direct and it takes forever for him to ever get useful information out of Eve. With Sophie in this state he may be the only one who can find the dagger of this world, but he hoped it wouldn't have any lasting side effects like with the Dagger of Death. "Ummm… Sir Undertaker… is there something you would like us to do for you –"

"You may make yourselves _comfortable~_" the Undertaker giggled slightly under his sleeve before sighing and running a hand through Sophie's bloody hair, "I have some matters to attend to."

Naum nodded and led Reha out of the room, Reha arguing with Naum saying she didn't trust the man alone with Sophie. Naum couldn't help but chuckle at her comments, remembering how angry Reha was to find Sophie in his house only a few days ago. Coming across a nice, up kept room down the hallway Naum sat down on a soft looking clam, noticing the padding as Reha sat down beside him. Looking around the room he saw a bookshelf, a desk in the corner, and one of those pentagon shaped boxes leaning against a wall, out of the way from the door, but oddly enough bringing the room together in a quaint setting. "… Do you think it was wrong to follow what Time and Space had to say?" Naum sighed, Reha looking over at him and giving him a weak smile.

"I don't approve with your decisions right now," she chuckled lightly, "but I don't think this has all been a bad thing. We met Sophie right and she saved my life on a few occasions… but there's a deeper reason to why she wants to save me."

"Why?" Naum decided to ask, closing his eyes and setting his head against the soft-like pillow behind him.

"… She was yelling about someone named Haden… I think that boy would be my counterpart in this world," she sighed, setting her head on Naum's shoulder and looking towards the door. "I think she lost him Naum… now Sophie is infatuated in keeping me safe. I don't understand why…"

"Sophie probably feels that if she saves you she's fulfilling some hidden pain she hadn't realized yet," Naum shrugged. "I've realized that even though my life has been horrible, Sophie's been worse. Not only did she lose her parents, but her best friend too. If it wasn't for the fact that she got adopted she'd be one cold creature."

"It's hard to see that she isn't," Reha chuckled, sighing as she closed her eyes and clung to his shoulder. "… What's going to happen to us? W-will I really die?"

"I don't know," Naum sighed and set his head down on top of her own, "but as Sophie has said Death is the truth and Life, a beautiful lie. Perhaps it's wrong to keep humans alive for much longer then they should… Keep people alive…"

"… Naum don't think such nonsense," Reha huffed, "don't let those thoughts infect your mind. Our world is different than Sophie's, you have to understand that. Just… one thing I wish would change is our connection with the supernatural… and our annual sacrifices."

"Same here," Naum yawned, "but what can you do? Change takes time –"

"But it's manageable," Reha insisted, "and perhaps over time we could live in harmony again."

"Perhaps," he rubbed his eyes and yawned again, "but first I demand vengeance. Ekahuz Curseblade is going **too** far this time and I will not stand to see anymore beings get hurt… I mean controlling the souls of the dead? That's taking everything over the extreme. I was able to get over my parents, his constant wish for me to die, but this? Sophie? Tricking us with the daggers and once our heads are turned he tries to conquer our home?... He's taking every too far and I won't stand for his stupidity any longer."

"Well… stay safe I suppose," Reha yawned, Naum chuckling and kissing her forehead.

"You know I will," he smirked, "but for now… let's just worry about ourselves. I love you so much Rehana. I-I don't know what I'll be able to do without you."

"I know," she sighed, "I love you too, but the world doesn't seem to I guess."

"I guess," he chuckled, "but that's what makes everything so much fun!"

"Whatever," she snorted, "just let me sleep." Naum let out a yawn before cuddling in close with Reha, Undertaker watching the two children sleep in a stoic demeanor from the doorway before vanishing back down the hallway and walking into the bedroom.

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: Oh a cute fluff moment at the end. I can't seem to leave those ideas alone it seems XD And yes Undertaker was toying with Naum. He's obviously hiding something X3 Anyways yeah, this chapter was mainly filler and a way to get Reha into Sophie's world XP Whatever. I hope you guys are enjoying this. Oh! So I have a new poll up. I've been trying to think up a story to write and don't have any good ideas. Perhaps if I pinpoint something to a time period I'll get some creative juices going. So go vote! =D And as always SEE YOU LATER!**


	84. The Cold Situation

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I can guess you've been waiting for some Undertaker/Sophie stuff. Well its short, but it's something. After all I'm trying to get to the next part of this story. It's a lot more fun to write then this part, or that's how I feel ;3 I hope you've enjoyed yourself and that you'll enjoy this next chapter!**

! #$%^&*()

A young boy hummed to himself, skipping down the street and taking a right into one of the shops. He tasseled his short dirty blonde hair, yawning into his hand as he closed the door behind him and rubbed his eyes. Once he was inside, however, he quickly noticed a musky disturbance in the building and decided to explore, looking into the living room and noticing two strange creatures sleeping on the couch hand in hand and holding onto each other tightly. "Ummm… Дядька U-undertaker –"

"_Huuush now~_" came a voice from behind, grabbing the child by the mouth and pulling him away from the door. "Children are sleeping here," Undertaker explained, but couldn't help and giggle as the boy rolled his bright shinigami green eyes and followed the man into the main room where they started getting to work.

"… Дядька, who were those people –"

"Friends of little maiden I'm afraid," he answered, grabbing a few jars and setting them on a nearby table.

"Wait," the boy paused, "d-does that mean Тетушка is here –"

"Perhaps you should stay a **bit** quiet so they can rest," he whispered into the boy's ear, the child stumbling forwards once he realized the man was behind his back, "because they have all gone through hell and back, you understand _little Alistair~?_"

"Да-а – I mean Yes!" He yelped, Undertaker chuckling as he forcefully placed a jar in the boy's hands and patted him on the back. Without saying a word the man grabbed his tools with him as he flipped a cloth off of a table and giggled at the contents underneath, the boy sighing as he set the jar down and began to prepare himself for what the man was going to have him do.

But as time passed Alistair's mind wandered to Sophie, wondering how his Тетушка was and what she was up to these days. After all he's had his mind on learning everything he could from the Undertaker before he left with his family for… well he didn't really know, but he knew that he didn't have a lot of time to spend in London. His father was already preparing to move, but the boy knew he wouldn't be leaving for another few months, maybe even half a year. Yet, Sophie has been so busy he hadn't have time to spend with her and he was beginning to miss the moments they had back in the Americas. Now that he didn't need her Тетушка barely came around to talk anymore, but that was simply because she was busy with other problems… but soon those problems will pile up and she won't be able to function. Sophie told him about these symptoms before; she has physically showed him a brain of a real shinigami that was overloaded with stress. Their body deteriorates from the inside out and their brain slowly turns to mush. It was odd, but he could understand because in his world shinigamis overload themselves with too much paperwork all the time. Once the stress becomes too much for them they die, but that doesn't happen all the time. Usually by that time a shinigami changes their ways or had time to rest, that's why they have days off after all, but still it can happen. Alistair only hoped it won't happen to his Тетушка –

"Little Al can you finish this body for me? _Pretty please~~?_" The man asked beside him snapping the boy out of his thoughts, Alistair mumbling something under his breath as he wiped some glop from his hands and walked over to a table the Undertaker was currently lurking over.

"Okay Дядька," Alistair nodded and grabbed the scalpel from the man's hand. Undertaker giggled happily as he skipped away from the room, the boy looking over before shaking his head and sighing. "How that man is legendary I may never know," he shook his head, looking over at the opened urn the Undertaker left and stole a bone-shaped cookie before finishing the body.

Undertaker hummed quietly under his breath, peeking into the living room to see what the two love birds were doing. He smirked to find they were still asleep, obviously tired from the ordeal they just had. Even though he wanted information and have a little fun, he had more important matters on his mind at that moment. Taking his time he slowly walked into the bedroom, sighing as he saw a young, battered up woman lying on his bed within the covers. He closed the door behind him before walking over to the bed, lifting the covers to uncover the nakedness of the child he has cared for years now. Her body covered many bruises, fresh cuts and imperfections coating her body, and a horrible look of pain on Sophie's face as she subconsciously winced away from his touches. "What have you been up to little maiden?" he sighed under his breath, laying beside her and wrapping her body close to his chest. "_Ohhh~_ don't cry. Hush now, you're safe with me. Those horrible creatures can't get you here," Undertaker chuckled lightly, pulling the blankets over their bodies and hugging her tightly in his arms. He decided to close his eyes, since he barely had any sleep since he had sensed Sophie vanishing from this world, and let himself fall asleep by her side as her body tried to heal itself one step at a time.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

"_**Come to us~~~**…"_

"_You know you want to…"_

"_Don't you wonder why you're alive… Why Death won't take you away~?..."_

"_What's so special about you? Your looks? Your soul? No~~… That can't be it, can it?..."_

"_Why defy us? Why stray away –"_

"_Because I don't want to be taken."_

"_Excuse me~~? Whatever do you mean –"_

"_I don't want to be taken! I don't want to lose my freedom! I don't want to be chained by you! Leave me alone –"_

"_Ah, but you see we can't do that."_

"_But why not?"_

"… _Because we **want** your soul~~"_

"_We **need** your soul~~~"_

"_You can't stay in this world without being **chained~**"_

"_**Chained~~**"_

"_**Chained~~~**"_

"No!" Sophie yelped, gasping for air as sweat rolled down her brow. She shuddered and clutched her body, only to realize she was completely stripped of her clothing. Her eyes widened in fear and her body jolted upward, only to be forced back down by surprisingly strong, rough hands.

"It's alright little maiden," Undertaker smiled, running a comforting hand through Sophie's hair as he pinned her body to the bed, "you're here with me now. Don't cry."

She blinked in confusion, her frightened blue and green eyes adjusting to the darkness and trying to see his face. Sophie bit down her bottom lip once she realized who the man was, tears streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms around the Undertaker's neck and buried her head into the crook of his neck. "Daddy!" she yelped, sniffling and rubbing her face into his clothes. "Don't let them take me! No! No! –"

The Undertaker slammed his lips into hers, silencing her screams as he pressed himself on top of her. Sophie stared at him with shock in her eyes; a smirk coming to his face as he gently kissed her lips again before holding her body tight to his arms. "Silence child," he sighed, Sophie noticing the sound of worry in his voice as his bangs dangled casually in front of his bright, worried eyes. "Now tell me, why are you screaming?"

She blinked, the tears causing her vision to be blurry as she tried to collect herself, but she couldn't. Sophie didn't know why, but she was having problems calming herself down. It was like the time she had seen her father and mother die in front of her, unable to control her emotions as she let the tears fall down her face. "I-I… t-they… t-hey want… m-me… I-I…"

He frowned at her statement, running a gentle hand over her cheek before kissing her on the forehead. "Perhaps this is too soon. You need to rest –"

"I can't rest if the voices plague my dreams! I-it's like… with Dorren… and t-here's only so much I can take Undertaker," she pouted, blinking her eyes again since she couldn't rub the tears from her eyes.

Undertaker cracked a smile, brushing the tears from her eyes as she sniffled from his touch. "_Now now~_, I know those voices can be infuriating. How about you fall asleep against me and I'll make the bad monsters go away. _Alright little maiden~?_"

Nodding slightly Sophie snuggled her head into his chest, trying to keep her quiet sobs to a minimum so he wouldn't worry. "D-don't leave me…" she mumbled under her breath.

The man smirked and shifted back into the bed, pulling the covers back over their bodies and wrapping his arms around her waist. Sophie clung to the man as if her life depended on his presence, Undertaker running a comforting hand through her hair in an attempt to get her to sleep. "… Undertaker," came a rough voice from the door, the man looking up to see the boy with silver and green hair glaring at him through bright silver steel and emerald eyes. "… How do you know about the voices? What aren't you telling us?"

"None of your concern boy," he roughly answered back, Naum gulping at his sudden change of attitude. "Go back to comforting over your love. It may be the last chance you have before your world is flipped upside down."

Naum blinked in confusion before he sighed, running a hand through his hair as he thought to himself. "… What about that kid in the other room?"

"Let him be," Undertaker smirked, a giggle escaping his lips, "and if you have anything to say talk to him. Now if you excuse me it's time for a nap."

Then he turned his back on him, Naum shaking his head as he slowly closed the door and looked down at the boy staring up at him with interest. "I guess… the man said to go about your business."

"Thought so," Alistair smirked triumphantly as a chuckle escaped his lips, "and you shouldn't have thought differently. I'm different then the other demons you encounter here."

"… Tell me boy, what is your life here?" Naum asked, the boy shaking his head as he turned and made his way to the main room.

"None of your business _**angel**_. I don't particularly want to talk to someone who thinks highly of themselves." Naum snorted under his breath as the child huffed, disappearing behind the curtains to get back to the work the Undertaker hadn't finished yet.

)(*&^%$# !

Letting out a tired sigh Sophie slowly opened her eyes, taking her time as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room. Noticing the strong, broad arms around her Sophie gripped his arms tightly, causing the Undertaker to stir and waken from his napping. "D-dad…" she groaned, moving her body slowly and nudging his cheek with the side of her head.

"About time you wake up," he giggled happily, kissing her forehead before sitting up on his elbows and stretched till his bones began to crack.

"… Do you know what's going on to me?" she sighed, sitting up in the bed and rubbing her eyes.

"Not at all –"

"I heard what you said to Naum," Sophie huffed, wrapping one of the blankets around her body and began to shift out of the bed. "What do you mean by his world flipping upside down? Should I be concerned? Is it happening to me too? B-because I don't want Reha to die –"

"Hush now," he pressed his finger to her lips, Sophie looking down at his finger in annoyance as he snickered and poked her nose. "Everything that is happening is for a reason. It's up to you to find out what exactly this all means, if you wish to. After all the voices from the dagger will tell your deepest, darkest desire, even if it won't do you any good in the end. Of course you may lose yourself in their words. If that happens… well… you'll never come back," he frowned slightly, Sophie frowning back as she reached up to his face and felt the scar across his cheek. "But that's up to you," he giggled happily, rubbing Sophie's left cheek and causing her to growl in anger and pull her head away. "I'm no judge."

"Then does this mean you've experienced this before?" Sophie pouted, the Undertaker smirking and gently rubbing the other side of her face. "You… why can't you tell me what to do?"

"They've searched for you because they want you for a reason," he stated simply, grabbing her left hand and staring down at the skull and thorns marking glowing intently. "Perhaps it's a soul, fulfilling a prophecy… or simply wanting to have you under their control –"

"B-but I don't want to be controlled," Sophie frowned, wincing when he brought her hand up to his lips and gently kissed the top of her hand.

She shuddered, pain surging up her arm as he kept his lips on her hands and continued to speak. "I know," he sighed and licked her hand, Sophie yelping and quickly silencing herself by placing her other hand over her mouth.

"I-I don't like being trapped –"

"I know –"

"S-so how can I…" She quickly closed her eyes, the power in her hand draining at an alarming rate till her hand stopped glowing.

Slowly opening her eyes she let out a sigh, looking down at her hand as the markings disappeared. "That… is something you and Naum will have to find out on your own," he answered, kissing her hand one more time before slipping out of bed and placing his hat back on his head. "You two have powers that surpass almost any being. You contrast each other: as a being of Death and him a being of Life. The only way to understand everything is to continue with your intentions from the beginning. Obtain two powerful daggers, correct?"

Sophie smirked, jumping off of the bed and keeping the blanket tightly wrapped around her body. "… You know a lot about this. Have you ever had to encounter those beings before?"

He chuckled, walking over to her and kissing Sophie on the cheek before skipping over to the door and giving her a wide grin. "_That's for me to know and you to find out~_" Undertaker giggled and left the room, closing the door behind him to give Sophie some privacy.

She shook her head and sighed, walking over to her footlocker and grabbing one of her various suits that she was forced to wear. "… You must know somehow," Sophie thought to herself as she threw the blanket off to the side, avoiding the mirror as she slipped on her clothes and tied a red and white ribbon around her neck. "You do… I just wonder what they made you do and how you got back," she pouted, pulling her black gloves over her hands before grabbing a comb and brushing her hair. Once she saw herself in the mirror Sophie frowned, running a hand over her left cheek and wincing at the new scar. Sophie wondered if those markings will go away. It didn't seem like it would, but perhaps something will happen where her injury disappears.

She sighed as she left the bedroom, retrieving her discarded black, buckled boots from the door and walking towards the main room. Then she stopped, suddenly hearing a conversation that Sophie wondered if she was supposed to have heard. "So Eve and you –"

"_That's right~_" Undertaker giggled into his sleeve, Reha sitting beside Naum on a coffin and quietly sipping her tea. "Strange isn't it?"

"That is," Naum sighed, "but… then why would Time and Space come to you too –"

"In life there are situations people will often regret. I have had many, but at the time I only had one… perhaps two," he explained, grabbing a beaker beside his leg and slowly sipping his tea.

"And that would be –"

"Now do you think I would tell you without any _payment~~_?" he giggled, Naum sighing as he ran a hand through his hair and looked towards the wall.

"What exactly would you like –"

"You seem to know plenty about the daggers already," Undertaker began, Sophie widening her eyes once she realized he wasn't going to ask for the _usual~_ payment, "so what is your connection?"

"Well… you see sir –"

"Undertaker –"

"Right Undertaker," Naum nodded, coughing into his hand before setting the beaker in his hand beside his leg, "you see… When I was young I lost my parents to the controls of the Dagger of Death. My mother was betrayed by one of her own comrades… and he tricked my father into touching the dagger barehanded. After my mother tried to save my father and they both disappeared I regretted my entire existence ever since. I wanted to die, replace my life with theirs, but… I knew that's what those voices speaking through the dagger wanted. Even so, one day I couldn't take the pain anymore and wanted to end everything once and for all… so I touched the dagger." Reha gently rubbed his shoulder as Undertaker simply sat there, staring at the boy through his bangs with critical eyes as Naum sighed before chuckling lightly to himself. "I know what Sophie is going through… I've gone through the pain before. Just I now realized what I had done was selfish. I had Reha after all, but Sophie didn't have a friend to call her own. She only had you I suppose… but losing almost everyone you love can be rough… though… I think it was my fate to come across the dagger, as it is for Sophie. I was confronted by everything I feared, by my deepest desire to have my parents back, but once I saw what would happen if they stayed alive I realized my current life was what was best. Sure I will forever feel alone and miss having my family around me, but over time I was able to get over my loss and move on. That's why I think Sophie and I crossed paths. As it was with me she must confront her own pain and see why her life is how it is… but… I don't want her to go through everything alone as I did. She doesn't deserve having so many things taken away from her. The least that can be done is to ease her through the situation as smoothly as possible."

"And what exactly will this entail?" Undertaker asked simply, grabbing a bone-shaped cookie and biting the top of the head.

"… She must go with them –"

"Certainly not –"

"And confront her past… and give her soul up to them," Naum finished, looking over at the Undertaker as he finished the cookie in his mouth before his smile waned.

"Only –"

"Well I didn't," Naum chuckled lightly, "but I was a different case. Plus I was only able to leave once I promised my soul to another being –"

"Which is Eve, isn't it?" Undertaker smirked, Naum giving him a smile before grabbing the beaker and sipping on the cooling liquid in his hand.

"Naum –"

"Reha it's true," Naum sighed and set the beaker down, placing his head in his hands and grumbling under his breath. "Though at the time I didn't know it was her. I was forced to use a name that I thought could be hers… but I wasn't sure. I didn't know and for a while I never did, but I suppose something happened and the true Eve revealed herself… but… it was scary. I don't want to go through that fear again… never really knowing who you're being owned by –"

"But you see young Life," Undertaker snickered and began to munch on a cookie again, "Sophie doesn't like being bound by any form, even Death. She's accepted to help, but she doesn't call any of them master and let herself be called servant."

Naum blinked in confusion, "Why –"

"If little maiden wishes to disclose the information to you so be it," Undertaker explained, finishing his cookie and setting the urn down beside him on the coffin, "but if not do not press the subject. There are memories you wish to keep secret and the same goes for any life form. You should understand."

"… I guess," he shrugged, "but still… the voices won't leave till you bound yourself to a life form on the other side. If not you can never return… and once Sophie touched the dagger she's unable to leave her fate. It's in the hands of the All-knowing Ones now. There is nothing left to do but wait and see."

"… And if you find the Dagger of Life in this world, what do you plan on doing with it?" the man asked, slowly sipping his tea and eyeing the other man suspiciously.

"Then… then I don't know," Naum shrugged, "because I don't know what it does. All I know is that I'm bound to it, as Sophie is to the Dagger of Death, and I hate to be bound to a being. The only reason why I let myself be bound to Eve is because I wanted to see Reha and Eve again. That's really it –"

"Well my boy, if you are to move about this world you'll need to wear something more _fashionable~_" The Undertaker giggled, standing up and setting his beaker down as he skipped to the hallway. "Stay right there and _I'll be back~~_" Once he walked into the hallway the grin on his face instantly left, a tired sigh escaping the man's lips as he walked into the bedroom. Instantly he saw a note left on the end of the bed, reaching over for the paper and reading its contents.

'_Dearest Undertaker, _

_I have decided it was best for me to leave for the shinigami realm. There is paperwork I figure will have to be done and I must find the dagger within our world as soon as possible. I am sorry I wasn't able to tell you in person, but I know you will be fine without me. Just remember that I will always love you and want to be with you for the rest of my life… but you know already what has happened. You know about the dagger from Naum's world. You just won't tell me what to do, so I will find out everything on my own… alone… as normal… I will begin search for the dagger, tell Naum this. Let him stay at the mortuary if he wishes, but I will make sure to find the dagger. And if I disappear… forever… don't ever forget about me._

_Your loving little maiden,_

_Sophia'_

)(*&^%$# !

! #$%^&*()

Sophie sighed, grumbling as she signed form after form trying to get rid of the three large stacks of papers she had cluttering her desk. Luckily, in only thirty five minutes, she had gotten rid of most of the stack since they were the standard deaths without any complications. Now all that was left were the complicated deaths, humans contracted to demons or forms with information left out. Work like this always befell onto Sophie and the Paranormal Operations. It was her job to assign the best shinigamis to the jobs assigned, and make sure all paperwork was turned in on time. Luckily Alex was taking some of the weight from her shoulders while she goes missing, but one day he'll be gone and she'll have to rely on herself. The job wasn't difficult, but sadly, if these voices have their way, she may never come back. Sophie wondered as she worked if the whole operations would fold without their leader, or maybe a stronger leader will evolve and take over the group. With William on her case he insisted that her paperwork would be given to him, but Sophie knew he was only being nosy and wanted to see what she was up to. He was probably speaking back to his supervisor or even directly to the council themselves about her movements, but she did not care. No, there was nothing wrong with what she did. Everything had to be taken care of and if she's the only being to do this so then so be it.

She sighed as she set down her pen, her hand beginning to shake as a shiver went straight through her body. Sophie didn't like what she overhead and didn't want to hear the rest of what Naum had to say. Give her soul, ridiculous! Just who could she give it to, she wondered, and even if she could why should she? She didn't want to be trapped, to be a servant and have to take orders. That's not who she is! She can't simply give up her entire existence to the goals of another! Sure, that's what that spirit living within her is doing, but that's a different problem. It was her mission to house that soul and the entire reason she was kept alive was for it. Sophie knew this, and that's why she's currently a God of Death instead of being with Death right now. Even so, she was her own master, the soul even says so. It calls her 'host' and 'other soul' and sometimes even 'master'. Well… if Naum didn't understand her then so be it. She won't let herself be chained like when Dorren kept her chained to the wall. Sophie didn't want to be chained… beaten… unable to do anything as her kidnapper could do whatever they wanted to her. No, it won't happen again, and as the universe as her witness she won't let herself be chained! –

"Boss are you okay?" came a voice from behind Sophie setting her head up from her desk before quickly regretting her movement and placing a hand on her head.

"H-huh? Ben? O-oh I'm fine," she chuckled lightly, wondering when she had placed her head down on her desk to sleep.

Trying to block the voices, stay in control of her body, sometimes she'd forget what exactly her body was currently doing. She sighed. Sometimes everything she had moving around in her mind was too overwhelming. "I was wondering where you've been, since you've been missing for a while Boss. Everyone was getting worried, especially Alex," Ben continued, grabbing a nearby chair and sitting down next to her. "… Is there something you wish to talk about –"

"Nope!" she laughed loudly, a little too loudly even for her, "I'm right as rain! You do not have to worry little Herman. I'm perfectly fine… but how are you, how have the pills been, and are they working?"

"Y-ep," he nodded slightly, "r-really well. Thank you…" Ben watched as Sophie reached into one of her drawers, pulling out a small bag thrown aside in the corner.

He knew instantly that if she was taking one of her own pills something was wrong, watching as she plopped one of the pills into her mouth before grabbing her water skin and quickly slurping down the water. "… Are you **sure** –"

"Ben, as I said I'm doing fine. I just need a bit of energy boost, that's all," she shrugged, looking back at her work and looking everything over. "Just give me a few more hours and I'll feel better. Nothing to worry about." Ben frowned, he knew she was lying. Even if her body tried to show him, even with her crooked smile, that she was well, it was her bright blue and green eyes, seeming to glow much more intensely then it should, which was giving away her true emotions. Sophie looked tired, dark circles already formed under her eyes, and dreadfully disturbed. Her mind seemed to be deep into her own thoughts, barely paying attention to their own conversation. What was disturbing was the eerie glow, a glow he had never seen before bright and apparent in her eyes. It was as if her eyes were drawing him near, trying to pull him into the light before he could even react.

He blinked, shaking his head and before chuckling and letting out a slight chuckle. "Well alright I suppose. Ummmm… I'll check back up on you in a few more hours, okay? There are a few souls I have to go reap today before I can call it a day."

"Alright," Sophie nodded, looking back to her work, "I'll be out reaping soon enough. Only have to assign these last bits of souls… then… yeah…" She let out a deep sigh and picked up her pen, Ben giving her a frown before turning his back and walking down the hallway to the stairs. He knew now that something was terribly wrong, and the first person he was going to ask was Alex. If his superior didn't know what was happening and Sophie was keeping her thoughts to herself again, he shuddered. He didn't want to know what could happen in the upcoming days, even hours. He simply wanted to be sure that his boss would be safe. Perhaps not sane, but safe is the best hope for the upcoming situation. Ben took his time walking down the stairs, avoiding eye contact, and made his way to the door. Throughout his whole mind, even as he reaped, he couldn't stop thinking about the strange glow, the eerie light radiating from Sophie's eyes trying to suck him into their tempting depths.

! #$%^&*()

**A/N: And… end scene! XD I hope you've enjoyed this next chapter. Obviously Undertaker knows more than Naum and Sophie, but what about the other characters? It seems Fiona and Xaskesiel both know what's going on, or perhaps they're as confused as Naum and Sophie. Either way there's more to come. Will Sophie disappear? Who knows! It's something to be told later! XD SEE YOU LATER!**


	85. The Approaching Despair

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Wow. It's been a while right? ^^' Sorry that I haven't posted another chapter in a while. It's just that it's getting long… again… and I'm trying to come up with a quick way to end this arc and get my point across at the same time. If that happens we'll see, but now that I've realized I haven't posted a chapter in… a week or two now? I forget. Either way it's about time I post one so here we go! I hope you enjoy it! =D**

! #$%^&*()

Sophie sighed, finishing the last paper in her hands and setting it aside on her desk. Then she slump in the chair, looking up to the ceiling and closing her eyes. It took her a lot longer than necessary to finish her work. Why? Those darn voices! While she'd be thinking they'd start to infiltrate her thoughts, telling her to come towards them… back to them… with chains… "Stupid voices," she snarled under her breath, standing up and gathering all of her scattered pieces of paper and setting them on their rightful stacks of papers. How dare they think she'd obey their whims? How dare they?! If she's **ever** going to give herself up it'll be willingly, and Sophie knew that's not what the voices want. But… if they won't stop leaving her alone… She let out a tired sigh and grabbed a few stacks of paper; making her way to the stairs and beginning her ascend up the stairs to the Paranormal Operations. Her mind could barely grip around anything else it seemed. Knowing Jericho was somewhere around here wasn't helping her one bit. She didn't have time to confront him, get her answers to why he left without so much as a sentence-filled letter. If she could barely keep her mind on her work how can he expect her to grasp onto an important conversation she had to have with him?

Mumbling under her breath she stepped onto a level, raising an eyebrow as she noticed a familiar face from afar. "… So I said, 'You disgusting daemon! Go back to Ga!' then I slashed off its head and gouged out its heart. Very effective way to kill a daemon, I must add – Hey look it's Sophie! What's up?!"

"What's **up**?" Sophie shook her head at Xaskesiel, turning her head to one of the rooms and setting her paperwork down on a desk. "… Is Mr. Agon in –"

"No, sorry," Lewis shrugged, "but Jericho is."

"Great," Sophie huffed, grabbing the stack of papers and shuffling into Alex's office. Setting down everything in the top stack she shuffled out of the office, eyes watching her as she grumbling under her breath and mumbled words no one quite understood.

"Ummm… is the Boss Lady okay –"

"I believe not Lewis," Ben sighed. "Something's wrong with her, but of course she won't tell anyone what's going on."

"That can't be good," Dora let out a sad sigh. "I don't want her freaking out again. No telling what the council will do to her, seeing as she's being kept under a close watch now."

"Well all I know is to give them space," Xaskesiel commented, the shinigamis looking at him confused as he simply sighed. "There's nothing anyone of us can do, but wait. Either she'll come back or not. Simple as that."

"What do you mean?" Dora frowned, the man blinking a few times before laughing loudly.

"Oh I'm sorry! I said something I shouldn't have!" he joked; his laughter quickly subsiding as he stared at the office Sophie walked into and started to hear yelling. "… Poor kid. I wonder where Naum has wandered off to now –"

"I'm right behind you," a voice answered roughly, causing Xaskesiel to fall off of the desk and tumble onto the floor.

"Kid there you are!" Xaskesiel laughed, patting the boy on the back as Naum looked up at glared at the older being. "Where were you –"

"Came across some Undertaker guy," Naum explained, sitting down on a chair and letting out a tired sigh, "but he insisted I stay for the rest of the day. Of course, once I knew that Sophie had left I had to go after her, but he was _very~_ persuasive and it was hard to leave."

"Oh who's this Undertaker –"

"Just think that he's like Eve. Nothing more and nothing less," he responded, his eyes looking over at the yelling that could be heard from one of the offices. "Uh… what's going on in there –"

"Jericho and Sophie are just arguing again," Dora explained. "It happens every other day when they're together, it seems."

"That's not good," Naum huffed, "I'll have to ask her about that –"

"You know you didn't even tell us your name. Who are you?" Lewis decided to ask with a wide grin on his face.

"Lewis!" Dora huffed, slapping her brother across the top of his head.

"No it's fine," Naum chuckled lightly, looking over at Xaskesiel before letting out a sigh. "I'm Naum Karawan Kaoboros, servant of light and Goddess of Life –"

"Goddess?!" Lewis snorted, "How come you're a goddess –"

"In my world it is very matriarchal and thus goddesses are more widely worshipped then gods. Even though males have a high fighting spirit, we have been shown long ago that there are strong female warriors as well as males. So the humans tend to worship mostly goddesses, thus I am a goddess," Naum tried to explain, though Lewis wouldn't stop but snicker at the boy.

Naum rolled his eyes, Xaskesiel chuckling lowly as he loomed over Lewis and caused his laughter to quickly subside. "You just think you're a little know it all, aren't you?" Xaskesiel huffed, Naum frowning and grabbing the top of Xaskesiel's clothes so they could see face to face. "And you should mind your tongue boy. There's things here we shouldn't say just so we don't have the council on our tails."

"Council?" Naum questioned him.

"Yes," Ben began before Xaskesiel could, "the Shingami Council made up of the oldest beings in existence –"

"If that's true then why isn't Death –"

"Once again boy it's not our place to question them," Xaskesiel commented, patting Naum on the back and giving him a chuckle. "You're just as bad as Serbus if you do that."

Naum narrowed his eyes, standing up and obviously feeling insulted by his words. "We may be very much alike, but Sophia and I are two very different creatures. We come from two different spectrums Xaskesiel, and I don't particularly like your attitude towards me."

"Well perhaps you shouldn't only see from one side," Xaskesiel huffed, "because, if it's as how you say, Serbus has a completely different mindset then you, then you shouldn't expect her to think and do exactly as you do. After all didn't your little sweetheart live on and hers didn't?"

"Why you –"

"And, unlike Sophie, it seems other creatures here don't like the aura you present," Xaskesiel smirked. "Plus I know as much as anyone that you're trying to convince her to be bound to some other creature. Can you really expect her to do that when you haven't really _cared~~_ about being bound to Eve? _Hmmm~~?_ Our worlds are two very different things and Serbus took the time to understand us. Perhaps you should do the same courtesy for her –"

"And how come you have so much authority all of the sudden?" Naum huffed, "Stupid daemon –"

"Because I've been here before," Xaskesiel huffed back, obviously annoyed with the boy's tone, "and, I'll have you know, Death brought me here himself to show me the ways of which reaping of souls should be done. That's why death is hard to come by in our world. You, Life Goddesses, have been trying to keep every being, from whale to amoeba, alive for hundreds of years. Can't you see that keeping bodies alive for too long brings about decay? That's why so many beings go to Eve for help. Their bodies decay faster than they wish and now that they have a choice to live or not do you expect them to choose death? No." He chuckled lowly, causing Naum to narrow his eyes, "You know it isn't right to do this, but yet they do. That's how humans are after all. If you give them an inch they take a mile. Now, because of all this life, there is going to be a great destruction of death. It's going to happen, little Kaoboros, whether you like it or not."

"But –"

"And here it'll be a different matter," Xaskesiel smirked slyly. "Instead of deaths they'll be new lives. No one will die and the bodies of those who've decayed will rise out of their graves and devour the living to take back their souls."

"Hey wait a second!" Naum huffed. "How can you know this –"

"Fiona Obki told me," he chuckled, "and perhaps if you stayed with us instead of leaving you would have gotten the whole situation."

"How does she know –"

"It happened many years ago, even before she was born," Xaskesiel explained. "It's a story that has been passed down from generation to generation, and only a small few, if none at all, know of what has happened. The same things have happened to two other beings as strong as Sophie and you. They were connected to Life and Death, bound together by two daggers. Seeking the daggers they became trapped within because they wouldn't obey the souls and spirits that lie within the items. Thus, between their two worlds, the worlds were flipped upside down with death becoming life and life becoming death. Without a place in between the worlds began to deteriorate, but after much difficulty they escaped from their prison and restored the worlds back to how they once were."

"Worlds flip upside down…" Naum thought, a gasp escaping his throat when he suddenly realized what Xaskesiel had said. "No wonder there's so much death in our world! It's as clear as rain!"

"Wait," Dora huffed, "what are you two talking about –"

"Not only that Naum," Xaskesiel continued, completely ignoring the woman, "but if you wish to find another who has escaped like yourself you can tell by their eyes."

"Eyes?" Naum questioned him.

Xaskesiel smirked. "Yes, eyes. If a powerful being trains and trains their eyes start to become yellow, but if they have been bound to the daggers in some way then their eyes give out a glow that radiates from the core of their soul. I hear that those who have come into contact with the daggers themselves are the few who can tell the difference from this glow, for simple beings like myself cannot see this as easily as the _others~_. All we can tell is that the being is powerful, and best to be avoided in case we cross their paths. May I ask, did you actually see the Undertaker's eyes, _hmmmm~?_"

"Ummm… no –"

"Then that's the place to start," Xaskesiel chuckled, "because we both know that only a few ever escaped the items. I am sorry for your parents Naum, I really am, but unless you have to powers to leave yourself you won't be able to escape without a contract to the other side."

"That's what I'm trying to get Sophie to do –"

"Yes, but I can tell she won't give her mind, body, and spirit to some creature she doesn't know," he smirked, "and you can't take her soul simply because you're already bound. Sadly that's how it works –"

"Well I don't like it!" came a voice from behind, everyone looking over as Sophie glared over at Xaskesiel and Naum. "Giving up my soul is preposterous. Do you seriously think I would sink to your level?"

"**Sink** to _my~_ level?" Naum snarled. "Why you little –"

"Why don't you save yourself the trouble and just kill me now? Huh? That's what it seems like to me if you are ever going to bound me to someone or something. I'll throw myself six feet underground before I let myself be a servant to some weak being!" Sophie snarled, Xaskesiel taking on step back once he noticed the blazing glare coming from the woman's eyes. "And now you _**dare~**_ talk to my own father about this without my knowledge? I thought we were supposed to be working together, not working against each other!"

"I'm not trying to, but it seems to me that you simply can't handle the pressure right now!" Naum yelled back, causing a few of the shinigamis in the area to scoot away from them or lean in closer so they could hear what was going on. "You think you're all smart just because you won't let Reha die? Because of your stupidity the voices will take you over! Did you ever think about that –"

"I've been _thinking~~_ about it all day!" She growled, "I can barely hold this conversation right now because of how incredibly stupid you seem to be! You're the one who's supposed to know more about this then I do, so what are you doing to help?! Let me die, is that what you want? You want me to be some **damn **_**slave~**_? What the hell do you want with me?! –"

"Death you calm down –"

"No I will not!" Sophie yelled, grabbing Naum by the collar of his shirt and slamming him against a wall. "You can't control me; you little puke of a Life. I am master of my own domain and if I decide to die then I'd rather do that then see you suffer!"

"What does any of that have to do with me?! –"

"Because if I don't go through with this then they'll take Reha. Do you _**really~**_ want them to take Reha?! No! I doubt it!" She slammed his body into the wall one last time before letting him go, Naum groaning as his body subconsciously slid down the wall as he stared at her with an irritated glare. "Besides… do you expect me to let someone I know just die like that?" Sophie said in a softer tone, Naum blinking in confusion as he scooted back up the wall to see her eye to eye. "I can't live in peace, Death won't let me die… and I'm only being kept alive because of this soul living inside of me… can't I just have **something** to myself, where I can choose yes or no instead of having to say 'It's how the world is?'… I… I need to know that I can keep those I hold dear safe. If not, then what's the point to my existence?"

"But…" Naum sighed, "But no one can stop fate and no one can destroy it –"

"I don't plan on destroying what seems to be destined, but simply make everything go in my favor," Sophie smirked at the corner of her lips before huffing and turning her back on him. "… I have to go. There's some business I have to attend to."

"Sophie –"

"And if you try to follow me I'll kill you with my own hands," Sophie huffed, her back to everyone as she was about to walk to the stairs. "… You deserve a better life then I have because I'm always destined to live a harsh life **alone**," she chuckled lightly, "and if I can make that happen… then so be it."

Naum watched as the woman made her way down the stairs, everyone watching her before they looked over at Naum. He was blinking in confusion, bewildered by her words before sighing and brushing himself off. "… Now tell me," Naum decided to ask, acting as if nothing had happened, "what exactly are these _shinigamis_?"

"Name: Kevin Stafford, son of town drunkard Reynard Stafford. Born October 15, 1845, Death: June 11th 1888. Cause of death: severe case of malaria." Sophie sighed as she rewound the rest of the cinematic record into her large, black scythe before the weapon disappeared between her fingertips. "Great, last one," she smiled slightly, looking up to the sky before another tired sigh escaped her lips. Her mind kept racing to her conversations earlier that day. She felt that most of the time she wasn't being her true self, letting her emotions take over and dictate what she would say. Before she didn't have as much problems, there was only one voice or maybe two talking within her head at once, but now there were multiple voices and Sophie could barely tell which ones were from the dagger and which ones were her own thoughts. She felt bad about Jericho, but right now it wasn't the best time to talk. He kept insisting that she take him back, as if she had a reason to. Sophie could actually smell the scent and foreign odor that was on Jericho's body when she walked into his office. He was sleeping around again, and she had enough of his lies. She won't let her own mind ignore what he has been doing right under her nose any longer. She was sick of him… but perhaps that was only the voices talking. Sophie could barely tell anymore. She just knew that she was letting her own desires tell her that Jericho was a good, trustworthy being when really he was a selfish, self-centered boy. He wouldn't even man up to take over his father's position for crying out loud! And here she was risking her neck every day while he was out fucking some girl, or secretary, or some whore from the streets.

She was annoyed, frustrated, but Sophie had to keep a calm head. "I can't deal with him anymore," Sophie finally decided as she walked into the shinigami realm, her head downcast as she pushed the doors open. Looking up she squinted. The white walls seemed too bright and she could barely see. "Damn," she huffed, shuffling into her pocket and pulling out her black glasses case. Slipping on a thin black pair of frames she continued her walk through the building, keeping her head down as she hustled up the stairs. She just wanted to finish her work, perhaps talk to William quickly, and then go right to Undertaker and sleep. Undertaker… Sophie frowned at the thought. What if these voices really took her? Would the man be okay by himself?... What was she thinking?! Of course he would! After all he's centuries older then her and has only known her for a very small portion of his life. It's not like he'd care if she was gone… as if her life had any real significance… She shook her head, realizing what she was thinking. That's how all humans seem to feel. Did their life have any significance in the world? Believe it or not each did, influencing in some way or another in other humans, beings, and souls alike. If one looks closely to every record there will be images of beings from the past that have influenced the actions of the human that have died. **That's** a person's legacy, what is shown in the lives of others. At least, that's what Sophie has always thought of life. If someone wishes to make a difference all they must do is make a difference in another's life. When those people forget their names is when that person is truly dead… when their lives are forgotten in the history of time. For good or for worse there are humans where their names have lived on throughout the centuries, shinigamis and other supernatural beings too. That's what Sophie has seen her whole life… but has her own life made any difference?

Will she disappear in a speck of nothingness? Has her life made a difference to beings? That's what Sophie has feared all her life, sitting in the mortuary staring at the lifeless bodies and wondering how they came to be that way. Did… did Undertaker even care? Was she just some experiment or a way to pass the time? What if this was her destiny; disappear like everyone else without completing her goals. Sure, she's a Serbus and must house a soul that she barely understood, but that's not her goal in her life. Her goal was to make her parents happy… to make Undertaker happy… and that love grew for everyone else she has met in her life, either through a lasting relationship or a devastating heartbreak. Not only that, but she wanted love. She wanted to grow old, have a husband, and have a family. That's the simplest cliché in the world, but it was true. She wanted a normal, everyday life with the same hardships as everyone else. Not having to deal with shingiamis, demons, angels, and the rest, but just live life to the fullest, not having to worry about others and do her own things. Prepare the dead, dancing with her friends, and hanging out at the pubs afterward. That was what she saw herself doing and honestly, even if it sounded boring, it's what Sophie wants in the whole wide world. She wants to dedicate her whole life to another, spend all her time in her work, and live only for a second in the long depth of Time with all her energy contained into one life.

But… this job doesn't allow her to do the things she loves. Reaping bodies day and night without rest, spending all her time away from the mortuary and never being able to prepare a body for their rest… as much as she loved life she loved death so much more. Once you're dead you don't have to worry, don't have to work tirelessly and never get anywhere in life. That's why Sophie works herself practically to death. If she stopped working she'd see how dull her life is becoming, how long her life will become, and how monotone everything will seem. She won't appreciate the dead like she always has… and over time she may even forget the ideas and virtues she'd been taught by her parents, Thomas, Robin, and even Undertaker. And if she disappears now she won't get to experience any of those things. She won't be able to live or even able to die. She'll just be stuck in a limbo for the rest of her existence, and Sophie definitely didn't want that… but she didn't want to be trapped either. She didn't want to be bound to another being… and even if she agreed then who? Naum was lucky in picking a being that just happened to be someone close to him and he trusted, but what if Sophie wasn't as lucky? What if she is forever doomed to a being that beats her, can't take care of her, like Dorren…

Sophie shuddered. No, she can't let that happen. She just can't! She can't tie herself to another, not again! Sure, she's agreed orally to the Undertaker, but that's a different sort of relationship… right? "Why does Life have to hate me?" she grumbled to no one in particular, finally getting to the level she wanted and walking onto the floor. She set her stuff down, ignoring any answers she may be receiving from the voices and letting her mind entangle into her work. Without looking at anyone else Sophie went about and finished her work, quickly signing only a couple of forms before organizing everything into a pile and walking towards William's office. "Is Mr. Spears here?" Sophie sighed, opening the door with a free hand and stumbling into the office with the other.

"Yes," the man huffed as he continued to write on a form and refuse to look at her till he was done, "but I didn't give my consent yet –"

"Well here are all those forms that were collecting on my desk," Sophie huffed back, closing the door with her foot before setting everything on the edge of his desk. "Sorry if a few of them are overdue –"

"Which reminds me, I was wondering where you've been for the past couple of days," William decided to ask, Sophie narrowing her eyes before she took a few steps back and stood up tall and straight. "The council called upon me themselves to personally find where you have gone and report back. Seeing as you're here I don't have to assign a search party, personally thought as a waste of time to me, but I hope you will tell me where you've been without any complications so I can report back to the council as soon as possible."

"… Even if I were to tell you, the council simply won't believe me," Sophie snorted slightly, quickly getting William's attention as he looked up and put his paper down. "This problem is older than the creation of this organization and even older then the lives of those council members. Sorry, but it's not my place to say a word. However if you wish for answers talk to Mrs. Obki. She seems to know more about this situation then I do… I know nothing… Now if you excuse me Mr. Spears, but I'm running out of time –"

"Time for what –"

"My life," Sophie huffed, tired of having to explain herself. "My life, my existence… it's falling apart all around me," she sighed deeply, "and, now that I think about it, there's something I'd like to ask of you."

"What could that be –"

"Could you, if I don't show up in a few more days, preferably if I don't show up again on the 20th, assign a new shinigami for me to head the Paranormal Operations?" Sophie decided to ask, William raising an eyebrow at her request. "You don't have to start from scratch," she continued. "I have the files in my office labeled '_Subordinates_'. Simply select from the list for me, could you?"

William frowned, "Why –"

"As I said I don't have time," Sophie sighed, "and I don't know when I'll vanish. So if I'm gone I don't want my father's organization to simply disappear. I'd like it to live on… for a few more years at least." Then she chuckled, taking off her hat and running a hand through her hair. William looked at her confused, noticing that she was wearing frames for a necessary for the first time since she'd come back from the Americas. "Look, there's only so much I can say. I'm sorry if I can't tell you anything else, but there are things a being has to keep to themselves. Now can I trust you'll do this for me if I don't show up again?"

"Ummm… I suppose," William answered, pushing his glasses back on his face before narrowing his gaze at Sophie, "but can I ask one more thing?"

"Sure –"

"Why are you wearing glasses?" he commented, Sophie narrowing her eyes before scratching the back of her head and setting her hat back on her head.

"… Ask Undertaker and maybe you'll get an answer," she said simply, turning her back on him and walking out the door. Before William to even respond Sophie closed the door behind her, leaning her back against the wall and letting out a tired sigh. She clutched her chest, feeling a sharp pain coming from her heart as she shut her eyes and tried to keep calm. "Damn… stupid… gods damn it," she mumbled, coughing into her hand and noticing that she was starting to cough up blood now.

"Hey Sophie," came a voice from behind, Sophie looking over at the cubicles and seeing Alan looking over to her with concern, "Is something wrong –"

"I'm just fine," she chuckled lightly, "_never better~~_ –"

"There you are!" Naum exclaimed, jumping off of the last step and quickly walking over to her with a chuckle escaping his throat, "I thought you ran away or something –"

"Wish I could, but you certainly can't escape Death," she laughed before shaking her head and scratching under her eye. "So… ummm… what's up?"

"Are you done yet –"

"Perhaps –"

"Because you're starting to look a bit pale –"

"I'm fine –"

"Oh don't lie!" Naum huffed, "I do the same thing when I don't like to think. You're just working to keep your mind off of the fact you're about to disappear, right? But you should know the longer you work and drain your energy the faster you disappear –"

"Thanks for the damn warning, but I'm fine," she snarled, narrowing her eyes at him. "Why can't you just leave me be –"

"Because I promised both Eve and Undertaker that I'll make sure you don't die and for goodness sake I don't want you to go!" Naum suddenly yelled, all eyes turning to him before he coughed into his sleeve and quickly looked away. He looked over at her, Sophie raising an eyebrow at him as he let out a tired sigh and rolled his eyes. "Look, just don't listen to them, alright? They may speak the truth, but there's a way to get around the games they're playing."

"Thanks for the tip," she huffed," but I honestly don't care. You know nothing about me and perhaps I want to disappear. You ever thought about **that**?"

Naum paused, poking the lenses of her glasses. "Why are you trying to hide your eyes?"

"Because they hurt like hell," Sophie mumbled under her breath, pushing him aside and walking over to her desk. "I just want to sit down, take a breather, and not have to think about anything for a while –"

"Let me see –"

"Don't freaking touch me Naum," she sneered and shoved his hand away, "or else that pretty little head of yours is coming off –"

They suddenly looked up, hearing a _**'screech'**_ coming from the bottom of the stairs till a large bird appeared flying towards them. "AH! WHAT THE GA –"

"Oh Noco, about time!" Sophie chuckled lightly, the hawk flying down to rest on the top of her chair and giving the two of them a _**'squawk'**_. "This little creature here is a red-tailed hawk whom I call Nocona. Noco, this is Naum. Don't worry. You can trust him."

"H-hello there," Naum chuckled lightly, letting the bird nip his finger and draw a small amount of blood. "Cute creature. We don't have many land creatures because most have been hunted to extinction and there's barely any sign of life up there on Ga."

"Yeah, well he sends messages for me when I can't do so myself," Sophie explained, lifting up Noco's foot and grabbing the small scroll attached to his leg. "It helps when I don't have time to question people myself…"

Naum looked over, frowning once he noticed that Sophie had paused. "What's wrong –"

"Once again no one has heard of this dagger," Sophie grumbled under her breath, ripping up the paper before grabbing a blank sheet from her desk and writing a quick note down. "There's only one other person I know that may have some idea where this thing may be."

"And that would be –"

"A being named Shezmu," Sophie told him, ripping the paper and attaching the note to the bird's leg with a thin string. "He lives nearby, but I don't have time to visit him and ask him in person. Noco," she suddenly said to the bird, Noco looking up and cocking his head to the side, "go into town and find a God of Death named Shezmu. If he's not here go find him. He should be traveling if he's not in London. Don't let anyone else, even his daughter, read this note except for him, alright?" The bird _**'cooed'**_ before spreading out its wings, Naum letting out a startled yelp as the hawk swooped off of the chair and flew back down the stairs. "Now if you excuse me, I must be going –"

"Wait," Naum grabbed her arm, keeping her close. Sophie raised an eyebrow at his sudden action, the boy letting in a gulp as he reached up for her glasses. "Just… let me see…" She cringed as he took away her glasses, Naum frowning as she groaned and placed her hand above her head to shield her eyes from the light. "… They're coming closer, aren't they?"

"Yes," she grumbled under her breath, "but what can I do –"

"Fight back of course," Naum told her, Sophie looking up slightly startled before cracking a smile and chuckling at his comment, "and just to warn you they'll start visibly showing up to you soon enough… just so you're aware."

"Can I fight back –"

"I don't know," Naum confessed, "I'm too much of a coward to have done so."

"Well how can I –"

"Don't worry," he chuckled, "I'll be able to see them too. Just keep your soul safe, that's all I ask."

"S-sure," Sophie nodded, turning her back on him and walking towards the stairs, "but right now I'm going home. It's been a very long day and I can barely stay awake."

"Wait! You're eye cover things –"

"Just give them to me when you come home," Sophie instructed, rubbing her head and groaning at the light from the building. "I'm too tired to care." Naum shook his head and sighed, watching as Sophie stumbled to the railing and carefully made her way down the stairs.

! #$%^&*()

**A/N: And there we go. Coming close to a thrilling scene soon enough. Bit of a filler chapter here, but whatever. It explained a few things that have yet to come. Jericho… you know I don't know with him. We'll just see what happens, right ;3 And as always, SEE YOU LATER!**

"_No one can stop fate and no one can destroy it_" – quote by viewer, Mystique Madjik ('_No one can stop (the) fate and no one can destroy it_')


	86. The Deadly Voices

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I decided to post another chapter, since I'm bored, so here we go! I hope you've enjoyed the story so far. Once I the second to last chapter up I'll post the second part of this story, so look out for that once it comes up ^^ If you wish to read this story, that is. Anyways, I hope you guys have a great Halloween. I'll be going to a haunted house this weekend (can't wait =D), will bake some sugary foods, and probably drive my brother on Halloween night to wherever he wants to trick-or-treat from because I have no plans that night DX And… yeah! And if I haven't answered your comments yet I'll do so after posting this chapter. Well… enjoy! =D **

! #$%^&*()

"Good afternoon Undertaker," Sophie said as she walked in through the front door of the mortuary, instantly noticing the man's energy on the other side of the room. "… Reha," she finished, closing the door behind her and setting her black coat and hat on the coat rack.

Reha looked up with a smile, who was sitting on the other side of the room talking with the Undertaker as he productively worked on preparing bodies. "Hello Sophie – You look horrible. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible," she sighed, slumping down on a closed coffin and unbuckling her boots. "My head won't stop throbbing, but at least it's not bright in this building."

"That's the first time you've ever said that, _hehe~_" the Undertaker giggled, Sophie rolling her eyes as she ran a hand through her hair and let herself chuckle along with the man.

"I guess… but I'm not looking forward to disappearing," Sophie commented, Undertaker glancing up before looking back down at his work and Reha standing up to sit down next to the girl.

"Sophie… it'll be alright," she smiled weakly, "after all Naum was able to escape. You shouldn't have any problems if that's the case –"

"But," Sophie shook her head, "they said that if I stay alive you'll have to die and if I die then you can life… I'm sorry, but I won't let you die –"

"You shouldn't worry about someone as mediocre as myself," Reha told her, running a comforting hand through her long, wavy auburn hair. "I'll die one day, but you're an important piece in your own world, even in my own! So don't worry about myself. Think about yourself –"

"Yeah, but I can't do that," she chuckled lowly, "because if I think of myself I won't have _anything~_ to think about. There's not much for me… and I'd rather spend my energy keeping you alive then trying to keep myself sane."

Reha frowned as she watched Sophie stand up and walk out of the room, hearing her boots _**'click'**_ down the hallway till they stopped at the bedroom. Then Reha sighed, taking the dagger that was hidden under her clothing out and staring at the images on the handle. "… This is my fault, isn't it?" she mumbled to herself, looking up to hear laughter coming from the corner of the room

"I doubt it," the Undertaker snickered, "or else Sophie would have let you die by now!"

The woman shook her head as the man laughed, Reha standing up and walking over to the window. "No," she continued once the Undertaker's snickering had died down, "it's me. You said so yourself, if that Haden boy hadn't died Sophie wouldn't be searching for a mate. You want to know why I'm alive? Because Naum willed it to be. He used his powers to revive me even though, at the time, he didn't know what he was doing… perhaps I should have just stayed dead. Then poor Sophie wouldn't be trapped and Naum wouldn't have to worry anymore –"

"Humans tend to not see the whole picture," the Undertaker giggled from behind her, his hands wrapped around her waist as he set his head down on top of her head. "Perhaps this is what's supposed to happen. It gives a reason for Sophia and Naum to challenge what they know, confront the voices and maybe get their own ways. _I don't know~~_, but I do know that Sophia will come back in one piece –"

"But **how** is the question," Reha pouted, "because I have a feeling she'll end up contracting herself without finding another way out –"

"Perhaps, but once again it may just be the way things are," Undertaker shrugged, letting go of the girl and walking back to the body he was sewing back together. "You mustn't worry your pretty little head on the matter. If she doesn't come back I'll bring her back myself, and if she contracts herself to another I'll show that being who's the one in change. _Simple as that~_" he giggled, Reha smirking slightly before sighing and sitting down on a coffin so she could look out the window.

"… But can't a person just worry?" Reha huffed.

Undertaker smirked, "_Of course~_ you can, _my dear~_" Reha watched as the Undertaker finished working on a body, sighing as she looked out the window and waited for Naum to show up again.

After only a few moments they heard a _**'crash' **_coming from the end of the hallway, Undertaker giggling into his sleeve as he set his work aside and attended to the noise. "I hope Sophie will be okay," Reha sighed, deciding the Undertaker didn't need help in the matter and simply waited for Naum to come back from the other realm.

! #$%^&*()

Slipping off all of her clothing Sophie rummaged through her footlocker, grumbling under her breath till she found something that seemed somewhat comfortable. Slipping on an old, dirty white shirt and baggy dress pants she jumped into the bed, letting out a tired yawn as sleep quickly overcame her before she had time to shuffle in between the sheets and set her head on a pillow. Though instead of her dreams being filled with darkness they were flooded by intense light, Sophie barely able to see from the blinding white glow coming from the world around her. "This… can't be right," she pouted, hoping to run into something of some sort of value. A memory, even the worst of memories, would be better than this light she was seeing. Was this yet another problem that was caused by the voices? Just what exactly could those voices be? Deciding there was nowhere else for her to turn Sophie sat down, noticing nothing changed as she moved around and hoped whatever was causing her to see this in her mind would soon show up within her head. "Just… what do they want?" Sophie frowned, rubbing her eyes as she groaned and tried to close her eyes, but even as she did all she'd see is a blinding light intercepting into her mind. "I'm not of any value, am I? If so, what exactly? –"

"_They don't want you, they wish to have me~_" came a sudden voice within her head, Sophie's eyes quickly opening to find that the white light around her was slowly fading into a pale gray.

"W-who are you –"

"_Young Serbus_," the voice chuckled, "_if you don't know who I am then how can you possibly keep me in control within your own mind?~_"

"… **That** soul," Sophie realized, standing up and trying to see what was going on around her. "You're the reason I'm still alive, aren't you?"

"_More or less~_" the voice told her, Sophie feeling as if the being had shrugged while a soft black haze began to roam around her body. "_You just happened to be the body and soul that I was destined to reside for the time being_ –"

"Then why are they after us?" Sophie decided to ask. "Why are those voices, whatever those things are within the Dagger of Death, trying to bring me into their void?"

"… _To separate you from me. You're the only creature of this place keeping me in this realm of the living. Without your body, your soul… I'll be brought back into the netherworld… and everything I have gained will be gone_." The voice seemed to sigh, as if it was taking a lot off of its chest, and Sophie simply wished that this voice would appear to her in some sort of form instead of whispering within her and manipulating her thoughts. "… _I do not understand everything myself. I only learn the ways of the world through you, my host~_ –"

"If that's so then why not someone else?" Sophie huffed. "Why me? Why is it always me –"

"_I know this about myself. Once long ago I had dreamed of becoming part of the living. I wanted to be human… have humanity… I wanted to be free from the demands and the frustration I was given over my existence. Thus I made a deal with Death… that's why you're a God of Death because of what I done_," the voice chuckled lightly. "_I never regret what I have done, but for some reason there's a being within your own world that wishes you, your family, and myself to vanish. I do not understand why, but perhaps they wish to rule the entire existence instead of myself_."

"Wait," Sophie thought aloud, "so you control existence –"

"_I believe I control __**everything~**__: from the world of the living to the world of the dead, from your world to Naum's world, from darkness to light… I control everything that has been and will forever be_." The voice paused, knowing that Sophie was having problems understand what it had said. "… _The only reason I speak of this is because that is all your father has found. Not only can we control the darkness, but also the light. We can bring death, but also life. We can destroy humans, creatures, and souls, but we can also bring back and create from absolute nothingness new humans, creatures, and even souls. A creator and destroyer, that's what we are_."

"We?" Sophie questioned the voice.

"_**We**__ are a part of each other, linked together for eternity and the ages to come. When you die you become a part of me and if I disappear you will vanish along with me. Your soul was created specifically to be my host and even before your birth you were destined to become a part of me. Your father is this way, your brother is this way, and that's why your souls live on with Death instead of vanishing from complete existence_." Then the voice sighed, a sigh Sophie was very familiar with that seemed to sound exactly like her own voice. "… _I do not understand what these voices are, but I know they fear me_."

"You?" Sophie asked.

"_Us~_" the voice corrected itself. "_They simply did not take us to the other side, they're __**testing**__ us. They wanted to see what we would do, how we'd react to their statements. You jumped into the ray of light before it struck Rehana Taranaki and wasn't forced to leave this place right away. If they wanted they would have done so by now, or that's what I believe_."

Sophie paused, looking around and noticing that the colors were trying to turn from gray to black, but were stuck in the middle and went back and forth between the two. "… I don't believe they're testing us, but me. They're trying to take our humanity away, and our humanity is **myself**, not you… I do not understand what is going on, but if this is truly a test it must be a test to see if I am destined to house your soul. Maybe that's what's going on here. They want to see if I'm the correct soul for you –"

"_Didn't you overhear the Xaskesiel one? This has happened before with two beings of Death and Life… and knowing how these items operate they would have been powerful beings to have escaped_," the voice insisted. "_I believe these two daggers are tied in with Death and Life. After all one is called the Dagger of Life~ and the other the Dagger of Death~_"

"… I have a feeling that the dagger we have found in Naum's world is truly the Dagger of Life," Sophie realized, "and it is a trick of the mind to say it's the Dagger of Death. I feel that Naum's world chose to call it the Dagger of Death because that dagger took souls and bodies into the light and infused them into themselves. Perhaps that's how it works, after all with life comes death and with death comes life. When something dies they decompose into the earth and out springs a new life that is even more beautiful than its predecessor. This is all a cycle, like light and darkness and day and night. We are opposites and Naum and I are linked together by our opposite forms. He is reaching to be a demon, a daemon in his own world, because of how the daemons present themselves and hold themselves in his world. I am reaching to be an angel, trying to grab that source of light that radiates from above. This is all so simple, but yet so complex. I simply had to realize what was going on," she chuckled lightly.

"_Well~~ we haven't had time to think alone_," the voice responded with a light chuckle that was similar to Sophie's, "_and with these voices invading our thoughts it's only a matter of time till they take over_ –"

"Oh hush now!" Sophie huffed. "If I can block you so I can think by myself, I think I can take on a bunch of lowly souls."

The voice snickered before sighing, Sophie looking around and noticing that the light black color was slowly turning to a dark gray, and the dark gray color was then slowly turning to a light gray. "… _There isn't much time till they suppress me again_," the voice tried to explain, "_and I am a creature who hates to be suppressed_."

"So am I," Sophie sighed, reaching out a hand to the air as if to try to comfort her other self. "It will be okay and I will make sure you stay in this world of the living. I promise you this on my name, Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus."

The voice suddenly giggled, amused by her pledge. "_Do you know the road you will be forced to take if you promise this~? Do you even understand what you are pledging to me~? I simply cannot let you disappear into the light. You are my host, master… my other self. This cannot be done_ –"

"When I made the pledge to forever house your soul and take over the work of my father I knew of the consequences I would have to face," Sophie huffed and looked up, watching as the light was starting to flood in through the gray space around her. "I knew that one day I may have to give myself up so you could live on, and I will allow myself to do so if you simply promise that you won't do anything stupid."

The voice chuckled at her statement, but once it spoke again the voice was much darker and stern. "_I understand what you are saying, but on that day I made a promise to you to keep you safe. After all we are almost one in the same. Once you are gone you will be infused into me_ –"

"You may think that, but we are not," Sophie huffed, "because I am Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, servant of darkness and God of Death, daughter of the mortician Undertaker and Athena Ernest. I may have only lived thirty five years, but in my short life I know who I am and what my intentions are in this world. You have not. We are two different beings, and in my lifetime I wish to find or create a true name for you so my descendants and generations after me will have some sense of a name to you. You may have never been born and created with a name, or perhaps you have forgotten, but even so I will search far and wide till I find a suitable name for you instead of talking to you as if you're just a voice I can talk to you like we're equals."

"_Equals~ you say~~_" the voice snickered.

"Yes," Sophie smirked, "after all you're the one who keeps saying we're one in the same. You will hopefully pass on to another, but I will not. Unlike you I wish to rest once my time is done, not continue on a road towards one goal. Of course Death has a way of taking lives much too quickly. I may not be able to find your true name, but I at least wish to…" She paused, feeling that the voice was almost gone as the light began to flood into the room around her. "To… to give you your own name," Sophie sighed, squinting her eyes once the light completely flooded into her mind. Then the voices came, but not a voice she was familiar with, but combinations of voices that she had never heard of before. Refusing to hear anything from them Sophie snarled and tried to get back to her body, trying to wake herself up from her dreaming before they began to speak twisted truths to her.

! #$%^&*()

Sophie yelped, her eyes widening as she fell out of the bed. She groaned as she lay on the ground confused, noticing the broken candle beside her. Luckily it wasn't lit, but she couldn't help but wonder why she wasn't actually in the bed. "O-oh yeah," she chuckled lightly, shuffling around on the floor and using the side of the bed to help herself back up, "I didn't get into bed yet –"

"Is everything alri –" The Undertaker paused, looking at the broken candle on the ground and the his little maiden shuffling off of the floor and prying the bed sheets from around her.

Sophie frowned as Undertaker's snickering quickly turned into laughter, the man falling to the ground holding his sides as tears fell down his face. "Hey it's not that funny!" she pouted, throwing the sheets back onto the bed before groaning and slump her head into the folds of fabric. "Damn you…" she mumbled under her breath, staring at him as she laid sideways on the bed and couldn't possibly get back to a peaceful, if she'd call her dreaming peaceful, sleep again.

"I'm sorry, just –" He could barely finish his sentence before he erupted into laughter again, Sophie rolling her eyes before rolling up into the sheets in an attempt to keep herself warm. "You haven't done that since you were a _small tyke~_! Hah!"

"Oh god," Sophie sighed, snuggling up into the sheets with her butt sticking up to the air underneath the sheets she wrapped around her. She waited till the man had stopped laughing before cracking an eye to stare over at him, the Undertaker standing off of the ground and brushing the stray dust from his clothes. He tried to keep his posture, but snickers came from between his teeth as his large grin lay plastered on his face. "… You're drooling," she rolled her eyes again; watching as he scurried over to the broken candle and picking up reminisce from the ground.

"_My small love~_, what has the small faerie done to you?" Undertaker gasped in horror, Sophie couldn't help but smirk at him calling her a fairy. "_Broke you in two~_ that's what she did, but don't worry my small love. _You'll be back together soon enough~~_" he giggled as he set the candle and its holder on the nightstand, jumping onto the bed and causing Sophie to yelp as he grabbed her ass and pressed her down into the sheets.

"Undertaker!" Sophie laughed, struggling against him as they shuffled around on the bed and tangled themselves into the sheets. Fighting for dominance Sophie ended up facing up at the Undertaker, panting tiredly as he pinned her down with the sheets tied up around her body. "… You're still drooling," she giggled lightly, prying a hand free as she wiped the slobber away from the corner of his mouth and smiled happily.

He let out a low chuckle, leaning his head close to her own so their noses were practically touching. "How did you sleep little maiden?" Undertaker decided to ask.

She grinned, giggling and shifting away as he rubbed noses with her. "Well enough," she told him with a tried sigh, "and I was able to think to myself one last time before the voices took over."

"They're that close, are they?" Undertaker smirked, though Sophie could tell he had worry hidden within his words.

"Sadly yes," she sighed, "but don't worry. I won't let them bind me and do you want to know why?"

"And why's that little maiden?" he decided to ask, breathing on her face and causing her to shudder.

"Uuummmm… I…" She shook her head and chuckled lightly, "because I belong to you, that's what."

Undertaker chuckled, though Sophie could tell he wasn't convinced by her words. "Whatever you say, little maiden," he giggled and kissed her forehead, smirking when he noticed the pout on her face. "I know you mean well, but it's hard to believe you when you're about to disappear."

"W-well I won't be gone for long, right? –"

"Of course not," he smirked, kissing her forehead before kissing her nose. "Because…" Undertaker sighed, breathing on her mouth and grinning widely when he felt her shudder underneath him, "because if they wish to take you away from me forever they'll have to go through me first, _understood~_?"

"I-intelligitur pater," Sophie gulped, Undertaker smirking as he leaned in and kissed her on the lips. "Ego t-ibi, rectum?"

"Right little maiden," he chuckled lightly, snuggling his face into the crook of her neck as he held her head tightly, "_fy forwyn bach~~_"

"Fy… forwyn bach?" Sophie asked questionably, Undertaker lifting up his head before snickering and snuggling back into her body.

"Sorry," he snickered, "I mean mihi parva virginis, _mihi parva virginis~_"

Sophie paused, staring at him confused before shaking her head and sighing. "Good night," she mumbled under her breath.

"Good night," Undertaker answered her, the two of them snuggling up close before the shadows on the wall disappeared and the whole room turned black.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Reha yawned; her body curled up on a coffin with her head snuggled into her hands. Hearing the door open she quickly woke up, rubbing her eyes once she realized who it was. "N-naum," she grumbled as she sat up, the man closing the door behind him and locking the doorknob behind him, "it's late. Mr. Undertaker and Sophie have been asleep for hours now. Where have you been?"

"She is?" Naum couldn't help but smile, taking off the large black coat the Undertaker let him borrow before sighing and sat beside Reha on top of a coffin. "That's good. I've noticed she's running herself ragged over this."

"So where have you been?" Reha asked again, this time her tone of voice was sterner then before.

Shrugging Naum took off the shoes from his feet, his soles feeling uncomfortably sore from having to confine his feet to such torture. How Sophie could put up with tight, pointy shoes he may never know. "I have been trying to find the Dagger of Life, which we suspect is in this world," Naum explained, throwing the shoes across the room and watching as they hit the ground and landed right at the side of the door. "No one even knows what I am talking about and I don't know my way around to get any real information. Xaskesiel has been helping me and has taught me the ways of this world, what his kind do here in this world. Apparently they reap souls once they are dead, which I find amazing that a group of beings would take the time and energy to do so. My kind is called angels who play servant to a higher power that Xaskesiel has told me that they don't even know. I have a feeling, when I went up there, that the being they listen to is actually the voices… but I still don't understand how that is possible. Instead Xaskesiel and I have been helping Sophie's kind, the shinigamis, reap souls and I've been keeping up with the work Sophie has been neglecting because of our current problem. I feel that this was needed, seeing as Sophie put all her time and energy into helping us."

"I see," Reha smiled, wrapping her hands around his arm and curling up his shoulder. "So where's Xaskesiel now?"

"He's told me that he's staying with a being called Fiona Obki simply because they know each other from long ago," Naum shrugged, "but he's also staying up tonight helping with the shinigami nightshift and reaping souls. Xaskesiel is also collecting information on this place and anything I may find useful, but he insisted I go back home to rest."

"That's nice of him," she giggled and kissed Naum's cheek, "because that gives me some more time with you before my time has come."

"Oh yes," Naum sighed, "we've been working so hard that I've forgotten you're a sacrifice… Do you still have to do that –"

"Naum," Reha pouted, "It's my duty as a priestess to do as the gods' will –"

"But I'm a god for crying out loud!" Naum huffed, "And I can't stand to see you die! No one does! Life dislikes coming down to Ponta simply because we perform sacrifices to her. She doesn't approve of them at all. Can't you see this!?"

"Of course I do!" Reha yelled back, causing Naum to calm down once she bit down on her bottom lip and quickly wiped away a tear, "but… what can I do? What can **we** do? Nothing, that's what. So let it go Naum. I've been alive much longer then I should have. The least you can do is let me pass on into Ura."

"… Don't worry," Naum tried to smile, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. "We'll get through this, I just know it… and I never regret saving your life, even though I had no idea I was the one who saved you till years later," he chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead. "Save your tears. You're not going to leave me that easily Rehana Taranaki. I swear on my birthright that you'll forever be with me, I promise you."

Reha smiled, kissing his cheek before sighing and shuffling close to his chest. "I'll take you up on that promise, but don't be disappointed if it doesn't come true."

"Well," he sighed, "there are a few more things to be done before we can return to our world. I want to make sure you're safe before I leave you there and I want to find the other dagger before Sophie vanishes. I can tell she doesn't have enough time… she has almost a whole day left, maybe even less. The voices will take her soon, I can tell. I just can't have her vanish, not while we're so close to our goal! If only we had time… but we don't."

"We'll do the best we can," Reha sighed, curling up on Naum's chest as he held her close. "That's all we can hope for. Sophie will have to work to keep herself here, you know. It can't just fall completely on you."

"I know," he cracked a smile, mumbling under his breath as they slowly began to fall asleep, "I know…"

)(*&^%$# !

! #$%^&*()

Unable to sleep any longer Sophie opened her eyes, quickly noticing that the warmth from the Undertaker was quickly leaving as he shifted off of her and began to leave the bedroom. "U-undertaker?" Sophie whimper, a pout on her face as the man turned and gave her his famous wide, eerie grins.

"Yes _my little maiden~_?" he giggled, Sophie groaning as she threw the sheets out from around her body and scurried over to him.

"W-when I'm gone, what will you do?" she decided to ask, rubbing her eyes as her eyes tried to adjust to the darkness.

He chuckled lightly, "Why do you ask?"

"Because… because I don't know what's going on and I'm scared," Sophie told him honestly, grabbing his arm and rubbing her head into his clothing. "A-and I don't want you to be sad."

"Sad?" Undertaker smirked, running a gentle hand through her long auburn hair. She looked up as she felt him hold a clump in his hands, breathing in her scent before letting go and letting her hair drift down to her side. "Why would I be sad?"

"I-I remember that you were sad once," Sophie tired to explain, her grip becoming tighter as she felt that he was going to leave her, "and that's w-hy… I didn't want you to be lonely, because you seemed lonely to me. You looked tired, sad, and even with a stoic demeanor you seemed to be troubled. D-ad… Undertaker, you're not going to be sad when I'm gone, will you?"

"My little maiden," he chuckled lightly, lifting her up by her shoulder and moving his head down so they saw eye to eye, "you worry too much. I'll be just fine without you. After all I've been around much longer than your pretty little self. I'll be able to move on –"

"But will you be sad?" Sophie asked again, her bright blue and green eyes shining into his green and yellow eyes. "W-will you cry?"

"Such innocence," Undertaker smirked, running his thumb over her eye and down the scars over her left cheek. "Of course I'll cry for you. I can never forget you, little maiden."

Sophie smirked, getting the answer she wanted, and wrapped her arms around his chest in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you," she mumbled under her breath, the man blinking in confusion by her sudden response before chuckling lightly and hugging her back.

"You're welcome," he answered her, burying his head into her hair and breathing down her neck. Then he sighed, kissing her on the forehead before letting go and turning back towards the door. "I'll see you soon, correct?"

"I-I hope so," Sophie smiled back, seeing the wide grin on his face as he left the bedroom and closed the door behind him. She sighed, noticing from a crack in the wall that the sun hadn't come up yet and she had a few more hours till sunlight. "I guess I'll get started," she mumbled under her breath, walking to her footlocker and taking out her clothes. Instead of wearing her normal attire, Sophie went for something simple that day. A white collared shirt tucked into black dress pants, her black buckled boots with long white socks under the folds of her pants, and a black suit coat with long sleeves where she placed the sliver watch Death had given to her so long ago. She buttoned up her coat and the silver chain hung on one side of her coat, Sophie sighing as she grabbed black gloves and pulled them up tight on her hands. She tied a black ribbon around her neck, too tired to find anything else, and combed her hair back before letting it fall in waves behind her. She tucked her black glasses case in her suit, just in case she would need them, before throwing her brown bag over her shoulder and leaving the room.

! #$%^&*()

**A/N: And now we're about to get to the best part… a very confusing part in the story, I might add. Lots of betraying and suspense, and lots of tears. Well, I suppose we'll see how it goes ^^ and as always, I'LL SEE YOU LATER! =D **

"_With life comes death and with death comes life_" – quote by viewer, Mystique Madjik (_'With life comes death and with death comes life'_)

_intelligitur pater_ – Latin – _understood father _

_rectum_ – Latin – _right_

_fy forwyn bach_ – Welsh – _my little maiden_

_mihi parva virginis_ – Latin – _my little maiden_


	87. The New Creation

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

Annalise © Stone Undertaker

**A/N: Well I was bored today and finished my homework early, so I decided to review another chapter for you guys ^^ I hope you enjoy, like always, and I'm sorry in advance if this story gets complicated… not like it wasn't complicated before, but it's going to get a WHOLE lot worse. Trust me on this. It's hard for me to keep up and I'm writing this thing XD ENJOY! And see you at the end! ;3**

! #$%^&*()

"Oh hey Annalise," Sophie waved, the redhead looking over to see Sophie about to walk up the stairs beside her.

"Sophie!" Annalise chuckled happily, "Long time no see! How have you been? What's going on? Have you talked to Grell recently?"

"Ummmm, let's see," Sophie poked her chin thoughtfully, the two of them stopping at the bottom of the stairs as she thought. "I've been as well as I've always had, life is complicated as normal, and no I haven't talked to Grell. Why? Is something wrong?"

"No nothing's wrong," Annalise smirked, beginning up the stairs with Sophie trailing along behind her. "I was simply wondering because he likes to disappear often."

"Does she at least get her work done?" she asked with a tired sigh.

Annalise giggled happily, "Of course! Grell just finds any way possible to get out of the building asap. I wonder if he's still mad at William or whatever. He will speed read through his work, I know that, and try to be done by noon."

"Interesting," Sophie thought aloud, "but sadly I have my own problems on my hands. I can't attend to her every beckoning call yet."

"Oh?" she tilted her head to the side, "and what would that be?"

"Nothing much," Sophie shrugged, "except I have some strange beings coming after me trying to take my soul or take control of me… again."

"Again you say?" Annalise questioned her, "and when has this happened before?"

"Just every other day it seems," Sophie chuckled lightly, "but it's only the types of beings that change from time to time. No big deal."

"Big deal? Of course it's a big deal!" Annalise huffed, "After all this is your soul you're talking about! A very _tasty~_ looking one, if you don't mind me saying. Though… how exactly can they take a shinigami soul? Seems impossible to me."

"Well it's not," she smirked slyly, "and it's a lot easier to take my own because I'm a combination of both human and shinigami. Thus I have a body and a soul… and a humanity too. I don't actually have to take orders from anyone, but since I'm nice I do, just to see what they'd say." Sophie chuckled darkly, "And that's probably why William _the Tyrant~_ Spears is always hounding on me to tell him what's going on. Not that I mind, but it can get annoying at times."

"I see," Annalise smiled slightly, "but now may I ask who's after you _this~~_ time?"

"Ummm… just voices," Sophie shrugged.

"… Voices?" she questioned her.

"Yes," Sophie chuckled with the nod of her head, "voices. Pretty powerful voices I must add and probably a lot more powerful than the council themselves… maybe even Death himself. I don't really know, but all I do know is that they want my soul because I came into contact with them. They are trying to insist that I chain myself to them, but why should I?"

"Well what are they exactly?" Annalise tried to ask.

"I… don't really know," Sophie sighed, "but they seem to be souls… like perhaps a fusion of various souls over time, powerful or not. It's like an essence, like how the angels say they obey a creature called the Lord, where supernatural beings like ourselves disappear into once we've died or our mission in this world is done. Our soul cannot wander, cannot escape, and is infused into this force. I don't know how to describe it, but all I can tell that it's too bright for me," she huffed. "Maybe… it's best to call it a parasite? Seeps into your mind till you go crazy, to the point that you want to destroy yourself and everyone around you."

"I still don't see why they want you –"

"Because I did something I shouldn't have, though maybe it was something that was going to happen one way or another," Sophie shrugged, "but either way they're trying to make me go crazy and my mind feels all… jumbled up. So I'm sorry if I haven't been speaking to anyone lately, but it's just been frustrating. I hope you understand."

"I guess," she chuckled lightly, "but you know once you see Grell he's going to go _crazy~~_"

"… Maybe some things are best left unsaid," Sophie suggested, stepping onto the level E and walking with Annalise side by side as they made their way to their desks, "and now that we're here why are you so early for once?"

"Oh I've just learned that if you do your work early you're let out a whole lot sooner than if you procrastinate," Annalise smirked. "You?"

"Can't sleep," Sophie huffed, "and I needed something to do."

"Well knowing _Mr. Spears~~_ he'll have something waiting for us," Annalise sighed sadly, "but _oh well~_. Another boring job to do, I suppose."

"You know if you join the Paranormal Operations you won't have to deal with boring jobs, as much," Sophie shrugged before continuing. "There are so many mixed breeds in the group and there's enough work to go around. For a demon like yourself, from what you've told me, you'd have a free range to eat condemned souls without worrying about the council trying to tail and kill you. Though you'll have to control that problem you seem to have when you smell blood," she chuckled nervously.

"Oh I know," she giggled, "and _free range~_ you say? Hmmmm… sounds tempting, but I'll have to think about it. After all I get a lot of work already and I can't possibly be out all day and night working on reaping souls."

"It won't be extra work," Sophie explained. "If you officially become a member your work level will stay about the same. It's the _**quality~**_ of the work you do that will change, that's all. Most shinigami groups get the boring jobs, but the Paranormal Operations get the more interesting, hard and demanding work in the whole association. Sadly we don't have many workers because we will lose them on the missions we must do… and you have to _earn~_ your keep in our organization. You can't simply be a shinigami, a half-shingiami, or whatever. You have to know what you're doing and have the strength and skill to back it up. If you don't, _well~~_… you can end up dead or possibly badly injured. We go to various isolated places where shinigamis don't like to go and take souls that are contracted to demons, infused with monsters, taken into hell or heaven, and etcetera. Of course you don't have to do everything and what you'll do shall be assigned to you by your expert qualities and everything you can do best… Understood?"

"Interesting," Annalise smirked slightly, "but I like to do things _my~_ way anyways."

"Well here," Sophie shrugged, handing her a card, "if you ever change your mind. Talk to Alexander Agon before you come to me though. I'll probably be off doing one thing or another and would have to make some sort of appointment."

"Or we can just talk now," she chuckled, "unless you're thinking of leaving our group."

"Of course not!" Sophie huffed, "I never would!... or want to that is…" She sighed, setting her stuff down by her desk before slumping down in the chair. "I suppose it's time to do something productive."

"I guess," Annalise shrugged with her back to Sophie as she sat down at her own desk and went over the paperwork that was left on her desk. "Long… stupid paperwork."

"You said it," Sophie snorted, pausing for a moment before erupting into laughter. Annalise glanced over at her before shrugging again, Sophie giggling before wiping a tear and looking over her work. "Oh geeze," she snickered under her breath, "darn Undertaker. Your insanity influences me a little _too~~_ well."

! #$%^&*()

Sophie sighed, taking her time with her next scheduled reaping and taking a side route through the forest. She groaned, pressing her head against the trunk of a tree and putting her hands on her head. "Oh god, oh god," she mumbled under her breath, closing her eyes as she felt a headache taking over her brain. Throughout the day the voices began to grow louder, more forceful with their demands for her. "Damn it shut up, shut up!" she snarled, blinking a few times and looking up to the sky. The treetops shielded the sun from her eyes, a smile coming to her face as the shadows danced across her face. "Mother… father… I wish you were still here and not me," Sophie sighed sadly, closing her eyes as she tried to reorient herself. "I wish… I was like Marius and had a sibling who was alive in the world of the living instead of me… who could move on with their existence and not have to worry about fulfilling a promise. Why, why does existence curse me so? I just don't want to be here… I don't want to be alive…" Blinking a few times she looked back up to the sky, feeling a bright shine on her face.

She put down her hands and shook her head, her head slowly moving from the sky and at the landscape around her. Sophie felt sick to her stomach, groaning as she looked at everything around her. It may just be the last time she sees everything like this, for Sophie doesn't quite understand what's going on with her. Though if Naum can free himself surely she can… right? She shook her head. It's just not the same. He is bound to someone, and even if it's Eve that's still a prison. She didn't like the thought of being a captive, bound in a prison. It's just… Sophie gulped, a slight whimper escaping her throat. "I don't… w-want to be bound again… damn it. Damn iT! IT'S ALL DORREN'S FAULT! I JUST KNOW IT!"

Then she blinked, a groan escaping her head as she leaned against the trunk of the tree and looked out to the trees in front of her. "W-what the hell was that?" she sighed, shaking her head as she pulled out the pocket watch and looked at the time. Noticing it was almost time to reap the last soul on her list Sophie began her trudge through the forest, coming to a scenic place out in the middle of nowhere where nature was still very much alive without much human involvement. Her eyes narrowed once she noticed the soul, a woman standing up at the top of a waterfall looking down with a look of regret in her eyes. Sophie searched for any creatures that could be lurking before slowly making her way up the side of the fall, sitting just a foot below the woman's feet as she listened to the human's last words.

The woman let out a tired sigh, staring down at the waters as she bit the bottom of her lip. "Oh Lyle," she shivered sadly, "why did you leave me? Why did you have to die on me?" She looked down at her stomach, a frown on her face as she rubbed her stomach. "I… I failed. I couldn't keep our child, but now we can be together, right?" Sophie watched as her eyes lit up, staring at the sun as it slowly began to fall in the sky, "Goodbye Grandmum Reba. Forgive me."

Sophie jumped to her feet once she saw the woman fall over the waterfall, crashing into the rocks below. She quickly jumped down and took out her black scythe, sighing as she slashed into the woman's chest to evaluate her soul. "How dramatic," she thought solemnly, wondering what this life had to say for themselves. Once the cinematic records began to circle around her Sophie blinked in confusion, noticing something that seemed intriguing with this soul:

_Rebecca Gallagher had grown up on a farm out in the middle of nowhere, her mother dying when she gave birth to her. Her grandparents raised her to be a respectable young lady and she was one of the prettiest in the small community she was in, but the other women were jealous. Being ridiculed the girl hid her beauty away and dressed as a boy, though the girl had to admit the clothes were mighty comfortable compared to a dress. Then one day she was invited to a party, which her grandfather insisted she attend. She had met a man named Lyle, almost the same age as she, and they grew to love each other, but Rebecca couldn't bring herself to tell the man she was a simple peasant. You see this man Lyle must have been a noble, not a high ranking noble, but a noble nonetheless. Rebecca eventually decided she wouldn't try to pursue the name any further, going back to life as it once was and dressed in raggedy clothes. Even as she tried to forget Lyle she simply couldn't, and one day he showed up in the town looking for the woman. Rebecca was in complete shock, and sadly Lyle didn't recognize it was her when he passed her in the streets._

_Slowly time went on, but one day a man claiming to be her father suddenly showed up. First her grandparents were skeptical, but then they invited him warmly into their homes. Then Sophie noticed something strange about that man: at one point Rebecca had seen her father rip apart a wolf and ate him whole. Now Sophie realized why this record was given to her department. There was a demon involved. Using the name Spade the demon insisted he raise his daughter in his home in London, but the grandparents refused. In anger the demon, one night, killed the grandfather without the others knowing. The peasants thought it was the works of a wolf and the demon got away without the accusations, but Rebecca knew better. She saw what happened that night and she wasn't stupid. Rebecca ran as fast as she could and looked for Lyle, coming across him once again to ask his help. He promised he would, but insisted that once he did that she stay with him forever, and she accepted. What the woman hadn't figured out was the demon was contracted to Lyle and the man had sent the demon to find his love and bring her to him. Now that the demon's contract was completed the demon named Spade killed Lyle and she ran off. Rebecca ran for her home and once she came upon her grandmother she cried for what seemed like days. Eventually Rebecca tried to move on, but then the demon kept coming by as her father, still trying to take her away. She decided that the only way to find peace is to kill herself, believing the demon will leave her grandmother alone if she killed herself. So Rebecca did what she could and jumped from the waterfall, her regret letting herself go to that party when she was young and reckless._

Once the records stopped playing Sophie sent the film into her scythe, frowning at the woman as she lay dead on the rocks. "You only wanted to live didn't you," she sighed and ran a hand through the bloody hair, "but alas that's not what was supposed to be. You ran away from your fate and ended up killing yourself… and by choice… but would that have been better then to have never met the man at all?" Seeing a faint glow coming from the woman's chest Sophie snatched the soul into her hand, taking out a jar and letting it recede into the bottle before closing the top with a cork. She tucked the jar into her bag and jumped away, slowly making her way back to the shinigami realm.

As she slowly made her way across the treetops she felt a presence following her, Sophie looking behind herself and noticing that nothing was there. "It's not a demon, but…" she shook her head and continued on, wondering what the strange feeling was. Jumping out of the trees she made her way by foot to the shinigami realm, quickly feeling the surge of energy yet again and turned around. She narrowed her eyes, knowing something was there, and slowly backed away as she took out her scythe and aimed it at the suspecting being. "Ok I know you're there. Come out! Come out!" Sophie ordered, but didn't get a reply or that is… a reply she wasn't suspecting of getting. She began to hear whispering in the back of her mind, Sophie letting out a tried groan as her eyes darted around her and she tried to find the source of the energy. Then she quickly realized something, this may be the voices doing, but if it was then how were they able to transfer themselves into her own world? What are they exactly? Were they controlled by something or was this all their own doing?

"_Our own doing~~_" she heard a multitude of voices behind her, Sophie letting out a gasp and pushing whatever was behind her back before shoving herself to the ground.

Her eyes stared up in fear, seeing a white hovering light shining before her. It seemed to take on the form of a human, but yet there was neither face nor any clothing. Yet she could feel its gaze on her and Sophie realized that being, spirit, whatever it was had been following her. "Go away, damn it!" she snarled, swatting her scythe carelessly in front of her as she shuffled back to her feet. The spirit slowly made its way towards her as she began to run for the realm, hoping the barrier would stop the being before it could snatch her. Sophie gasped in shock, the spirit never disappearing behind, but \ seemed to be gaining on her. It was as if whatever she did the spirit was always there, never moving from its intended goal. Realizing the being was getting too close Sophie pulled out the jar she had in her pocket, tied it around the long handle of the black scythe, and with a tremendous thrust threw the weapon up into the air and through the portal into the shinigami realm. She dashed as fast a she could to the barrier, but before her body can move through a long piece, of what Sophie felt to be rope, grabbed hold of her ankle and pulled her to the ground. "Let go of me!" she snarled at the being, trying to pry the energy that was surging up her leg and shocking through her body.

"_Give the soul to us and we won't have to destroy~ you_," the voices said, Sophie blinking in confusion as she continued to try to get herself into the barrier and away from the creature.

"I don't even know what you want!" Sophie yelled, sending a surge of her own dark energy into her hands and piercing the rope off of her leg. Standing up she dashed for the barrier, but in an instant was grabbed by the collar of her shirt and thrown into a nearby tree.

"_We~~ weren't talking to you_," it hissed in her ear, causing Sophie to shudder. "_Give us the other~ creature. We don't want to talk to a weakling like you~~_"

"Weakling huh?" Sophie huffed in disgust, "and what makes you so high and mighty to say anything like that?! Huh!? –"

She let out a startled gasp, her throat suddenly becoming tight as she began to feel an energy slowly making its way into her chest. "_Go away moral~_" the voices said in almost a whisper. "_You're not anywhere close to our powers~_"

"J-just what are you?" Sophie shuddered in fear, feeling a bolt surging through her body and suddenly let out a large amount of blood. She let out a yelp as she was suddenly thrown aside, but when she looked up she noticed that her body was still pinned to the tree by the glowing force.

Sophie whimpered in fear, staggering to her feet as she subconsciously began to back away. Her body groaned, blinking a few times before narrowing her eyes at the creature. "What is the meaning of this –"

"_My master_~" the voices began to speak, her body mumbling in anger over their words, "_Why have you done this? Why did you give up your infinite wisdom to become this… this thing~. This demon_ –"

"Demon, me? You must be mistaken," she chuckled lowly, a growl escaping her lips as her hands gripped hold of the energy and began to fight back with a large swirl of black aura emitting from her grasp. "I am _perfect~~_ just the way I am, and for you… _souls~_ to even think I'm not is an insult to me and everything I have done, which means you're only insulting yourself, **pathetic**."

"_Do not question us, oh great Creator_," the voices spoke to the spirit living in Sophie's body, Sophie staring at them confused and unable to snap out of the scene showing before her. "_We know more than you do now and you cannot control us now _–"

"If that's so then why take the time to capture me and my host?" her body snorted. "_You have no power over __**me~**_. What? You want to try to control me? Don't you think it's a useless attempt to do so –"

"_If we do not capture you our existence will one day be destroyed_," they explained, "_and you do not even know the extent of your powers. Power~… you have power you can never even dream about. Now we simply cannot capture your essence, but if we take the only soul and body you can use in this world you will return back to the depths of the underworld and regain your absolute knowledge and wisdom. Only then will you know why it is important that we stay_ –"

"Even if that's true there's no way I'd go along with this!" Sophie's body snarled, trying to pry the voices' grip away from her body. "Do you even understand why I had to leave there? Do you? No you don't! –"

"_And neither do you_," the voices insisted, "_and neither does anyone else. Then tell us, my master~, why you have done the things you do_."

"Because…" her body paused, looking over at Sophie as she slowly stood up and began to back away. The soul cracked a smile to her, but then narrowed her eyes, quickly turning from Sophie's normal blue and green colors to an instant bright yellow gaze that shone even more intensely then the spirits around her. "Because… ignorance is bliss. Ignorance is bliss… and humanity is a being that should be treasured, never harmed. Freedom… that is what I want… Freedom from the infinite wisdom, knowledge, and responsibility that comes with the job you seem to portray me as. I do not ever wish to use my powers for what you want and any soul and body I am in will say the same. _You do not own me~, I own __**you~~**_. I can do whatever I want," she chuckled lowly, "and you can't tell me what to do. Everything is done for a reason and your involvement in manipulating with others' lives changes that perception. You are meant to be here, but yet you are not. You are, I am, in itself, my own paradox. Without my creation there is no life? But yet how did I come to be? That is a question that will never be answered, and something I never **wish** to find out." Her body narrowed her eyes, staring at Sophie as the woman let in a frightened gulp. "Now leave us. Your presence here is annoying and I'd rather see you burn in flames then linger in the heart, soul, and mind of my sympathetic host."

Sophie's eyes widened, noticing the spirits' gaze suddenly upon her. "_A beautiful testament~_" the voices chuckled, "_but we are not looking for an answer such as the one you have spoken of_."

"Picky aren't you?" her body huffed, giving Sophie a look as if to tell her to start running. Yet Sophie's feet felt plastered to the ground, unable to shift away as she shuddered in fear. "If you don't like my answer, why ask?"

"_To see if you'll change your mind~ before we take your host into us_," the glow began to separate, Sophie stepping backward as half of the light began to come towards her as the other half kept a firm grip on her body.

Her body's eyes widened, realizing what was going on. "Sophie **run**!" her body cried out, Sophie feeling a jolt in the back of her mind telling her to move. Stumbling backward she dashed to the realm, throwing herself past the barrier and staggering backward.

Sophie watched as the light stopped at the barrier she had created, but she could tell it was still making its way towards her and began to push through the barrier. She ran towards her death scythe, reaching out to grab it only to be throwing it aside and let out a yell. "What the hell?!" Sophie cried out, shuddering as she watched her hand as the handle of her scythe left a burnt impression on her hand. She never had this problem, **ever**! What was going on with her?! What was she becoming!?

She let out a yelp as she was suddenly thrown to the ground, looking up to find the light shining down on her. "_Come to us~~_ –"

"Get away from me!" Sophie yelled, kicking her feet and yelping as it grabbed her foot and began to pull her towards them. "SOMEONE HELP! – DAMN IT!" She snarled, digging her nails and pressing her body into the ground refusing to cooperate to the voices. Yet this was doing her no good and she was being pulled into the light, frightened tears beginning to fall down her face as she mumbled under her breath for someone to help her. Her fingers were bleeding and her body was pushing the dirt away, but she began to pray that someone would show up, anyone! "U-undertaker… help," she whimpered under her breath, closing her eyes as she felt her soul slowly being sucked away and her form suddenly becomes weaker.

Her eyes opened wide when she felt the light ripping from her leg, Sophie letting out a painful cry as she was thrown aside and fell to the ground with a _**'thud'**_. "Back away you daemonous voices!" Naum sneered, holding up his sword to the light as the voices mumbled among themselves in several different voices at once. "She isn't yours!"

"_Oh but she is~~_" the voices insisted, beginning to move towards Naum. He growled and strikes his sword at them, the haze vanishing before reappearing again to begin their pursuit. "The soul came into contact with us. Now she must vanish into the light and join us –"

"Over my dead body!" Naum yelled, trying to move the light away from Sophie as she staggered to her feet and quickly backed away. "Get away before it's too late!" Naum called to her, Sophie staring at them blank less as she continued to feel drawn to the voices.

Again her feet wouldn't move, wouldn't back toward or away from them. Her mind was raising miles a minute, trying to process what just happened. Was she nothing but a soul now? Was that why she couldn't touch her scythe – "Back off you sorry excuse for an existence! This soul is mine!" She body yelled, grabbing Sophie from behind and pulling her to the buildings. "_It's alright little Sophia~_" the voice from her body whispered into her ear, a smirk on her face as Sophie shuddered, "_you'll be fine with me~_. Nothing to worry about."

Sophie looked up and terror overwhelmed her, seeing that her eyes were bright yellow and was radiating a strange green and yellow light that made her whimper. Looking back at the fighting Sophie frowned, seeing that Naum was being forced backward by the voices. Sweat was falling down his brow and she knew he couldn't keep this up. She looked down in thought, wondering what she should do, before pulling herself from her body as the spirit hiding within her stared at her in shock. "I can't keep hiding like this," Sophie began, taking a step backward to give herself some space, "I can't… keep hiding… I've done that for far too long now. I can't be a coward." Bright yellow eyes blinked at her in confusion, Sophie giving her body a slight smile before turning her head. "I can't live with myself if those things destroy Naum. They're after me, not you. It's my job to protect you… so stay back. Don't interfere with me."

"_Sophia~~_ –"

"That's an order, damn it!" Sophie turned her head and growled at the spirit, her body staring at her in shock and took a few steps back noticing the anger radiating from her bright crystal blue eyes. "… I'm sorry…" Sophie simply said, looking back at Naum and began to walk towards them.

"You do this and I will vanish!" her body growled, Sophie shuddering as she felt its voice loudly in her mind. "We cannot be together anymore! They'll separate us and your soul will –"

"I know!" Sophie cried out, a few tears falling down her face. Then she chuckled, sniffling as she wiped her tears and turned to look at her body once again. "But… if that means I protect you from this harm then so be it. Please, take care of yourself. I'll be fine."

Sophie let out a cry as she ran towards the light, Naum staring at her in shock as she slammed her weight into the voices. They staggered away and she fell to the ground, groaning in pain as she felt her energy draining her. "Sophie –"

"I-I w-ill **not** l-et you t-take Naum a-away…" Sophie shuddered, grasping her arm as she tried to keep herself upright and stand to her feet. "T-ake m-me instead o-of Re-ha-nna… TAKE ME!"

"Serbus!" her body cried out to her, Naum being thrown away by the light as they grabbed hold of Sophie.

She felt her energy quickly draining, her visible form disappearing into the light as she turned her head to look at her body and gave the spirit living inside of her a weak smile. "Σ 'α-αγαπώ… Don't forget me… Tiqvah, Σ 'αγαπώ," Sophie tried to hold back tears, drops streaming down her face as her bright crystal blue eyes twinkled directly at the soul living within her body, "Don't forget me…" Naum stared in fright as her body stared at her in shock, Sophie's eyes watching them until she disappeared into the light. All at once the light disappeared, leaving them in the shadows of the coming dusk.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Sophie let out cries, but nothing came out. All she saw was a bright light, the voices consuming her whole till she was nothing left. The last thing she felt leave her was the markings on her hand, shuddering as the skull glowing on her hand evaporated into the light. She felt tired, alone, and wanted to rest, but all around her was nothing but a bright light. The light was too much, she couldn't sleep. She didn't seem to bring about any appearance, nor feel any pain. Sophie knew in the back of her mind that she had to be somewhere, but didn't know where and why. Slowly she was beginning to lose herself, forget her name… who was she?

"_What do you want most in the world?" _

She suddenly heard around her, but it was one single voice and not a multitude like it was before. Yet she couldn't tell if it was male or female… was there a difference?

"_What is your desire?"_

"T-to… to be dead," she answered the voice, subconsciously in the back of her head. "Not be alone."

"_Why~?"_

"W-why?" Sophie snorted, though she really didn't know how to answer the question.

"_Why~~?"_

"Why… u-ummm…"

"_What is your **deepest** desire?"_

"Deepest?" Sophie thought confused. "I-I don't know –"

"_What do you want most in the world?"_

"I-I don't –"

"_Whom do you long for?" _

"I don't know! –"

"_Say~~~ it –"_

"I don't –"

"_Say its name –"_

"I don't understand…" Sophie frowned, noticing the voice wasn't answering. "… I don't want to be lonely."

"_Who brought you out of loneliness?"_

"… J-jeff… J-ericho?" She thought, but felt a head shake in the distance. "H-harr… Haden?"

"_No that's not it~. That's not it at all~~ –"_

"Then who?!" Sophie cried out, her eyes widening as the light suddenly disappeared and she let out a yelp and closed her eyes.

She blinked confused, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Then Sophie gasped, coming right into contact with her parents as they looked down at her from above! _"Mommy! Papa!"_ she yelled, reaching her arms up to touch them, but her eyes widened when she saw that her hands where much smaller and pudgier then they should be. _"M-mommy?"_ she called to her mother, but all that was escaping her lips where _**'cooing'**_ sounds as her father picked her up and brushed her short, stubby auburn hair.

"I can't believe this is our child," Maurus laughed happily, letting the little babe grasp his finger with her little hand and stare up at him with bright crystal blue eyes. "She's looking as us as if she wishes to tell us something."

"I know," Ellen let out a tired sigh, though there was a smile on her face that was just as wide as Maurus'. "She has your hair," she chuckled lightly.

"And your eyes," Maurus sighed gleefully. "Such beautiful, bright blue eyes."

"Whom should we call her?" Ellen decided to ask.

"I was thinking… Sophia," Maurus smiled to the woman lying on the bed, the wide smile growing on his face as she chuckled at him, "after your mother. Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, so she can have all of our names within her –"

"Beautiful child you have there," a voice came from behind, Maurus' eyes widening while he quickly set the baby down in her mother's arms and took out his death scythe by his side. "_Now, now~_. I'm here on peaceful terms," the man told him, placing his large silver scythe against the wall and placed his hands up in defense. "I only wanted to know what you were up to. Now I know."

"It's not like that Undertaker –"

"I know you've been wishing for a family," Undertaker grinned over at the woman sitting frightened on the bed as he turned his gaze back at Maurus, "but is this truly the best way to go about this –"

"Humans are creatures like anyone else," Maurus huffed. "After all I was a human before I became a shinigami. Why criticize what I do? You can't control me and you know it, so **back off**."

"As a friend I am simply looking out for your safety," Undertaker explained, glancing over at the child before looking back at the man standing between them, "but I am also a God of Death. You know the rules. We can't associate with the humans like this –"

"Because they die young? You don't think I know that?" Maurus snorted, turning to Ellen with a smile as he sat down beside her and began to look over their new child. "I… I know… They don't live long… but you can't stop what the heart wants," he chuckled lightly, Ellen giving him a smile as he gave her a kiss before narrowing his eyes at the Undertaker. "… What do you plan on doing?"

"Whatever you want," Undertaker smirked, Maurus giving him a confused look and glaring at him.

"What do you mean –"

"It is not my place to argue. I don't particularly care for the rules myself," he snorted, much to Maurus' amusement. "I will keep this family of yours secret, but you'll have to stop sneaking off to see them. The council will soon be upon you if you keep disappearing, especially Fiona."

"I plan on telling her when the time is right," Maurus smirked, huffing as he let go of the handle of his sword and let out a sigh.

"What do you plan on doing with the child –"

"I don't know!" Maurus growled in anger. "Can't I just be happy for once without thinking of the consequences –"

"Is something wrong?" Thomas asked, narrowing his eyes once he noticed the new man in the room.

"It's alright Thomas," Maurus sighed. "Just arguing, that's all."

"… Alright. Ellen, are you okay –"

"I'm fine now," she smiled weakly, sitting up in the bed and letting out cough, "but we should wrap this up Maurus. The baby will be hungry soon and I don't like having this man hovering around here."

"My apologizes madam," Undertaker bowed to her, Ellen giving him a smile.

"Don't worry about it," she giggled, "but while you're here would you like to see her?"

Undertaker glanced over at Maurus and he gave the man a nod, the shinigami hustling over and looking over the woman's shoulder. He seemed hesitant, but Ellen simply smiled and gently grasped his hand. "What's her name?" Undertaker decided to ask.

"Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus," Maurus smiled, running a hand through the baby's hair as she opened her eyes and looked over at her father with interest, "after her grandmother."

"_Beautiful soul~_" Undertaker thought aloud, Maurus and Ellen looking at him confused, "_so pure_… _so old_… an exquisite child Maurus. Congratulatio –"

He paused, looking down as the baby's little hand reached up and grabbed his finger. His eyes widened, her little crystal blue eyes twinkling at him as she giggled happily at him and made _**'cooing'**_ sounds. "_Undertaker!_" Sophie was trying to say, but all she could do was coo at him.

He saw a small smile on her face, a grin that could rival even his own. "She likes you Undertaker," Ellen commented happily, Maurus chuckling as he nudged his friend in the arm. "Will you come back to see us? Even though I'm not exactly what you want –"

"My dear, I never meant for my comments to offend you," Undertaker tried to apologize, though his eyes continued to stare deep into the young baby's. He was drawn into her eyes, as if he could see something her parents obviously weren't, and that made Sophie's heart flutter. "Maurus," he turned to her father, "what do you think?"

"I don't mind," Maurus gave the Undertaker a slight smile, though he was hesitant, "but you must promise me that you'll keep my family safe from harm. You **have** to promise on everything you stand for that you will. I can't have anything happen to little Sophia… I just can't."

Maurus let out a shaky sigh once he was done, but Undertaker knew why he was being so protective. He cracked a grin, his finger never leaving the child's as he curled his glove around the tiny hand and gently rubbed the skin. "I promise on everything I stand for, as my role as a God of Death, that I will keep you and your family safe from all harm to the best degree I can. I will not let you down, I will not tell of your secrets. You have my word as a god and for all that I am here to do. You know my ways Serbus. I will not break my promises."

"I accept your offer," Maurus smirked, the small hand pulling Undertaker's hand down as they looked over at the baby and she began to suck on his finger. "_Awwww~_ such a charmer, aren't you?" he chuckled lightly, but looked over at the Undertaker wondering what he'd do.

Undertaker simply stared, unsure of what he should do as the baby stared at him through wide, critical eyes. "It's about time you two gentlemen take your leave," a voice came from the door, the shinigamis looking over to see Thomas standing at the door glaring at them with his weapon by his side. "Maurus you can come back as always, but if this Undertaker plans on coming he must accompany you."

"You don't have to threaten me human," Undertaker talked back, his voice as threatening as Thomas', "I mean you no harm."

"Yes," Maurus sighed, ignoring the tension in the air, "I should get back to the office. Who knows what I'm in trouble for now?"

"When should I expect you?" Ellen asked, the baby in her arms beginning to whimper as Undertaker pulled his hand away and shifted away from the bed.

"A few more days," Maurus explained. "I won't take long. I'm sorry for leaving you so suddenly, but I can't have anyone else know that I'm with you –"

"Don't worry about it Maurus," Ellen cracked a smile, "I have lived without you before and I can do so again."

"Yes," Maurus huffed, "but the last time I left you our first child died due to complications. That could have killed you Elle… I won't let that happen again."

"Σ 'αγαπώ," Ellen simply said, giving the man a kiss before looking over at the Undertaker with a smile. "Take care Undertaker."

"Keep your soul safe," he answered back with a nod, Undertaker walking over to the door and grabbing his scythe from the wall. "Come Dark Centurion, we have much to discuss," the shinigami told Maurus, walking out the door and disappearing down the hallway.

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: And… yeah… little Sophia is revisiting old memories it seems XD Perhaps the voices are replaying her cinematic record to her? _I don't know~~_, but either way this is getting complicated, even for myself XD Oh well. I think the story is pretty cool. Just have to finish this up =D And if you want to say anything, don't be afraid to ask! Sorry if I've been slow with my comments. I tend to get side tracked a lot ^^' well… SEE YOU LATER! =D **

_Σ 'αγαπώ_ – Greek – _I love you_

Tiqvah – Hebrew – hope


	88. The Realization

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm _soooooo~_ sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while, but I got writer's block. Not this chapter, but one for later. I couldn't think of anything to write… and I needed a break. Well now I'm back! Woot! Also how has your Thanksgiving break been? I know mine was great! Sad it's almost over and I have to get back to school though… darn finals DX Anyways I hope you guys enjoy this next chapter. Once again I'm sorry for not posting anything in a while, but I got tired and couldn't think of anything. Still have that problem actually, but I decided to persevere and get through it. So here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**Also I got a couple of responses from a Guest. I don't know if they're the same person, but I'm guessing they are. So:**

**Guest::Chap 11 – thank you! I'm glad you like how Grell is! =D he's always my favorite, next to Undertaker, of course ;3**

**Guest::Chap 87 – really? Do you have a deviantart account? If so you can communicate with me there! (even though I don't check those messages enough X'O) ummm… thank you for asking me about that. I actually haven't gotten around to making concrete designs, but I do have sketches! Just never posted them… if you want to make pics of my ocs still talk to me on deviantart (or here. I noticed you don't have an account so it'd be harder talking on my chapters like this ^^') Tell me first that you will and message me there. I have a link on my account page to my deviantart account ^^**

**And there we go! That's it! Now you can read on and enjoy, if you haven't skipped all this yet XD **

! #$%^&*()

Naum gasped, watching as the marking on Sophie's hand vanished while she too vanished into the bright light. Then he heard a low hiss behind him, Naum turning around fearful and staring at her moving body. Now the spirit that lie within her soul took over, her left hand glowing with only thorns wrapped around as the marking on her left hand. A dark glow radiated from her body, but Naum stood emotionless and still waiting for what was to come. "She… _**named**__ me~_" the voice snarled, Naum's eyes widening at that sudden realization. "Serbus… why have you forsaken me?" Her body looked up, her yellow eyes radiating a dark yellow and green glow, slowly turning orange as the voice sneered at him. "You let this happen!" Sophie's body screeched at him, "You sorry excuse for a servant! You let this happen!"

He watched as her body wrapped her hands around her waist, an eerie laugh coming from her mouth. "It was to happen and you knew it," Naum simply told the voice, "now go back to once you came –"

"Oh no, that's not possible now," the voice hissed, Naum narrowing his eyes at the creature. "She named me. I am her hope, her Tiqvah. Once I'm named I can't return, I am here to stay and she knew this," the spirit laughed, causing Naum to take a cautious step backward.

"Then what –"

"Tiqvah, why Tiqvah? Why Tiqvah!?" Her body yelled, her laughter causing her hands to hold her sides trying to keep her body from collapsing to the ground. "She wants me to get here! _She wants me to find~ her_," the voice hissed, "and you **won't** get in _my~ way_."

Naum watched as her body took off, a haze of black smog descending upon him as he stared at the creature disappearing into the woods. "Naum what happened –" Xaskesiel paused, noticing the calm and stoic demeanor on the boy's face. "_Kaoboros~_" he hissed in anger, "what did you **do**?"

"Her hateful self will disappear and her soul will be liberated from the dark spirit," Naum simply told him, his eyes still upon the direction that Sophie's body had disappeared into. "It was foretold years ago before I was born that this would happen. It is to be for Sophia and me that we are freed from our evil. It is the way of the world."

"_**Kaoboros~**_ –"

"Don't question me," Naum huffed, looking over at Xaskesiel with a glare, "Reha already knows its coming. We have nothing to fear."

"How could you –"

"And once it's gone I will bring Serbus back in one piece," Naum continued, "and her soul shall be freed from the evils of this world. Her freedom is a small price to pay for the salvation she will receive –"

"This is the craziest piece of whale snot I've ever heard of! You can't turn her into one of you! –"

"It is not up to me, but of the voices –"

"Perhaps you're still being manipulated by them," Xaskesiel snarled in hate, grabbing Naum by his shirt and growling in his face. "The Naum I had known wouldn't let this befall onto anyone."

"The Naum you knew disappeared when I was ripped apart by the dagger's powers and placed back into this dimension," he snorted, "and there's no retrieving him now." Looking down at the death scythe Sophie left behind he picked it up, his gloves curling around the handle as he handed the weapon over to Xaskesiel. "Bring this to that Fiona character. I need to see what happens to her body." Xaskesiel let out a low, annoyed hiss as Naum jumped into the treetops, leaving him behind in the realm as he huffed and turned towards the large white buildings.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Sophie grumbled under her breath, bored with only seeing the world through the eyes of a young child. It was an odd sensation, seeing her life passing by her for the second time. She was recalling details to her childhood that she had neglected, like how much she had grown to love the Undertaker when she was younger. Sure, she never truly knew his name nor saw his face fully, but the little Sophia was always captivated by his demeanor, how he held himself, and his laugh. Oh how she loved his laugh, how he chuckled at her father's jokes while she peeked from afar before her father walked into the mortuary. Over time she was always excited for the man's arrival, and one day she had called him Uncle Taker. Sophie smirked to herself, Uncle Taker. It was a horrible combination of under and taker, but Sophie guessed that her little mind didn't process the actual name her father called him. After all, from what Sophie saw, she only heard the name once… and even then she barely remembered the name. Only his face, his clothing, and the presence he held before her.

The woman also noticed that the Undertaker was always arriving with her father, making sure he left and disappeared into the darkness of the night. Sophie knew where they were going, but the little girl didn't and always asked where her father went every other night. She wondered if her mother realized the white haired man showed up with her father, but even if she didn't little Sophia spent time out in the cemetery while her parents were together in the mortuary. That's when Sophie realized their old relationship, a bond of a child to her elder and an uncle to his niece. That's what he called her after all, his little niece. Sophie wondered why he started calling her his little maiden, how he had come up with the name. She knows he was the only one who he called little maiden, so where did that name originate? He certainly wasn't calling her one now so why does she only remember little maiden and not little niece? Sophie sighed, running a hand through her hair as she looked out through the eyes of a child. These memories brought back such warmth in her heart and honestly Sophie never wanted to go back. Back to that horrid life where she was lonely, where her parents were killed and she had to stay alive. Sophie didn't want to go back, she didn't want to see them die while she was stuck in the world of the living, but she knew in the back of her mind that soon their deaths will come and she would be alone. Everything was coming into full circle, and whoever was behind these memories they would soon pay by her cold hearted wrath –

"Elle, Sophia… where are my pulchrae puellae –"

"Papa, here!" The child exclaimed, Sophie running up to her father and giggled as he grabbed her into a tight hug. "Mommy sleep –"

"Nuh-uh," her father shook his head, "In Latin please."

"U-ummm… M-matrem quam ir-ent cubitum quod Thomas et illa labora-bant tota die," Sophie grinned happily, but then continued to speak before her father could put her down. "Num-mquid mihi quid, tibi?"

"Actually I did," Maurus smirked, placing the girl down before running a hand through his hair, "but first there's a being you'll have to see first –"

"Uncle Taker's here?!" Sophie jumped up excitedly, running past the man before he could utter another word. He chuckled lightly, knowing exactly where his child was running off to and deciding it would be best to see his young wife first.

Little Sophia ran out the back door and looked around for the man, but pouted when she couldn't find him. She walked up the road to the top of the hill, leaning against a large tree as she let out a tired sigh. "U-ncle? Taker, are you here –"

"As I continue to tell you it's _**Undertaker~**_" a voice came from the other side of the tree, Sophie giggling as she peeked her head around only to find that no one was there.

"Taker I know you're there!" Sophie giggled, hearing a faint chuckle from far away. Narrowing her eyes the young girl took off into the forest, knowing the man was hiding from her. Making sure her steps were as silent as a mouse she tiptoed around the trees until she came upon a clearing, a smirk coming to her face when she noticed that the being was standing in the middle of the field looking up at the sky. She shuffled onto a rock before yelling out a cry and latching onto his waist. "Got you!" the girl giggled, her laughter increasing when the man grabbed her by the waist and threw her up into the air. "Taker, no!" she laughed as she landed in his arms, the man giggling under his breath as he assaulted her most ticklish spots with his fingers.

"_Seems I got you~, my little niece~~_" he chuckled triumphantly; the girl letting out pleas in between her giggles till he suddenly stopped and she looked up at him confused. Undertaker smirked, the girl giggling back as he let out a tired sigh and slumped to the ground with the child in his arms. Sophie sat contently on his lap as he looked back up to the sky, a look of desperation on his face until he looked down at her through his glasses. "Did your father already tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Sophie asked, the Undertaker grinning as he securely wrapped his arms around her shoulders before continuing.

"Well it seems to me child that your father will be retiring soon," the man began, her bright crystal blue with a combination of shinigami green eyes staring up at him in shock until he snickered and wiggled her in his arms. "He wants to spend more time with his family, I hear. I hope that won't be a bother –"

"No bother at all!" Sophie gasped happily, "Better even! Papa can teach me how to fight now. He can teach me! I'm happy!"

"_Good~_" Undertaker chuckled, running a comforting hand through her hair, "but you know I won't be able to come with you –"

"W-what? Why not?!" She looked at him confused, trying to study him behind his large glasses as he gave her a crooked smile.

"I still have work to do –"

"W-hat work?" the girl asked, tilting her head to the side and gave him a pout. "Why won't anyone tell me? I can keep secrets, I swear!"

"I bet you can," he chuckled lightly, "but it's not a matter of keeping secrets. Your father simply wants to keep you away from our world."

"… Why?" she asked again, the man sighing as he set on of his hands on the ground and slumped to his side.

"How's the best way I can say this?" Undertaker thought aloud, contemplating as he looked out blindly at the forest before staring at the young girl with a grin on his face. "Let's see… have you ever noticed strange occurrences that tend to reveal themselves in your world every once in a while –"

"Yes!" Sophie exclaimed excitedly. "Mommy told me there are like… **two** worlds. One is the human world Mommy, Thomas, and I live in and Papa and you live in a supernatural world. We can't go to your world, but you can come to us… Oh! A-and I can go through if you let me! Can you?! _Pretty please~~?!_"

"Maybe one day," Undertaker smirked, "but only if your father wants you to. That's a matter for him to decide, but what were we talking about –"

"Why won't Papa bring me to your world?" the girl remarked, a chuckle escaping Undertaker's once he remembered what he had intending to say.

"Because… let me think…" Sophie pouted, noticing the Undertaker was stalling. "Hmmm… Right! Our world, you wouldn't like it. There are ghastly beings called shinigamis that act boring and snotty to you. They can turn your heart cold and your movements automatic. Very horrible. You wouldn't like it there, especially a young, youthful soul like yourself –"

"But if I'm with Papa and you I'll be happy," the girl smiled gleefully, causing the Undertaker to give her a smirk. Then he eyed her strangely as she shuffled on his lap so she was facing him, the man eying her suspiciously as she ran her fingers over his cheek and gave him a grin. Her eyes searched him as if she was looking for something, rubbing the same unblemished cheek repeatedly before brushing some of his stray hair away from his glasses and giggled happily. "… Uncle Taker?" she suddenly began.

"What is it child?" Undertaker watched her movements, the girl letting out a sigh as she stared at him through critical, blue and green eyes. They weren't shinigami eyes with a double-iris, that's for sure, but still her eyes could be considered strange for a regular human. Of course she wasn't regular, but he could tell by her aura she was clearly human.

Little Sophia seemed to have doubt in her eyes, unsure if she should reveal her new information to the strange man or keep her comments to herself. "Ummm… uncle… I know I'm not normal… but t-there's something that is troubling me."

"What is it?" he repeated himself, wishing the child would just get to the point. Yet Undertaker could tell she was being hesitant, which made the man smirk. Sometimes this child didn't act like a normal child, knowing when to speak and not to speak. Her father always says she was taught manners by her mother, but Undertaker knew better. There was something inside of her that was stronger then what her father had, a reused soul that was lurking in her eyes staring back at him with critical eyes.

Sophie sighed, placing her head on the man's shoulder and clutching his clothes tightly. "I… something strange happens all the time, b-ut I don't tell Mommy or Papa."

"And why do you think your secret would be safer with me –"

"Papa doesn't tell me everything," she pouted and raised her head, glaring at him though saddened eyes, "and Mommy doesn't know everything. And Thomas… he means well, but he'll just be scared of me. I don't want more people scared of me."

"Well I'm all ears, _little niece of mine~_" Undertaker smirked, gently kissing the girl's forehead before she continued.

"… My eyes always turn color," Sophie pointed to her eye, the man raising an eyebrow as she continued, "and they get this… weird… double iris thing, like Papa has. Ummm… when I'm happy… the green color in my eyes disappear… b-but when I'm angry the blue disappears… and… well… when I'm really working… when I'm trying to accomplish something and use all my energy… a strange yellow glow come out of my eyes." The girl frowned that the man was wearing glasses because she couldn't see what he was thinking, so she sighed and scratched the back of her head, the silence annoying her. "Uhmmmm… am I odd? –"

"My child," he began to chuckle loudly, causing Sophie's eyes to widen in shock, "never in my life have I heard of a child gaining strong powers so early in their development! A great discovery!" Undertkaer laughed happily, the girl letting out a startled squeak as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. Sophie began to laugh along gleefully with the elder man, glad that the shinigami was excited as they tumbled into the grass and they both giggled excitedly. Slowly the man's laughter ceased, the child in his arms staring at him with keen interest wondering what he was going to do.

She shuddered in horror as he took off his glasses, placing them into his coat before he looked down at her. Sophie yelped and covered his face, refusing to stare at his eyes. "No Taker! I-I shouldn't look –"

"_Calm down~_" he whispered, his hands grabbing hold of her own and gently setting them down. "I want you to," Undertaker told her, Sophie whimpering as she opened her eyes and they widened in shock at what she saw. Bright shinigami green double iris eyes stared back at her, yellow glints in his eyes causing her eyes to soften and slowly become entranced into his gaze. As he gently touched her cheek Sophie blinked in confusion, quickly looking away as she felt her cheeks turning red. "My eyes aren't how they used to be," Undertaker chuckled, grabbing her chin so she was looking back up at his face. "Over the years, after using my powers continuously, my eyes are permanently stained with this yellow color. Yet when I was young I can change the color of my eyes as you have described… but not as easily."

"I-I see," Sophie chuckled nervously, but her eyes tried to turn away from him as she looked past his head. Still she felt drawn to looking back at him, but the inside of her heart was telling her not to.

He saw the girl's hesitation and sighed, letting go of the child and sitting back on his knees. He took out his glasses to put back on, but Sophie quickly stopped him, causing a grin to show up on his lips as he placed them back into his coat. "Now my dear," he smirked at her, Sophie standing to her feet once she didn't feel entranced by his gaze, "does this come easily to you?"

"Yes actually," Sophie giggled, grabbing his hands and trying to pull him to his feet, "and there's more I'd like to show you!"

"Show?" Undertaker raised an eyebrow, Sophie nodding as he stood up and she began to pull him into the trees.

"Show. If you like my words you'll like what I can do," she grinned happily, the Undertaker smirking back as she pulled him into the woods and headed farther away from the mortuary into the forest beyond.

)(*&^%$# !

! #$%^&*()

"_Tiqvah~ Tiqvah~_" the creature chuckled lightly, trapped within Sophie's body for the time being as it jumped through the trees towards the human realm, "_why __**Tiqvah~**_ of all names?..." Landing on a branch she watched her prey from afar, analyzing her plans before she attacked from above. "… A desperate cry for help, calling me a creature of **hope**. Begging for me to come rescue her, I can tell by her _eyes~_… Blue… so pure… How could I taint such a pure soul with my presence?... Her soul yearns for me, I can feel it. Sophia Serbus calls for me from beyond the grave, in a dimension leagues away from our own seeking help. She wants me to come, but also wants to repel me away. As if she is being shown a place where she can be happy or images she thinks are true…" Snarling it jumped down, rubbing her hand where the thorns glowed with intensity. "But…" she growled, "her soul is _**mine~**_ to possess, **mine** to corrupt. Her body is mine; her soul is mine… but… I do not own her. Sophia owns herself; she owns her freedom… _for now~_"

Reha suddenly looked up from what she was doing and saw Sophie staring at her through glowing yellow and green eyes. "Oh Sophie there you are!" she giggled lightly, not yet noticing the smirk growing on the woman's face. "I was wondering where Naum went – … Sophie? –"

"Hand over the dagger human, and no one will get hurt," the creature hissed, holding out her hand and glaring into the woman's eyes.

Reha quickly stood to her feet and began to back away, narrowing her eyes as she pulled a knife from her side as a way to defend herself. "Sophie what's going on? Are you okay!?" She shuddered in fear, slowly backing away down the road towards the mortuary where Reha knew the Undertaker was. "L-look, snap out of it. You don't need to listen to the voices! –"

"She vanished," the spirit within Sophie's body responded, Reha pausing and staring at her confused.

"Wha –"

"Sophia Maurus Ioreta Serbus, the host I am using for this moment in time, has vanished from me. Now if you don't give me that dagger _**now~**_ I'll make your life a living _hell~~_" the spirit sneered, reaching out a hand aiming for Reha's pocket. The spirit could hear the dagger radiating power from Reha, though the human wouldn't be able to notice. It was the only way to get the soul back, or at least spare Sophie's soul and use its soul instead. The spirit narrowed its eyes, getting tired of waiting. "Give it!" it cried out, jumping upon Reha as she let out a yell and aimed for Sophie's chest.

Then Sophia's body was thrown back, Reha blinking in confusion only to look up in shock at the man who stood in front of her. "Perhaps you should hand over the dagger before the creature takes it from you with _force~_" the being chuckled, the woman pouting and standing to her feet.

"But Undertaker, you don't understand –"

"I understand plenty," he continued, his voice much lower and sinister then it was a second ago, "and you almost killed my little maiden. Remember this; the voices only wanted Sophie's soul, her humanity. Why leave her body and the creature that inhabits it in this world? They want to change her, devour her, and bring her into their essence. If this creature wishes to risk its own soul to save my Sophia, then so be it. Let the creature destroy itself. They want it anyways, not Sophia."

"… But that –"

"You should listen," Sophie's body growled at them, "or else I'll even go through this powerful creature if it means I get that dagger. The soul is mine, **mine**! –"

"No she is **mine**," Undertaker smirked triumphantly, the spirit narrowing its eyes at him, "_**mine~**_ alone. Think of your existence within her a courtesy from Death for without him you wouldn't even be here."

"I _know~_ that," the spirit huffed, "but I live within her… You are right, she's yours, but her soul is also **mine**. Once she hands over her responsibilities to another I will leave her alone, but for the time being she is my responsibility as much as I am hers. Now _**give me the dagger~**_"

Reha gulped, noticing the anger glowing in Sophie's eyes. She knew the consequences if she handed over the dagger, but the spirit didn't seem to understand what would happen. "But… if you disappear into the dagger and Sophie refuses you, you'll be lost –"

"That's a risk I will take in order to bring her back," the spirit snorted. "Your mate had done that to my counterpart, correct? That changes the soul if they leave a piece of themselves behind… but you must understand human that without Sophia's soul I am a broken spirit. My soul isn't complete without her own, so don't tell me what I can't do. I know what I **can** do, and that's bringing the woman back."

Reha sighed, frowning from the creature's reaction to her statement. "Then… don't say I didn't warn you," she huffed, narrowing her eyes as she reached behind her back and pulled out the Dagger of Death. Sophie's body stared at the dagger with interest as Undertaker looked over and narrowed his eyes behind his flowing locks, a sudden surge of fury overcoming him at the thought that a simple item could cause such harm. "Here," the woman said simply, walking past the Undertaker and setting the dagger down on the ground before Sophie.

The spirit looked down and waited for Reha to retreat behind the safety of the Undertaker before advancing forward, unwrapping the cloth around the dagger and staring at the intense glow that came from it. Reha stood amazed that the dagger wasn't trying to engulf the creature or rip apart her soul. It was as if this creature had come into contact with the power before, or perhaps it was much more complicated than that. "What do you expect to do?" the Undertaker asked, Sophie's body giving him a smirk before chuckling and gripping the dagger by the blade, blood trickling down the arm as the symbol on the left hand began to glow intensely.

"Get your precious little maiden back," the spirit chuckled darkly, holding the dagger up close to its glowing yellow/green eye as a white light began to surround Sophie's body, "because she _named~ _me."

"She did now?" Undertaker chuckled lightly, causing Reha to step back in confusion, "And what name would that be, if I may ask? Since no one has been able to call you anything without angering you."

"Tiqvah," it began to laugh, its gaze glaring at the Undertaker and seeing past his bangs to his angry glowing shinigami green and yellow eyes, "my host called me **hope** of all things! Hope!" The spirit laughed, "Hope! Hope! Hop –"

Reha yelped in shock as Undertaker stood still and shielded the woman for what was to come, Sophie's body disappearing from them and streaming into the light of the dagger. Then all at once the white light vanished and the dagger fell with a _**'thud'**_, hitting the ground and laying innocently until Reha walked over cautiously to wrap the cloth back around it and pick it up slowly and calmly. "… What are you going to do _now~_ Kaoboros," a soft growl coming from Undertaker's lips, though he didn't show his frustration in his features and only by his voice, "what should I expect from you?"

"I will find the dagger within your world," Naum said simply and jumped down from his hiding spot, walking over to them as Reha glared and continued to hide behind Undertaker's back, "and see to it that Sophie comes back to this world, complete or not."

"How could you leave a piece of yourself in that place?" Reha sneered, until Undertaker put up a hand to silence the girl and keep her away from the other being.

"I don't have to feel the anger and frustration anymore. I'm free from the voice inside of my head," Naum said simply, turning his back on them and beginning to walk away. "And… please continue to watch Reha for me. I still have some matters to attend to."

"Only if you bring my Sophia back," Undertaker answered back, his voice monotone, but carried a large weight that caused Naum to pause.

"I will," he answered simply, looking over at the man and giving him a nod, "you have my word as a Goddess of Light that I will bring her back before her soul infuses into their own. Now if you excuse me…" Reha and Undertaker watched as Naum left, his silver steel eyes glowing with determination as he disappeared back into the woods.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Undertaker watched as the girl stopped, keeping close to her in case she did something rash. They stopped at the top of a rocky waterfall, little Sophia standing at the top of the rocks looking over the waterfall and then out at the sky. Before the girl could take any more movements he grabbed her hand and pulled her away, a giggle escaping her throat at his sudden fear for her safety. "Here," Sophie began, pulling Undertaker onto the rocks and up onto the top of the waterfall, "where I realized what I can do. Isn't the view pretty?"

Smirking at the giggle that escaped the girl's throat the man kept a firm hand clasped on the girl's much littler hand, making sure she didn't disappear over the waterfall. "Yes it is," Undertaker decided to comment, earning a grin from the girl.

"Not as good as the hill at the mortuary, but good enough," Sophie nodded to herself, wishing she could wiggle out of the man's grasp, but knew he was keeping a hold of her so nothing bad would happen to her. "Ummm… t-there is something I want to show you, but you will have to let go."

"You're not going to jump, are you?" Undertaker asked, eyeing the girl suspiciously until she snickered at him.

"No! That's bad! I just can't have you grabbing me," she grinned at him, the man sighing as he slowly let go of her hand as she turned her back on him. "I… I don't want Papa and Mommy to find out, okay? W-will you keep this a secret?"

"Depends on the secret child," the man told her, hearing the girl let out a shaky sigh as her hands went to either side of her body and she began to concentrate.

"O-okay," she nodded to herself, "h-ere it goes." Sophie closed her eyes, the Undertaker watching through the bangs that flapped over his eyes at what he saw. Slowly a stream of white light began to radiate from the young girl's body, as if a river of water was flowing around her. Once her body was completely glowing an astonishing thing began to happen, large white wings fanned out behind her back, the man stepping back startled before the feathers could reach his body. The girl's clothes vanished to be replaced with a white cloth that covered her body, held together with a silver and black rope that was tied around her side. The girl's hair flowed freely behind her, as if the wind was playing around with her auburn hair as it intertwined with the white feathers that fluttered behind her. Then the girl opened her eyes, turning her body so she was facing him. He stared down at her bright crystal blue eyes, as blue as they had been the first moment he had seen her, stared up at him with sadness and worry, noticing the startled look on his face as she frowned at him. "You… you're scared –"

"No," he chuckled lightly, walking over to her and gently grabbing her hands, "only startled. I never would have thought you would produce white wings because your father is certainly not a descendent of an angel –"

Undertaker paused, noticing a mark glowing on the little girl's hands. On her left hand was an image of a skull head with thorns intertwined in and well between the skull, the man staring in complete shock as his face suddenly went pale. Sophie blinked confused, wondering what the man was staring at. "U-uncle Taker? Is something wrong –"

"Your insignia," the man thought aloud, looking at the child and then back at her hands. Then a grin appeared on his face, a wide, creepy grin that caused Sophie to shudder back in fright. "No it's alright," he chuckled, pulling the girl back towards him and gently kissing her hands. He crouched down slightly so they were seeing almost eye to eye, Sophie letting out a shudder as her eyes quickly began transfixed into his own. "You're… so amazing Sophia. Why haven't you shown your parents this?"

"P-papa doesn't have this and Mommy certainly doesn't," Sophie chuckled nervously, "s-so why tell them –"

"Then why only me?" Undertaker asked with sincerity as well as curiosity in his voice. "Out of anyone you can talk to why must it be a shinigami like myself –"

"You listen! You don't jump to conclusions! I-I like that," the girl smirked, taking a step closer to the man before grasping his clothes and hugging his legs. "And… I feel drawn to you…" she mumbled under her breath, though loud enough to hear the man.

The Undertaker smirked as he wrapped one hand around the girl's waist to pull her closer to him while the other ran through her short, white feathers, causing Sophie to shudder and close her eyes while she gripped him tighter and buried her head in his clothes. "Understandable," he chuckled to himself, Sophie trying to hold back murmurs as the man brushed through her sensitive wings; "I usually have that effect on beings. After all I have brought even the best of spirits to their knees as they willingly looked into my eyes and handed me their still beating souls. Yet… this is one of the first times in my life that I feel drawn to another spirit as equal as myself."

"R-really?" Sophie questioned him, keeping her face close to him as he felt a shiver moving through her wings and throughout her body. "Ummmm… w-who is that?"

"You, little maiden," the man chuckled, gently pulling the child away from him as he crouched down and knelt on one knee so he could see into her eyes. "It was about time that I found you," he smiled sincerely, running a gentle hand through her hair as she closed her eyes to memorize his touch on her face, "and I was starting to get restless myself!" He snickered lightly.

Sophie looked down at his hands, holding one of them with both of her hands and holding it on her cheek. He stared at her confused, wondering what the girl would say as she shook her head and sniffled to herself, trying to hold back any tears that may fall down her eyes. "I-I don't understand… w-hat you mean… Undertaker," she mumbled his name quietly, as soft as a mouse as she blinked and a tear fell down her face. "You-r s-scaring me… I'm a-fraid," Sophie sniffled, more tears falling down her face as the man looked at her with worried eyes and tried to wipe her tears away with his fingers.

"You shouldn't be," he chuckled. "You shouldn't be afraid of me. I'm not afraid of you, you see, and surely you can build up some courage to see me the same way I see you."

"I-I don't understand…" Sophie shook her head; Undertaker letting out a sigh as he gently grabbed her head and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

She stared up at him confused and he looked down at her with a grin, a chuckle escaping his throat as he kissed her again. "You don't have to," he whispered into her ear, "not yet, _at least~_. Just… promise me one thing."

"W-what?" Sophie asked, staring into his eyes as they sparkled intently into her own, as if he was studying her as much as she was studying him.

Undertaker gently placed a hand upon her chest, right were her heart was as he pulled her close so his lips were right up against her ear. "Keep your body and your soul _pure~_ just for me. Grow up to relieve your father of his torment so you can join us on the other side where you will be greatly loved. Keep yourself safe… Continue to love me," he mumbled into her ear, Sophie's eyes widening as a shudder moved through her ear and all over her body. Then he chuckled and snapped the girl out of her thoughts, kissing her cheek and then her forehead before standing up and letting his words sink into the girl's head. "Nunc adveho per," he told her, Sophie looking up at his intimidating demeanor and giving him a gentle smile, "Vestri parentes erunt solliciti pro vobis."

"S-sic," Sophie nodded, grasping his hand as he pulled her away from the waterfall and they disappeared into the woods to venture back to the city of London.

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: Wow! Sophie's stuck in a different world and now that soul that was within her is too? Interesting, no? It seems the voices got what they wanted, but what they are is still a mystery. And if you don't understand what's going on you can ask me. I'll try to explain to the best of my abilities, even though I may not create the best answer. How the whole Sophie inside little Sophia is working is that she's trapped in that body. She is seeing everything that happened in her life through the eyes of a child. Will that change? Who knows. I don't even know XD (just kidding). Okay I think that's it now. Sorry for updating late, but at least I did! And of course SEE YOU NEXT TIME! =D **

_pulchrae puellae_ – Latin – _beautiful girls_

_Matrem quam irent cubitum quod Thomas et illa laborabant tota die. Numquid mihi quid, tibi?_ – Latin – _Mother went to bed because Thomas and she were working all day. Did you bring me anything, did you?_

_Nunc adveho per. Vestri parentes erunt solliciti pro vobis._ – Latin – _Now come along. Your parents will worry for you._

_sic_ – Latin – _yes_


	89. The Forbidden Love

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for not posting a chapter in a while. Because of the break my mind wandered to other stories, but I don't know. I was reading this novel and I've been coming down from its high still (it was a great ending and I wished there was more to the story DX) but I felt the need to read over another chapter. Maybe I'll start writing this story again, maybe I won't, but we'll just see. Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed your break. I know I am! =D And still have another week or two, but that's not very long, now that I think about it DX Well whatever. I'd love to talk to my readers… whoever may still be out there. And once I'm done with this section of the story I'll be creating a new story to follow, a part 2 if you will. Don't worry, I'll post a final chapter here as well as posting the next chapter in the other story so you can add that to your viewing pleasure. Anyways I hope you guys are enjoying yourselves and I'll see you at the end! =3**

! #$%^&*()

As the child walked hand in hand with the older shinigami Sophie's mind began to wander, wondering what had transpired as she took a few steps back to ponder the situation. "Did… what did Undertaker mean?" she asked herself, looking away from the child's eyes and towards the back of her mind. "Why… why was he interested in my marking?" she continued, sighing as she shook her head and mumbled under her breath. "I can't even tell if any of this is true. I can't! What if everything I'm seeing is a lie? What if that conversation was made up by the voices? I can't even tell anymore… if I should believe the Undertaker's words… or my own… or anything… anymore…"

"_Master are you there~?_"

Sophie's head lifted up, hearing a voice in the darkness as she looked around trying to find the source. "T-tiqvah?" she asked in the darkness, hoping to find the spirit descend upon her, but saw nothing coming to her. "Huh… an illusion –"

"_No illusion_," the voice murmured. "_Only far away~_"

"Where are you?!" Sophie called out, waiting for the voice to respond back from the shadows.

"_Lost~_" the spirit told her, Sophie frowning at the response before the voice continued. "_You are trapped, are you not?_"

"Y-yes," Sophie sighed, "and I'm seeing memories… I think."

"_Those are memories_," the voice commented, Sophie feeling the creature nod as it continued, "_but… they are warped~_"

"By the voices? –"

"_The voices~ have nothing to do with this_," the spirit told her. "_No~~… nothing… they are searching~ your memories in order to change your future_."

"Future?" Sophie asked.

"_I… am regaining my knowledge… my identity at an alarming rate_," the spirit tried to explain, causing Sophie to frown. "_I know~ what this creature is_."

"What?" she asked, wishing the spirit would get to the point.

"_A collection of souls~ that have left the living. A combination of various spirits that have left the world and shall never again become linked to a body. They are souls of different sorts of creatures that have left existence, their origins existing before humans roamed the earth… before creatures and angels dwelled within the universe. These visions… they are memories~, memories you have forgotten because of Thomas_," the spirit told her, "_and of Undertaker… and of your father, whom have surpassed these memories so you cannot recall them again. The reasons why Thomas sealed your memories away was to keep you from crying about losing your father and Undertaker in your life… the reason why your father sealed your memories was to keep your thoughts away from the Undertaker… the reason why the Undertaker sealed your memories was to keep you away from himself… so you can grow to be a creature and being in your own right, not chained to others. What you currently see are your old memories, but because of the voices they have changed a point in history, your~ history. With that change the rest of the world will change, thus some of the memories you recall are different then of your own world. The longer you stay the deeper you will become part of this strange reality, where you will be unable to escape if you linger in this state_."

"… Why change a point in my history? What will that do?" Sophie asked, hearing the voice sigh as it tried to collect its thoughts.

"_To take you~_" the voice told her, causing Sophie to gulp. "_Direct connection to the dagger makes the process faster, but souls are always moving towards this light, even if they subconsciously do not know this. Why does man wish to better themselves and become good~? Why does a demon know they are doing bad? Why does an angel presume they are doing good? Because of this force… that gobbles you up… and swallows you whole_…" The spirit sighed, Sophie frowning as it continued. "_There will be a change in your history… and from that change will spring a new history of which you cannot control. This is their way of changing you, creating you anew even if your memory still lingers in the real, living world. As you are a complicated creature, you will die twice. Once will be your death as a human, second will be your death as the divine. If you cross the second threshold you will be forever~ gone… you will not return to your real world or the living and will be lost here for eternity_."

"Then… I must keep myself alive," Sophie understood, feeling that the spirit was giving her a nod.

"_Exactly~… I… cannot… stay with you… for much longer_…" she could hear the voice slowly disappearing from her mind, but Sophie continued to listen in hopes of finding a solution to this problem. "_But… realize… what is happening… to you… Even if you… love this world… you cannot stay… you cannot… stay… forever… I need you… Sophia… your soul… to complete… myself… here_…"

Sophie blinked, her head darting around trying to hear the voice, but all she heard was silence around her. Sighing she shook her head, wondering what the spirit meant by those words. So this all was linked to her memories; memories kept deep inside of her that even Sophie didn't fully know. She understood why Thomas and her father sealed her memories, but the Undertaker? Why? What did he wish to leave behind while she was human? Why did he seal memories away? She knew there were things missing from these memories. For example Undertaker didn't have the scars she was used to. Sophie knew he probably had scars, but the distinguishable scars on his neck and across his face weren't there. Because of her he got those scars perhaps? Or was her presence in the world the cause of them? It didn't make a lot of sense, but it was all Sophie could think about. Also were the people in general. Undertaker was astonished when he saw her marking, more astonished then he should have been. Why? Why were her markings important to him? Nowhere in her mind could she find a logical explanation for his actions. Sophie could vaguely recall a point in time that she showed him her powers, including her marking, but he wasn't this excited. No… that was strange… and Maurus was different too.

He did things Sophie wasn't expecting. He was stricter, meaner then what Sophie remembered. Also he felt constricted, as if he was chained down to a force from the shinigami world. Of course he was hesitant in bringing her to the realm, but before he would have been glad to. By now Sophie would have went at least twice, but here she never have and it troubled her. What else could be lies? Sophie couldn't tell, but perhaps she didn't need to. If the spirit was right she had to be quick on her toes. She had two deaths to live through and once she dies as a spirit everything is over. Sophie wanted to return, but yet she didn't. She wanted to see what would happen, but then again would she be able to escape before it was too late?

Sophie looked up, realizing they had gotten back to the mortuary. Undertaker pulled the girl by the hand before they walked into the building, smiling at her as he ran a hand through her hair. The trapped soul realized that the wings had disappeared; everything she had shown to the Undertaker was gone by the time they got back. When did that happen? Well she couldn't quite recall, but once the Undertaker held the door for her the little girl walked inside to find Thomas waiting for them with a shovel in his hand and a smaller shovel leaning against the wall. "Sophia," his voice sounded rough and stern, full of authority, and it caused the girl to look up and let go of the Undertaker's hand, "there are a few bodies that need burial and I'd like you to begin digging up the sites. I'll be with you shortly, but I must speak to this man here first."

Little Sophia looked up at Thomas' eyes, which held a sharp malice in them, and then at the Undertaker, who glared at him behind his bangs. "Ummmm… okay!" she giggled, trying to lighten the heavy mood that seemed to be settling around her. "Which plots?"

"The ones on the far side of the cemetery, close to the abandoned part of the lot," Thomas instructed.

"You know, I find it depressing that the dead over there aren't given better treatment," Sophie pouted, looking up at Thomas. "I mean, shouldn't we maintain the plots over there as well as over here –"

"If the living relatives stop paying for its upkeep then there's nothing I can do," Thomas answered simply. "Now go. You're stalling again."

"_Oh~?_" Sophie smirked slyly, knowing exactly what she was doing as she grabbed the small shovel and scurried past the Undertaker. "Bye Uncle Taker! Come back soon!"

"I shall!" Undertaker called to her with a chuckle, the girl disappearing behind the door and running behind the building. Sophie stopped, gently setting the shovel down as to not make a sound and made her way back to the door, wondering why Thomas wanted to talk to the Undertaker alone. She could tell it was something serious, probably concerning herself or her family. Either way she was determined to find out what was going on and decided to sneak back into the building, knowing how to do so by finding a hidden door on the outside of the house, hidden by a hill and the landscape, that sloped behind the house until she came to an old, wooden door. The door was always locked, but Sophie knew how to unlock the door without a key and a piece of wire from nearby, tying a piece of cloth around her nose and mouth so she wouldn't breathe in the fumes.

Once she was inside she couldn't help but gag even with the precisions; the reek smell of fresh death escaping out the door and stinging her eyes. If the locals thought the top of the house reeked of death they never came down here were they prepared the bodies! This was where Thomas preformed the necessary preparations for the dead, only bringing Sophie down whenever he had too many bodies that it overwhelmed him. Her mother never ventured down there and Thomas only wanted Sophie to come down if he needed her, but this was the only part of the building where he had privacy. Ever since Sophie and her mother showed up the man gave them his room and practically his whole house. The only place where he could think with his thoughts was when he was preparing the bodies, knowing even little Sophia didn't want to venture underground and reek of the smell of the dead. Even so this was also a training facility. There was enough room for such a thing, the extra level much older and larger than the house she lived in above.

How the level was arranged was simple. In the front was where all the bodies where, which Sophie avoided and scurried around to the place behind a curtain. Behind the curtain was a desk, where all the tools laid and any other sorts of devices Thomas needed. The rest of the place was dedicated to a training facility, where the man would have Sophie go into to train her with various weapons and tools of his former trade. Sophie never really knew who he was, only knowing he must have been some soldier or warrior at one time. Then she came upon a solid bricked wall that was set in the corner, an ancient stone door locked off from the outside. Once again Sophie knew how to pry open the door, hearing a loud _**'click'**_ and stepping inside. Quickly she shut the door, the room around her completely dark as she made sure the door was locked behind her before finding a light. This was Thomas' private sanctuary, where he could go by himself to get away from everything. Sophie assumed this lower level was where the old mortuary was, where the family who tended the dead and the cemetery used to live. Unless you lived here on a daily basis and had seen the blue prints of the building you would notice that the plot extended underground. It had to be older then the top. It was the only thing that made sense.

Either way that information was unimportant to Sophie. What she wanted to do was get back to the top level so she could listen to their conversation. She probably missed the most important parts. She'd have to be quick. Finding a candle she quickly lit it, looking around as she found the stairs. It was a small room, big enough for a bed and several other items. They were mainly items she assumed came from the orient, completely foreign to their expensive value. There were swords and other weapons on display, rugs and clothing laid out that she had never seen in her life, and a table dedicated to some god she had never heard about. Her mother made it strictly clear she is Anglican, though Sophie was always curious when it came to other religions. Still she never questioned what her elders had to say. After all she truly didn't care. What she cared about was the dead and to make sure they went off in the most glorious way possible.

She blew out the candle and set it back down where she found it, climbing up the stairs completely in the dark till she came to the wooden trap door above. Sophie knew this trap door was in the living room stashed in the corner, behind a desk Thomas used to fill out paperwork. Luckily she didn't have to find a way out, hearing Thomas and Undertaker talking, more like arguing, above her in the room. Her mother and father also seemed to be in the room, though Sophie couldn't quite tell since the trap door muffled their words. "What I need to understand is why you insist on tainting my apprentice with stories," Thomas snarled, Sophie biting down her lip as if she could feel Undertaker's frustration from above.

"They aren't stories –"

"She needs to live her life like a human, not a… shinigami or whatever you call yourself. Grim reaper! That's it! Aren't I right Elle?" Thomas asked, looking over at her parents as they stood together on the other side of the room listening to the conversation.

"Well… you see –"

"Sophia is a shinigami in her own right," Undertaker huffed, "and if you paid attention you would see this. What? You try to hide her away from what she already knows? She lives in a mortuary of all places, where the dead are laid to rest. She must learn what it entails to be a shinigami, right Maurus?"

"I… she is only a child Undertaker. She's less than a babe in our world and you know that," Maurus sighed, Ellen clutching to his arm before letting go.

"It's… about time she does," Ellen commented, the three men looking over at her as she began. "I know her Maurus, and you know of my family and where we've come from. I told you… Sophia's more supernatural then human… but I don't want to let her go."

"We're not saying you have to," Undertaker told her calmly and attentive authority that caused the little girl to shudder with delight. "Only that we expose the child to our world. Even if it's only a day it will be enough for her to know what she truly is. We can show her various other creatures and who will like her company. There is a right and wrong in our realm as there is here. She needs to know before she dies so she understands us."

"I… can allow that," Ellen sighed, "but Thomas and I have been discussing about Sophia while you two have been gone. We don't quite know what is going on, but I figured it would be best to ask a… legendary you called yourself?"

"That's correct," Maurus smirked, Undertaker nodding at the comment as she let out a shaky sigh.

"… Strange occurrences have happened –"

"Really?" Maurus questioned her. "What sorts?"

"Well there's the incident with these adolescents that came by the graveyard one night," Thomas explained. "I heard the next day that they saw a small child in a white outfit and she was drawing them into her embrace. Apparently they were so terrified by the creature that they ran off and cried to their parents about it, saying the graveyard is haunted."

"Plus there have been other things." Ellen coughed into her hand, "For example, her eyes will change colors depending on her moods. I've seen a double iris appear on several occasions and she is always asking me about birds. She wonders how they can fly so easily, how they're able to learn to fly. At first I didn't find the comments so strange, but sometimes… when she's roaming the woods… I've noticed a strange white glow from her. Like a ghost is passing by. Is that normal in your world?"

"… Our world isn't as strange as you would first assume," Undertaker began. "In our world… yes that behavior is strange. Why you may ask? Creatures of the same ike breed with the same ike. There aren't many cross breeds in the world, and even if there are they conceal themselves deep within the shadows. I recall your worry from the beginning was what little Sophia would become? It's simple my friends. She is half shinigami and half human. The inheritance from her father's side of the family will be the side that will triumphant over her other half. Shinigamis surpass humans in many various strengths and abilities. That is simply how it is."

"Then… Sophia should go with you?" Thomas questioned him.

"What I don't understand is this strange energy you're telling me," Maurus thought aloud. "I am a creature of darkness, not light. She shouldn't give off auras like that. There's more behind this."

"… If you don't mind me asking Mrs. Serbus," Undertaker began, getting Ellen's attention, "but you said earlier that your daughter is more supernatural then human. Is that correct?"

"Y-yes Undertaker," Ellen sighed, sitting down on the couch and looking up at him, "that is true."

"How is that?" He questioned her, "Considering that her father told me you're completely human, but even I can tell there's a special power pulsing through your veins."

"No it's alright," she lifted up a hand, coughing into her hand before shaking her head. "… It is believed with our family that we have come from an angel," Ellen began, looking over at Maurus with a smile as he sat down next to her and let her snuggle against his shoulder, "though I can't tell you specifically the story. My family doesn't like discussing it, so I don't know much on the subject. Just… my family has always had the ability to tell who is a supernatural creature and who is human. That's why Dominic knew who you were the instant he saw you." She turned her head to her husband, a smirk on her face before she continued. "He knew because of the strength that we can see radiating from your bodies constantly. Not every person in my family has this ability, but it's strange that both Nic and I both had that power. My parents didn't, but my grandmother did… oh god bless her soul."

"So be it," Undertaker nodded in response, Maurus giving his wife a smile to encourage her to continue.

"Well… from my knowledge no one from my family had bred with a supernatural being since that angel, so I didn't know what was to become of our child," Ellen looked at Maurus before sighing. "I didn't know what my abilities would do to Sophia… but… I knew she wouldn't be human. She is more supernatural then human and her body shows that daily. At times she can't control herself and I can see changes in her moods and her willpower to surpass her abilities… she's a smart girl, even from the beginning. Sophia has always known that if her powers are revealed, even to Thomas and I, that she would be ridiculed. She understands. That's why we don't exactly know what she is. She won't show us… and as she ages I'm beginning to get worried."

"… There are some beings in this world who never know the true powers they possess," Undertaker told her, Maurus looking up at him with curiosity as Thomas narrowed his eyes at him. "Some die before they can reach their true potential, other times if that potential is reach it will bring about much destruction in our world. Thus they surpass themselves until the time is right. I truly believe your daughter is one of those creatures that know that if they displayed everything they can do it can cause destruction and death. Not necessary a bad thing, but with the combination of Maurus' shinigami powers and Ellen's angelic powers she will be one powerful being, in due time."

"H-how can you tell –"

"Has the color in her eyes ever changed yellow?" Undertaker asked. "Or perhaps they displayed yellow or glowed yellow in some way."

"Act-ually I do recall a moment when she did," Ellen nodded, "mainly due to frustration."

"Ah," Undertaker chuckled lightly. "My dear, sometimes the eyes are blind to what the mind is really seeing. Yellow tints in a creature's eyes show off their strength, especially for us shinigamis. You know Maurus displays these traits, but is able to change his eyes back to their original green color because of the strong powers he possesses. But… over time, if a creature lives a long life or uses these powers constantly, the yellow color will forever stay within their eyes. For a child to have these powers shows the potential Sophia possesses. She has promise to do great things or cause the destruction of the world. If these powers are revealed to the outside world there will be creatures coming from far and wide seeking that power for their own, bring the child to their side with force or otherwise. Ellen, for us this is a gift, not a curse, though many whom are weak see this as a curse and a potential threat. Given deep psychological as well as physical trainings and she will hone in on these skills, but this can take years if not centuries to do."

"You know I didn't care much about those sorts of information," Maurus chuckled lightly before looking over at Ellen with a smirk, "but do your understand, after talking to this walking information book?"

"… I still think what you're trying to entail is that Sophia should live with you," Ellen frowned, "and I'm sorry, but I must insist she stays in this world with us, for the time being."

"I already explained that those skills take years to develop," Undertaker continued with a sigh. "She doesn't have to start right away; in all honestly she shouldn't start right away. Let her live a life without the hardship of training and displaying her dominance. The later you can set this off the better. The sooner she learns the harder everything will become because she is a female. Usually these displays are from the male creatures to display dominance and power to others. What other beings will try to do once they realize what she can become is try to take her as their own. You call this marriage, but from even the early ages of this world this was simply called mating. She is much too young to go through any of that, too inexperienced to go through the hassle. Maurus and I both know two women who were given to their grooms much too early in life. The belief before was the earlier you can give a female child to a male the easier everything will become for the child because there won't be any more creatures after them, but that's not the case. There are abusive males out there. If the male is much too weak they will try to suppress the female as brutally they can, even if the child is only twelve or thirteen years old. It's a sad thing really, but parents can be reckless when they try to find the best ways to keep their children safe. I suggest, because I have seen this many times before, that you keep Sophia's powers hidden, even from herself. The later she finds out about her powers the later the other various creatures of the world will seek her out, and that will do everyone some good," he chuckled lightly.

"That sounds rather brutish," Ellen pouted.

"I agree," Thomas nodded, "utterly barbaric if you ask me."

"The times change over the centuries," Undertaker shrugged, "but this is only advice. You don't have to take my word on this –"

"No it's very helpful Undertaker," Maurus nodded, "and I believe him. Undertaker's right, and I'm not just saying that because you're older than me." The man smirked at the Undertaker before letting out a sigh as he turned to Ellen and grasp her hands. "Besides, I would rather spend a normal human life with you and our children then worry about sending them off to be married. That's too much of a problem and I believe each being should have the chance to find their own mates, as I have with myself," they both smirked, Maurus giving Ellen a quick kiss on the lips before continuing. "It took me about a century to hone my skills, and many more since then. I was a fast learner and I won't be surprised if our own child is this way. What I worry for is what Undertaker has spoken of. There are evil creatures out there Elle, creatures that will try to take our daughter if they can. If we had a boy they would try to kill him, a girl they will try to take her. I know this is coming at you fast, but I am only thinking of the safety of our child. At least one visit, if not more, to our realm will do Sophia some good. She needs to know her place, needs to realize what she will be. But… I would rather have her spend her human existence here with her mother. I wish that she doesn't have to begin any schooling till after your death and after her own. That way she will be more alert and also not have to dwell on any wishes of finishing her human life. Besides, I know you wish for her to stay with you and it would break my heart that Sophia would have to leave your company. She's my daughter too, but I have much longer to live then you do Ellen. I want her to absorb all the teachings and love you can give her before you pass away… and sadly that's how our world of Death entails. There's no way to stop Death even if you try to will it –"

They all looked up, suddenly hearing a crash from below. Sophie covered her mouth, laying on her back in pain as she fought back tears from flowing down her face. Perhaps she shouldn't have leaned so far to the side, but her father was getting quieter as he spoke. She wanted to hear everything, but now he had completely stopped talking. "Thomas what was that –"

"There's something in my room," Thomas thought aloud, pushing his desk to expose the trap door and taking out a key to unlock it. Undertaker and Maurus summoned their death scythes in preparation in case it was a creature that was hiding and listening to their private conversation. Sophie couldn't hold back a cough, the pain in her back creeping to her brain as she shivered to hold back any cries. She felt paralyzed on the ground, but knew that once she could move again she wouldn't feel as much pain. Opening the door Thomas raised an eyebrow, noticing a little girl was lying on her back against one of his expensive rugs. "Child," he called to Sophie, noticing the ladder had been knocked aside and toppled to the ground, "are you alright?!"

"Y-yes," Sophie coughed with shame on her face, knowing the charade was over, "I-I fell –"

"I'll be down there in a second," Thomas called to her, jumping down from the door and landing gracefully on his feet. He ushered over to her to make sure the child was alright, smirking once he knew she would be just fine and was only still because of the shock. "Now you need to tell me why you're here."

"I-I wanted to hear what you were talking about," Sophie confessed, knowing any lying wouldn't get her anywhere. "I… I w-as worried, okay?"

Thomas shook his head and set her down on a mat, grabbing the ladder that had fallen and setting it back against the wall. Cradling the child in one arm he climbed the ladder with the other, letting out a sigh as he set the child on the ground so she could meet her fate. "Sophia," Ellen stared at her child, disappointment in her eyes, "why were you hiding?"

"I-I wanted to hear you," Sophie pouted, looking over at the Undertaker, who was the only one who wasn't staring at her with disappointment, "because I was worried."

"Sophia…" Maurus sighed, shaking his head as the child scurried over and sat between himself and her mother. "Please tell me, why –"

"Mommy," Sophie ignored her father, turning to her mother with a look of despair on her face, "I don't understand what Uncle Taker was saying, but I know that I want to go with papa."

"S-sophia? –"

"Wait I'm not done," the girl held up a hand, knowing that her mother would have started getting hysterical if she didn't finish her comment. "Mommy, Papa," Sophie continued looking over at Maurus, "I want to go with you to know just how strange I am. That's all. I want to stay with Mommy and here till I die though, as you said… okay?"

"Sure kid," Maurus smirked and kissed Sophie on the forehead. "I understand –"

"But Mommy," Sophie pouted, "w-why didn't you tell me you saw me in the woods?"

"Why should I?" Ellen smirking back, chuckling as she kissed the confused child on the head and pulled her onto her lap. "Look Sophia, I already knew you are different. How different?... I don't quite know. That's all. Don't hide everything from us, right Thomas?"

"Right," he chuckled, locking the door tightly before moving the desk back to look at the child. "I knew what I was getting into when I invited you into my home. Don't keep secrets."

"T-hen… ummm… you don't know the whole story," Sophie pouted, getting the attention of everyone in the room before she began. "Ummmm… I already told Uncle, but –"

"You knew, but didn't tell us –"

"Papa, I only told him today! Calm down!" Sophie frowned, Maurus quickly settling down so she could continue. "Ummm… you see… now what Mommy said makes sense. Ummmm… when I'm alone in the forest I like to… ummmm… see what I can do, if you understand what I mean," she shrugged. "Just… I know I'm different Papa. That much I know, but there are things that keep happening. Like Mommy said my eyes change color. Sometimes my clothes change to this white garb with a black and silver rope. Also ummm… sometimes… if I concentrate… I grow wings."

"Wings?!" Maurus, Ellen, and Thomas all said at once.

"Large white wings that are much bigger then myself," Sophie told them, looking to the ground noticing the shock on their face.

"C-could you show us –"

"I suggest not," Undertaker commented. "She has already showed me today. If the child uses her powers continuously without much training she'll become tired and fatigued in a blink of an eye."

"Right!" Sophie nodded with a grin. "But also…" she sighed, looking down at her left hand as if memorizing the marking that showed up when she used her powers, "I… get a strange symbol on my hands. Is that normal Papa?"

"Symbol?" he stared at her confused, noticing she was looking to her left hand and gently grabbing her hand into his own. "What sort?"

"I can show you," she grinned, closing her eyes as her hand laid lazily in his hands. They stared in awe as her body began to glow a soft light, Thomas taking a step back as Ellen clutched her child's body protectively wondering what was happening. Maurus watched as the symbol appeared on the child's hand, narrowing his eyes in anger as he saw the skull with thorns appear on her hand. "See Papa?!" she giggled and opened her eyes with a grin, "It's cool, no?"

"It is…" Maurus thought quietly, turning his attention to the Undertaker, "but can you excuse us for a second Sophia?"

The girl stared at her father confused, wondering why he seemed angry, "But Papa –"

"**Nunc** Sophia," he snarled, Ellen picking Sophie up and pulling her away.

"Wait no!" Sophie cried, trying to get out of her mother's grasp as her father stood up to snarl at the Undertaker angrily, "I want to hear what happens!" She continued, her mother refusing to let Sophie hear the words her father muttered to the Undertaker as she whimpered when she could hear the Undertaker yelling back with equal frustration.

! #$%^&*()

**A/N: And… yeah that's it ^^' Another cliffhanger =O and every long XD I may post another chapter later, we'll see. And oh I have some guest comments to answer so I'll answer them here ^^:**

**Guest, Chapter 88: **

**Yep, another chapter ^^. And here's another one for you ;D**

**UndertakerLove, Chapter 88:**

**Well we'll see if I continue from here. I have a few more chapters written, but after I get down from this novel reading high I have (it happens every single time I spend my time and energy reading a book for pleasure XD) then we'll see if I continue writing ;D Not like I'm done with the story, but I just don't have the feeling of writing this since the new manga chapters came out with Ciel at a boarding school DX**

**And that's it. I'd love to hear your guys' comments and I'll SEE YOU LATER! ^^**

_nunc_ – Latin – _now_


	90. The Hasty Demise

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I felt like reviewing another chapter, so here's another one! I don't know what's up with me. It's either writer's block or just an unwilling annoyance to refuse writing the stories I already have and coming up with new ones. Oh well. I did start this 100 theme challenge. Have two written completely so far, but I haven't reviewed them yet. Well you don't really need to know about that. Just know that I'm sorry for not posting chapters more often. ENJOY! =D**

! #$%^&*()

Sophie sat up at the top of the hill, staring off at the forest with a look of misery on her face. She was beginning to worry. It's been a few weeks since she last saw the Undertaker, only seeing her father two days ago. The girl wondered what her father had said to the man earlier that month. Was he angry? Why? Did she do something wrong? Closing her eyes she felt the cool breeze on her face, causing her body to shudder. For some reason she felt withdrawn from something, but mainly Sophie wanted to see her uncle again. It seemed that after that day her father wasn't going to allow her to go to the shinigami realm… but maybe she could do so herself. "Yeah…" she chuckled lightly, sighing as she opened her eyes and ran a hand through her hair, "t-then I wouldn't have to worry about angering anyone. Then… maybe I can see Uncle Taker again." Smirking at her plan she looked back to the mortuary, sighing as she stood up and rustled up her hair. If she was as incredible as the adults claimed then she shouldn't have a problem sneaking past any barriers she faced to get to the other side. After all she was an advocate for both worlds: the world of humans and the world of the supernatural. She shouldn't have problems… she hoped. Uncle did discuss creatures that would be lured to her, but she was a girl and not a boy. If she was taken then someone was bound to find her, or that's what Sophie assumed.

She began down the road, back to the work she was given that day to do. Thomas was busy and her mother went into the market. All she had to do was dig up some lots, help Thomas bring the coffins to the site, and bury the bodies into the ground. Usually there are grave diggers that would do this type of work, but to save up on money Thomas did the work himself. It gave the living relatives a way to afford the costs of a simple funeral, though if the relatives insisted the man **did** pay for other expenses. Honestly he liked to keep himself busy and make Sophie do the work too. After all he could tell she had a passion for the job. Not only was she this… grim reaper child, but she loved to look over his shoulder while he worked and cut into the bodies. It was an odd concept for Thomas to bear, a child so young to be interested in the dead, but she wasn't ordinary for sure. When she was much younger the child would bring home injured animals to take care of. Eventually Thomas had to order them away, with the help of Ellen, but Sophie wanted to help others. She brought home a child once who had gotten hurt in the middle of the night exploring the cemetery. Thomas hadn't even known till the girl made a sound, rushing into the living room to find little Sophia finishing her work on the girl's ankle. He always thinks she will eventually grow out of this idea of the dead, perhaps becoming a doctor or nurse of some kind.

Sophie giggled after thinking of the memories she had gained, even if they are false or not. So many things had happened to her while she was young, long before her parents passed away. She was so happy, so naive, and the spirit dwelling inside of the girl realized just how much she depended on those memories. She constantly wanted approval and wanted to understand what was going on around her, but the soul dwelling inside knew perfectly well that no one could understand everything. Sophie learned that well over the years, still trying to find pieces of her memories and understand everything that happened to her family. The soul that helped her, dark presence that dwelled deep in her head, continued to say on a daily basis that it didn't know everything, and the voices wanted that creature to know **everything**. Why? Another thing she didn't understand. Only thing Sophie understood was that she'll have to leave soon. She felt in her bones that something big was going to happen soon and if she didn't find a way out she would be stuck in this world forever… and ever… till those voices let her out of her newly created prison, which Sophie assumed would be never.

Sophie frowned as she finished her hole in the ground, set the shovel by the side of the plot, and began walking into the forest. She smiled as she slumped into the grass in the middle of a field, looking up to the sky and sighing as she recalled how thoughtless her mind was at this point. Sophie quickly realized she will soon hear fighting… and her father dying. As if on cue little Sophia's head popped up, looking towards the trees and to the sound of fighting. When she came to the chaos Sophie did something she didn't think she would, the girl let out a startled cry as she saw her father fall to the ground, the creature looming over him. "_Oh what's this~?_" the demon chuckled, rushing off of Maurus with lightning speed and grabbing the girl. Sophie gasped as she was thrown against the body, crying out startled while she could actually feel the man's hands around her neck as he held a death scythe up to her skin.

"Dorren," Maurus put his hands up calmly, a look of worry on his face, "please, I beg of you, put the child down –"

"Oh she has sentimental value to you?" he chuckled darkly, Sophie yelping as she was thrown to the ground and slammed her head against the trunk of a tree.

"Papa!" Sophie cried, tears coming down her cheeks as the blade touched her neck.

"Papa?" Dorren chuckled darkly, causing Maurus to sneer under his breath, "you… father a human now? Oh the council will be furious with you –"

"Get your hands off of her, you sniveling demon," Maurus growled, pointing his scythe at him, "or so help me I'll kill you with every fiber in my body –"

He let out a startled gasp, looking down to see a dagger embedded into his chest. "Pap! –" Sophie cried, her voice suddenly cracking as she let out staggered words, looking down to see blood forming out of her chest as another blade was embedded deep into her and striking her chest.

"Sophia!" Maurus cried, gripping his scythe and charging at the creature. Dorren dropped the girl to avoid his blade, but with the large swing it embedded into his shoulder. Dorren screamed and ran off, Maurus glaring at the creature till he was out of sight. Gasping for air he knew he didn't have enough time, crawling over to the child left of the ground and gently holding her small frame. Sophie looked up, blinking in confusion as she coughed up blood and spat on the man's clothes. "N-no…" he gasped, tears falling onto the girl's face as Sophie tired to stay awake.

"P-pa… p-a…" Sophie gasped softly, reaching up for his face, "D-don't… c-cry… fo-r me…" Then all at once her world went dark, Maurus' eyes widening as her hand fell to the ground. He saw as a glowing substance began to leave her chest, Sophie hovering over the body staring down at herself in horror. Did she… just die?

"Centurion!" came a voice from the tree tops, the shinigami jumping down to the ground as his long silver hair blew behind him in the breeze. "The demon… did you kill him –"

"U-undertaker," Maurus snarled, gripping the girl's body tightly as he set his head upon her chest and began to coat his face in her blood, "she… m-my daughter… aaaAAAAAHHHH HE KILLED HER! CURSE HIM! CURSE HIM FOR ALL ETERNITY!"

"Maurus calm down –"

"You don't get it!" he cried out, standing up suddenly with the girl's body dripping in his arms. "I was close! I almost had a family Undertaker! But… now…" he began to laugh darkly, Undertaker's eyes widening as the man coughed up blood onto the girl's body, "I… have lost… this game… o-of lif –"

The shinigami watched as the man slumped to the ground, Maurus coughing up blood as he cradled the child tightly in his arms. Undertaker dropped the scythe in his hands and knelt by his friend's side, trying to pry the child from him, but the man wouldn't let the girl go. "Maurus, my dear friend, if you don't let go you'll end up dead –"

"U-ndert-t-aker," he coughed up blood, some of the crimson spewing on his face, "d-on't m-make me li-ve a-any longer… T-tell my wife… p-plee-ase…"

"I will," Undertaker nodded, gripping his hand tightly with a sympathetic smile, "I-I'll tell her everything."

"… W-hat's your name?" Maurus asked with a simple smile, which made Undertaker feel appalled with himself.

"Ren –"

"N-o you're real nam –" Maurus coughed, chuckling lightly till he sighed and stared up to the sky, running his hand through the girl's hair. "I-I know that's n-not y-our name… I-I've wanted to kn-nnow… W-ho you r-r-really… a-re… w-HY," he coughed on the ground, spitting blood before looking back to the other man, "y-you… want h-h-er…"

"… Seth," the man told him simply, a smile coming to Maurus' features as he snickered.

"S-seth… g-od of d-ark-kness… f-fits y-ou per-fectl –"

The man paused, Undertaker's eyes widening as the man let out a sigh, his breath trailing out of his mouth and hovering up into the air. "Maurus Serbus," he frowned, placing his black glove upon his face and close his eyes. "… Requiescat in pace. I will avenge your death and find your true murderer, if it's the last thing I do." Undertaker sneered and stood up, Sophie watching in horror as he glared to the sky with angry green and yellow eyes. "The only being that I could truly call friend," he chuckled darkly, running a hand through his hair before sighing, "… that man… I will kill him for what he has done to me. How dare **he** take them from me?!" Undertaker snarled, a shiver going down Sophie's spine, "He will never –"

"_D-dad?_" Sophie called to him, Undertaker pausing as he looked around searching for the voice lingering in the air around him. "_D-addy?_"

He stared at her darkly, causing Sophie to gulp and step backward in the air. "You have no right to call me dad, you lost soul," Undertaker replied, holding a scythe up to her as Sophie began to squirm away. "You may be my little maiden, but I can't have you wandering this earth and becoming some deranged creature. Now come. You must move on –"

"No Dad!" Sophie cried out, her shriek causing the leaves to fall from the branches and blow off into the wind. "I am your daughter! I am your Sophie, your little maiden. Don't you remember?! Don't you remember everything we've done!? –" Then she paused, realizing what had happened. Because of her death she won't go back to her mother, and without going to her mother she never re-met the Undertaker in the cemetery. He will never adopt her… he doesn't truly know her except as Maurus' daughter. All because… she died?

"Don't toy with me," he snarled, aiming his blade at her, "and so help me I'll help you move on to where your father will be waiting for you… so you can rest like everyone else I have lost."

"No, I need to stay with you!" Sophie yelled, backing away and disappearing through the trees. Even though she vanished Undertaker seemed to know exactly where she went, chasing after her through the forest and jumping in the trees looking for the wandering soul.

! #$%^&*()

)(*&^%$# !

Naum sighed, running a hand through his hair as he looked through the papers in Sophie's office. So far there were no signs that Sophie had any knowledge of where the dagger was, which made everything that much harder for the man. Then he looked over at the cinematic record Fiona had given him to look over, glancing at the end of the pages and only seeing the last snippets of Sophie's existence before she vanished into the dagger. "That doesn't help me," he sneered in annoyance, placing the papers back where they had been before sitting down on her desk and staring at the writing. "How can it? She'll only see… wait that's it." Naum shuffled to the front of the record, but all he found was the first moments of life Sophie when she became a shinigami. "Damn all to Ga! So close!" he snarled, slamming the book close before standing up and walking out of the office. If he had knowledge of her birth to her death as a human then he could figure out when the voices would have cut Sophie's life short. It was the only explanation he had, but it was all he had. Either way there was no way he would know what was going to happen to her. All he could do now was find the dagger… which he wasn't given any leads on as of late –

"Woh! Come on Noco!" Alex snarled, trying to grab the bird as it hopped around the room, "Let me see the letter –"

"May I?" Naum offered, Alex narrowing his eyes in a deadly stare as the other ignored him and gently reached out his hand. "Noco right?" he chuckled lightly, the hawk tilting his head staring at him funny. "Look, I'll give you everything straight," Naum sighed, taking a step away from the man hovering over him before continuing. "Your master… she… is gone –"

"Gone?!" Alex growled, pulling Naum up by the end of his shirt and glaring burning red daggers into his eyes, "What's going on here!? –"

"Please put me down so I can continue," Naum huffed, narrowing his silver steel eyes at the man, which caused Alex to pause, but continue to snarl at the man as he put him down. "Now," he sighed, turning back to the hawk, "I'm guessing you have some important information for your master. I need that information. If you want her back I need to know what Sophie has been gaining through these air calls."

The hawk cooed before lifting up its leg, Naum giving the bird a nod as he untied the string and grabbed the small scroll attached to its leg. "Sophie introduced you to the bird," Alex frowned.

"Yes," Naum sighed, "for good reasons I assume –"

"I don't trust you," he huffed, his eyes still glowing in a reddened anger behind shinigami green eyes, "but I suppose if Sophie can trust you then I'll try to do so also."

"Thank you," Naum answered him, wondering who this man was to Sophie as he opened the scroll and looked at his contents:

_Dearest Sophia,_

_I have indeed found the information you are seeking, but the Dagger of Life is not its name. In layman terms that dagger is called Thanatos after the skull on the hilt and the sharpness of the blade. I will be honest; the name you asked for is false. I've come across this dagger before. I've talked to those voices before. It's not called the Dagger of Life, but the Dagger of Death. It holds a great truth to its blade, I know that much. I have never touched the dagger before, but there is a few who have and for good reason. Only one has been able to escape, legend has it, and if you wish to escape you will need to have this dagger in your possession. I do not understand why you have asked for this dagger, but that is my knowledge._

_It took me several men to find out the secrets, and there are still many more. If you wish to know more you'll have to find the dagger yourself. Conveniently I hear it's been excavated recently in the sands of the Nubian Desert and has traveled for several months prior to London. It should currently be in London in the British Museum being examined thoroughly by the archeologists. If you want to find the contents of the dagger go to the museum first. If the dagger isn't there go find the ship called the St. George. I bid you good will and keep your soul safe from harm._

_Shezmu _

"_Ahhhh~_" a voice chuckled from behind, Naum narrowing his eyes as Alex tried to grab hold of the scroll to read its contents, "Have we found a lead?"

"Indeed," Naum nodded, ripping up the paper before Alex could see the words. "Can I guarantee your help with this Xaskesiel or will I have to go about this work alone?"

"I will, if you do all this work Fiona is trying to make me do," Xaskesiel let out a snort, shoving the large scroll in Naum's hands before gently patting Noco on the head. "Besides I want her back too. What's the plan Kaoboros?"

"Find this British Museum this… Shezmu speaks of," Naum told Xaskesiel, the daemon simply giving him a nod, "then track down any other daemons that weren't destroyed the first time we made contact to this world. I have a feeling there's more, and if there's more they're plotting to take over this world like they've done in ours."

"Fine," Xaskesiel sighed, "and what else?"

"After that meet me back here and I'll come up with some sort of a plan," Naum said simply. "I don't know what we're up against. We'll have to be prepared if something appears –"

"Are you saying the _White Shark~_ doesn't have a _concrete plan~~_?" Xaskesiel smirked, Naum narrowing his eyes and snarling under his breath.

"Don't test me –"

"Perhaps if you didn't give Sophie a test I wouldn't have to give **you** one," he snorted, pushing Naum aside before pulling on his gloves and summoning a weapon to his hand.

"Okay what's going on here!? –"

"I'll explain in a second," Naum instructed, looking over the names as a look of confusion came to his face, "but first… please tell me what I'm supposed to do with this list of names."

)(*&^%$# !

! #$%^&*()

Sophie ran as fast as she could, hot tears streaming down her face. No, no! This couldn't be happening! What was going on?! It seemed wherever she ran Undertaker was several steps ahead of her, appearing in front of her to block her path as she had to turn and chose a different path. She knew he was quickly confining her movements, but the shock of seeing herself die so early was making her head spin. Was… was this real? No… it couldn't be. It shouldn't be. Undertaker shouldn't have become cold so soon and so quickly. Did something change in the past that is causing this? Because she died is she the reason the Undertaker is acting this way? That had to be it, it just had to. The voices made her die early for a reason, to see what would happen if she had gotten her wish and retired early. Sophie knew that was her wish. Naum spoke of something like this. She had always wanted to die earlier so she wouldn't cause anymore pain, but did more pain come because of her disappearance from the timeline of the universe? That must be going on and if it is she had to find a way out and fast!

But she had no idea to accomplish this and right now she was running for her life. Tiqvah has spoken that she would only survive two deaths: her death as a human and her death as a divine being. This was her second life, as a ghost wandering the earth trapped for a reason. Sophie knew of this. Human souls that lingered on earth could go two different directions: they were gobbled up by demons or they changed into a new creature. A God of Death's job was to take up those souls before they could become one or the other. Only the powerful demons or those that have lived for eons knew of the difference between the cinematic record and the human's actual essence. That's what Sophie was right now, a spirit trying to escape the clutches of Death. Even if she wasn't the one giving commands to her spirit, her heart was guiding her away from the Undertaker as if knowing of the dangers of staying close to the man. Yet Sophie knew she had to go back to him, she had to. She just felt there was more she had to see first and that her time truly hadn't come. Then Sophie realized one more important detail when she had died in the real world. She recalls losing her memory, waking up as a shinigami in the shinigami realm. Yet she wasn't reaped properly by the shinigamis, no… Undertaker had left her soul within her body as a way for herself to appear with a physical form. If it was his intention or not Sophie didn't know, but what she did know was that he certainly knew much more then what he was letting on. She had always known this, but it was critical now that he reveal his secrets to her so she could piece everything together… so she could escape.

She huffed and puffed, looking behind her and seeing that the being had disappeared again. Sophie's eyes darted around, wondering when he'd show up. Then she let out a yelp of fright, being shoved to the ground by a completely different creature. Its eyes glowed red and it aimed to eat her, but before it could rip her soul apart the blade of a large silver scythe came out of nowhere to cut the being in half, the demon letting out a shriek as its physical form disappeared around her. Sophie let out a gasp as she looked up, shuffling till her back slammed into the trunk of a tree and her eyes showed fear and worry deep in their blue and green features. Slowly Undertaker knelt down in front of her, his scythe tightly in his grip, but he made no moves of using it further. "See there?" he said, pointing to the remains of the demon, "That's what happens to souls if they stay in this world for too long, their souls decay to the point that they are eaten by demons… or become demons themselves, tainted by the world. I would hope that simple demonstration to a child of Maurus would be enough to show you what is going to happen if you stay in this world a second longer –"

"NO, you're wrong," Sophie snarled, knowing full well she was unable to defend herself from whatever he could do to her, but she was going to try to get through to him anyways, "y-ou have to be. Just… **why**? Why reap my soul so soon?! Aren't I supposed to take my father's place here –"

"The game is complete and you lost," Undertaker said simply, causing Sophie to shudder. "You may be too young to understand, but there's another soul living inside of you feeding off of all your emotions and slowly draining your life energy. Your soul can't simply go and find another body, no… the body you had been given was powerful enough to house your complex soul. Now it is no more, you can't go back… you have to come with me –"

"B-but no!" Sophie shook her head, shivering as she fought back tears. "I can't yet! There's more that has to be done! D-on't you see, Uncle Taker, how it is supposed to be? I know a powerful shinigami can change human souls so they become shinigamis, that's how it's supposed to be –"

"How do you know this information?" he stared at her confused, noticing that the soul speaking to him wasn't the young soul he had always conversed with, but a much older soul, even if it was only less than a century older. A soul who held great wisdom and now he wondered where this other part of herself had been hiding all this time.

Sophie paused, staring at the man in shock. She had said too much again. She'll have to make sure she's careful with her words. "… I… I just can't leave. I thought you of all beings could understand this," she bit her bottom lip, hoping he was getting the message. "My father… h-he had a mission in life right? Didn't you just say I lost some sort of game? W-ell I haven't…. not yet… unless you reap my soul right here and now," she snarled at him, narrowing her eyes in an attempt to intimidate the man.

Yet the Undertaker's demeanor remained stoic, which reminded her of William for a few moments. Because he didn't have to raise her he remained cold? That didn't make sense. There had to be a deeper reason to why he wasn't showing emotion, for she remembered listening to him when she was older that you need to give every soul a chance to speak their reasons for staying in their humanly form before reaping them. If not there will be some stigma against you and they will continue to run away, till they are eaten or transformed into other beings. The job of a God of Death is to always guide the soul into the next life where they can rest or be regenerated for another life on earth. Of course Sophie didn't do the job of choosing where the soul went, her only concern was obtaining that soul. Perhaps… perhaps this Undertaker doesn't realize just how fearful souls are of dying and moving on, especially when they have a mission that hasn't been accomplished yet. Still, even if this man didn't understand, she will place in all her effort to make the man understand her, even if it ends up killing her.

Sophie sighed, noticing the cold stare he gave her from behind his glasses and shook her head. "You… y-ou don't understand," she whimpered, trying to hold back tears. "I need to stay here –"

"I insist that you don't," Undertaker snorted, a reaction she certainly wasn't hoping for.

"Give me a reason –"

"Your father has lived many years on this… _mission~_ he has set for himself, which no creature has certainly understood except for himself," he paused, "… and it seems you do too. I do not understand, but I do know one thing: your father drove himself crazy over this obsession. If I let you stay here I cannot anticipate what you'll become. Perhaps you'll continue this internal mission that seems to be hardwired into your family's blood or you'll stray away from your intended path. Either way I do not want to see another being that I care for destroy themselves over other's intentions… I'd rather see to it that you've moved on, little Sophia, instead of staying here in this world full of pain and destruction –"

"So… you're afraid of seeing me hurt or rather… you don't want to be hurt again," Sophie thought aloud, noticing the twinge the shinigami made as he stared at the ground in front of her feet, "is that it?"

"Indeed," Undertaker answered simply, slowly taking off his glasses and placing them into his coat. He let out a sigh, knowing what he had to do. He'll have to use force, which was something he didn't want to do with a soul he cared so much for. "… I have lived for many years Sophia, much longer then you could even dream of. I have seen the best of creatures and the worst of creatures appear and disappear as of the changing of the sands of time. I can only watch emotionlessly as my loved ones dissolve into history, to be forgotten by the world as their goals and dreams are wasted by the simple fact that Death must come to everyone… and one day to myself. Your time had come my little maiden… it had come… and if I don't take your soul someone else will. It is that simple –"

"But that's not," Sophie frowned, shuffling to her feet as she tried to stare back at the being. "Y-you're wrong. That's not simple, it's complex. I know one day I have to die. I know. It's a known truth. Everyone must move on, I know that too… but… I can't do that yet. There's still more I must do here, alive or not. If Death wishes me to disappear he can take me himself… a-after all that's who the soul that lives within me had made the pact with. You can't vouch for that being. You're only a messenger at best," she huffed, trying to plant her feet firmly on the ground as she glared at where she knew the man's eyes were. "I… I love you, Uncle Taker. Always have and always will, but that doesn't mean I have to obey what you say. I want to live on… I have to… even in this state. My mommy still needs me. I want to keep her company before her own death," Sophie offered as compensation, hoping her statements were getting through to the man, "and that was a promise I never want to back out of. And… there's the one to my heart. The one that I made when I saw you and I felt drawn to you. Not because you seemed powerful, not because you were with my father, but… because you are lonely… Undertaker."

The man paused, a snort coming out of his mouth before he lightly chuckled. "_Lonely you say~?_" he laughed darkly, Sophie knowing that she just struck an internal cord. "Well… you're right in many aspects I suppose, but you must understand: I can't have you around me –"

"Why?" Sophie frowned, "Why not? Why can't I stay with you?"

"… We can never be little Sophia. We can never be…" Undertaker thought, gripping his scythe tightly as he straightened his back to stare the child down. "Your father made that very clear. I am only supposed to be your uncle, your mentor, and you're supposed to find your own path, a path that will lead away from me. You… you're supposed to be mine though. That's what the oracle had said before," he chuckled lightly, Sophie staring at him confused, "that my years of waiting will pay off… and I could finally rest if I found the other piece of myself that will be trapped within another being… but now I see how flawed the prophecy was. I should have never kept my hopes up. If I let your soul stay here in this world it may lead to your own demise, and that is something I do not wish to see… as all the others…" Sophie pressed her back to the tree, biting down her lip as she saw the pain on his face. His eyes began to flicker from behind his bangs and she could see his bright gaze, quickly drawing her into his embrace. "If I had known I would find you so quickly I wouldn't have tried to bring you closer to me. If I had known… I would have avoided Maurus and his family all together, but those wishes cannot be undone now. What has been done has been done… there is no turning back on Death." He rose up his scythe, the wind blowing his bangs away as his eyes trapped the soul in place. "Goodbye little Sophia, my little niece… my maiden." With one swift swipe his blade descended upon the soul staring in fright in front of him, but then a strange accordance happened. Sophie's soul began to glow, a bright heavenly glow that stopped the blade right before it stroke her chest, but then the glow turned dark, a gust of energy pushing the shinigami away and throwing his death scythe onto the ground.

"_Run~~_" Sophie heard in the back of her mind, "_run you fool~! Run~!_"

The soul of the human girl jolted into a sprint, trying to create as much distance as she could from the shinigami. Sophie looked back and tears streamed down her face, watching as the man lay on the ground in shock as he stared at his kill quickly getting away from him. Yet he did not stir, for he certainly had the abilities to catch up with her. No, Undertaker stared as the soul disappeared into the forest, a look of sorrow crossing his features as his little maiden vanished from his sight and he had realized what he had done.

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**A/N: Oh wow. Another twist! And slowly but surely Naum is coming up with a way to get her back XD Oh I'm twisting my poor characters up, but whatever. It's what I love to do ;3 Anyways I hope you enjoyed the story. SEE YOU LATER!**


	91. The Changed Past

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: Well I decided it was about time to post another chapter, and to be honest I just wanted to review this story because I'm trying to write the next few chapters. Hopefully I'll finally get this done, but once again we'll see. Sorry for the long wait. Sometimes I have all the time in the world and other times I don't… and I was busy with school and had some writer's block so I've been getting out of that slump. I hope you guys enjoy the next chapter! Bye!**

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Sophie watched from afar at the mortuary, watching as the Undertaker confronted her mother and she began to cry. It pained her to see her mother like this, but what can she do? She's just a ghost now, wandering the world trying to achieve the goal that was internally keeping herself there: to stay with her mother till her death… and stay with the Undertaker and keep him from being lonely. The first job she could do easily, it won't be hard, but the second will be. Tears streamed down the girl's face, though she gave no recollection of wiping them away. The shinigami made everything very clear to her that he didn't want her… he wanted her to pass on. In sense it was the best option. After all she's always said how she wanted to move on and her soul rest in peace, but on the other hand she's leaving behind a man whose spirit was broken… he even said this. Yet why would he go through such lengths to keep himself incomplete? Either he wanted to protect her or trying to keep the familiarity of having a soul that was torn to pieces… or a combination of the two. She felt sick to her stomach for no real reason in particular. This wasn't her world, Sophie knew this, and it wouldn't be long till this spiritual form of her childhood self would turn into her old, young adult self. Would her necklace show up again? Would… would the marking on her left hand show up again? She sighed; staring at her left hand as she only looked at flesh and bone. Nothing happened no matter how much she tried. It was as if the symbol was wiped clean from her soul… showing that she wasn't owned anymore. Should she be happy? She didn't feel that way. Everything was tearing her mind to pieces.

She didn't understand what was clearly going on in front of her. Was it real? Was it fake? Sophie knew from her memories the moment the Undertaker came to the mortuary to confront her mother was about her father's death. Her mother was brought outside and they talked, all the while the little girl knowing what had happened. Now there are two deaths, so what was to come from this? She didn't have anyone to care for anymore. What will her mother do now that she's lost everything?

Sophie could see that the Undertaker had known her presence was there ever since they left the building, if not longer. With one glance her way the girl knew he had murder in his green/yellow shinigami eyes, aimed to take her soul where it can rest for eternity. Can't he just understand she needs to stay? Why can't he see that? Undertaker used to, that's for sure… the man she knew, knows. Not this being that looks like him, without the scars to boot. How come he can judge her? Huh? She figured the man would know she would try to come by the mortuary to appear to her mother. He'll be keeping a narrow eye on the place, waiting for the girl to slip and appear in the human realm. Sophie will have to figure out everything, the Undertaker's schedule and everything he does. Does he work all day and night? Does he take time off? Does he do mostly paperwork or mainly field work? The girl will have to find these things out quickly or else she's done for. Deciding the shinigami was preoccupied with her mother's sorrow the ghost of a child felt it was best to leave, infiltrate the shinigami realm while Undertaker was there and disappear before he could find her. She can still disguise her aura as any creature, so she'll make sure she doesn't touch a death scythe. After Sophie finds his office and sees everything he will do she will make a plan of attack, knowing full well the man was much older and wiser then she was. In order to win this game she can't give him a second to rest, completing everything she has to do before he could find her. Then… only when she is done… Sophie will willingly give her soul up to him and to Death, she promised herself.

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The days wore on and the nights were too short. Sophie had to sneak around in the night because that was the only time her soul could become visible, when it was dark. Why? She couldn't quite say, but this didn't fit into her plans. The Undertaker seemed to know this too and thus he was only working during the day, scouting the cemetery and the mortuary at night. The girl had missed everything: Thomas preparing the bodies for burial, a group of shinigamis taking her father's body away, her own ceremony… which she saw from afar. Her mother's sorrow was eating at her heart; the girl just wanted to walk up to the woman and hug her tightly. Yet she couldn't, not yet. She had to be patient, waiting for something important to happen in the middle of the night or a job the Undertaker is forced to do so she can visit her mother. This was difficult. The man held much power in the shinigami world, which Sophie didn't find surprising. After all he's a legend, but thus the being could order a subordinate to do the job instead of he, and he had many shinigamis that worked under him… even some from the council themselves. It was odd to see this side of the Undertaker, Sophie quickly realized, and she wondered who and when did he get his name. From his talks with Fiona she could tell he had another name and from that name he had many more names to speak of. What was his real name? She didn't know and now the child was getting curious to whom he really is. She won't find the answers here, Sophie knew this, but if she can just get back to her real world perhaps she can find out Undertaker's secrets little by little… as she had done over the years she had been alive.

Sophie sighed. She didn't know if the being was toying with her. She figured by his powerful aura he would have been after her by now. Perhaps this was a test to see what she would do… after all this is the Undertaker. He likes to play mind games and for Sophie this was one large mind game, even bigger than the man could ever anticipate. Details of her life were changing in a blink of an eye. The longer she stayed the worse everything became. She was warned this; Sophie knew. Yet this won't bring her down. She wanted to stay till she absolutely had to leave, but at that point she may never be able to leave. Was Tiqvah right? Will she disappear into nothingness if the Undertaker successfully reaps her soul? That's a possibility, Sophie realized, and that'd mean she won't actually be at rest… ever. Time flew past and her mother's health was deteriorating. Sophie wondered how long she would last, if she would die the same time she had before or even sooner. For Sophie she felt that she had eternity to wait, but her mother only had years to live, if not days. That's probably Undertaker's mindset. He had the rest of his existence to wait for the soul to reveal herself. He had time… but Sophie was running out.

The spirit decided that one day she would try to get her mother to follow her into the woods. There, under the shade of the trees, the girl could show her mother her current form. Maybe then she could change her mother's mind and perhaps she'd start taking care of herself again… maybe move on from this tragedy. Sophie blew on the tops of the trees, the wind picking up and blowing past her mother's hair. How she missed sitting under the shade of the tree at the top of the hill. If she ever got back that'll be one of things she does, simply sit and meditate without disturbances from anyone or anything. Noticing how her mother closed her eyes the child tried again, this time breathing a small whisper of words that floated around her mother's ears.

"_Mommy~~… Mommy~~… Mommy~_" She whispered, hoping her mother would hear.

Sophie's mother looked up, but then pressed her head back and sighed. Perhaps her mother had been hearing her own voices. She'll have to try again, but this time with more words.

"_Baroness~… I'm trying to speak with you~~… plea~se~~… listen~…_"

"W-who's there?" her mother looked around in fright, but Sophie was going to continue to try till she was able to let her mother see her face to face.

"_Mommy~… it's meee~~… Sophia~~~_" The girl blew the wind around the tree, watching as her mother stood to her feet startled. "_I~… don't want yo~u to be lonely~~ anymore. I~~ won't rest~ till you're~~ happy again~… I~I'm sorry~~ Mommy… soooooo~~~ sorry~_"

"Sophia – No… it can't be you. Undertaker told me what happened," her mother sighed, "you died alongside your father –"

"_Mommy __**listen**_" Sophie whimpered, her voice rising just slightly to get the woman's intention. "_I'm like Papa. Do you really~~ think I wouldn't be able to live… just for a few more moments~?_"

She watched as her mother looked to the ground, chuckling lightly and rubbing her arms. "That thought crossed my mind, but the Undertaker said you died and he's like you, right? –"

"_I only died as a human~, not as a shinigami_," she explained, "_but… Uncle wants me to pass on~~_"

"S-shouldn't you –"

"I can't," she bluntly huffed, a sigh escaping her lips as her breath escaped in the wind. "_I… I-I don't want you to be hurt mommy. I want you to move~ on too~~. Please… for Papa's sake. Then I'll disappear~_"

"Sophia –"

"_Please Mommy? Pleeeeease~~… I want you to be happy. Don't… don't stay in disappear for this long, please~_" Sophie bit her lip, close to tears, but she knew if her mother rejected the whole idea she'll have to accept her death.

"… I'll think about it," her mother smirked to herself, a shaky sigh escaping her lips as she looked to the mortuary and then up at the sky. "You… you have your father's intellect child. It's no wonder you hadn't died before birth… a miracle really."

Sophie frowned, knowing she was thinking of her older brother at that moment. Then her head shot up, feeling the intense aura of Death coming towards her as the sun began to go down. "_M-mommy I have to go~_" she shuddered, her mother looking up wishing she could see her child.

"I know," her mother smiled, watching the sunset. "I hope you can rest in peace along with your father soon enough." Ellen looked towards the forest, noticing two blue glowing orbs of light coming from the trees, but then it disappeared, the woman letting out a sigh as if a huge weight had vanished from her mind. Was that her daughter? She may never know, but what had transpired calmed her nerves. She won't return to her family and she won't think about death, no… she had more to live for, and Ellen knew that's what Maurus would have wanted her to do: move on.

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"Yo'h Naum! How's the reaping?" Xaskesiel smirked, the silver and green haired boy looking up from the paperwork in front of him with a glare.

"How in Ura's name are you able to do all this?!" Naum groaned, finishing writing on a form and placing it on a stack of paper. "There are so many souls to snatch, but not enough time to do it. Plus I got into a bunch of trouble with these groups of daemons –"

"They're demons Naum –"

"Whatever," he huffed. "This is all nonsense in my opinion. Why all the paperwork? Why do all this… records and bookkeeping for the dead when there are beings out there walking around alert and alive?"

"I probably can't change your mind, since I'm not Sophie," Xaskesiel smirked slyly, causing Naum to narrow his eyes in disgust, "but the point you ask? What's the point of keeping records of the living, _little Life boy~_? Simple, to remember every being that ever existed on Ponta. Now think of it this way: even in our world there are records. You know this and you know it's my job. A book of someone's life that has been played out from beginning to end shows everything, their birth to death and how they lived their lives. You can't do that with simple recordkeeping. There'll be errors because humans lie and in honestly so do we. So here's the simple request: why not keep the records of the souls' deaths as primary sources instead of scratch work you and every other Goddess of Life does? It'll save up on time and strengthen both our realms. _Besides~_ wouldn't we just resolve our differences already? This game is starting to get old and you know better than I it'll help everyone, even the humans."

"Seriously we're having this discussion **now**?" Naum growled, a chuckle escaping the daemon's mouth before he continued.

"Yes, and every moment of very day of your life till my group is out of the daemons' corruptions and can live in peace. Then, and only then, will I stop talking about this," Xaskesiel finished with a snort, his face getting serious to get back at the matter at hand. "The British Museum is located towards the center of a city called London, sort of… east to us I believe? Maybe west? I don't know of the directions, but the city is nearby. I saw that the dagger is on display in a room called 'Antiquities' in the north wing of the building. I have a feeling the task will be tricky because we will have competition. There's a group of daemons that have congregated in this particular city and uses a building called the 'Foul Mug' in a gruesome, disgusting part of the city. I overheard them from afar. They know about the dagger, but are currently searching for it too. It's only a matter of time till they find out where it's located, so we must be quick –"

"Who's there?" Naum decided to ask, standing up and grabbing his things from the desk.

"Let's see…" Xaskesiel thought, poking his chin as the boy began to glare at him. "Oh! I recall seeing Asebab and Ocazes talking in the corner and I could feel Isitnanox's aura from afar."

"Isitnanox? That's not good," Naum sighed. "He was Ekahuz's right hand daemon… damn…"

"Also I noticed Halzron, Pepanioltaz, and Eriel being there... and I guess Amnaos and Mahes too," Xaskesiel snorted.

"So… eight daemons?" Naum asked.

"That's whom I found," Xaskesiel told the boy, "and anyone else tried to disappear completely in this world –"

"Then let's do this," Naum sighed. "You finish this work for me and I'll grab the dagger. Then we'll decide what to do with the daemons later –"

"_Oh~_ trying to get out of work now?" Xaskesiel smirked, Naum narrowing his eyes and letting a snarl escape his throat. "So _lifelike~~_ of you," he snickered.

"Whatever," Naum snorted, shoving a pen in the man's chest. "Get to work."

Xaskesiel snorted back as Naum chuckled lightly and set the pen in his hand, a smirk coming to the daemon's face as the boy disappeared down the hallway. "Good riddance," Xaskesiel chuckled, sighing as he sat at the desk Naum was working at to finish the work he was neglecting. "I don't need Life breathing down my throat. Let's just get this over with before I have to see those annoying council members again," he huffed, "who think they need to know everything for some reason. _Please~!_ I'm much older by far. Worthless tyrants are what they are."

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Escaping Death was harder then Sophie thought. She was constantly on her toes and she had to expand her range of movement from just the cemetery and the woods to inside of London. Quickly there were demons on her tail, catching the scent of a wandering soul and trying to sustain their nourishment by grabbing hold of her. Even her best friend, Alexander, was on her tail. Apparently, after several long years, he had given up trying to become a shinigami and decided to stick to being a demon. Haden was doing great, but died when he was supposed to. Everyone she had known showed up at small points in her existence, but they never last long. At least her mother lasted, thank goodness. Baroness Ellen Ioreta Serbus was living well beyond the length of time she had previously, but yet she was always sad. Sadness… no matter how much the child tried the woman wouldn't change. Ellen tried moving on, meeting other men, but her heart always yearned for Maurus. She began to think, was it better for her mother to feel this way? Wouldn't it be better for her to move on with her father? Should… should this ever have happened? She didn't know; Sophie simply didn't know the answers.

Little by little she felt her soul getting away from her, getting swallowed up in the air around her. Was this the voices' doing? It sure felt like it, but after a while they had stopped corresponding with her… simply let her die… Sophie was slowly starting to get mood swings. One minute she would feel and act normally, but the next she would lash out and break all the windows around her. It usually was over the simplest of matters, like hearing someone disrespecting the dead or even so much as to say that the weather was gloomy. She didn't know why she was having mood swings, but Sophie knew she had to stop. This wasn't what she was supposed to do… not what she was supposed to be… and… the look of blood… the soul that lingered in a human's heart before departing for another body, caused her to feel… hungry. She was starting to feel hungry. How could a ghost feel hungry? Sophie didn't know, but she knew that this wasn't a good sign. Her mind wandered to what Xaskesiel had said about his own kind turning to daemons and eating souls. She was slowly starting to think this was what she was becoming. After all shinigamis are mainly just souls and spirits that were changed to become grim reapers. She had read this in a book once. They could only do this if it was by a much older shinigami, a God of Death to be precise. Shinigamis were like servants… servants of the dead… but she had always wondered what would happen if a spirit that was destined to be a shinigami, perhaps a soul that hadn't moved on, stayed on the earth for too long. Sophie was starting to feel the effects and it was causing her mind to go crazy. She was hungry, hungry all the time, and wanted to feast on the dying souls and even go as far as to grip a soul right out of its body before their time had come. The brighter their soul, the hungrier she felt. Sophie was slowly… losing her sense of… right and wrong. The life she had was becoming a distant memory. All she felt was survive; she had to survive… stay away from Death till her mother had died. Then she will move on, then Sophie can sleep in peace, but will she ever get to that point?

When a soul turns demonic it can never get back to what it once was. Once she feasts on a soul she won't be able to be a wandering spirit, she will become a true demon that walked the earth seeking the ruin of souls. She can't do that… right? The longer she roamed the worse her symptoms became. Sophie went as far as to leave London, the British Isles all together, her eyes locked on one goal: to keep away from Death. Was she changing? Sophie couldn't tell, but she knew one thing: her soul was definitely in pieces. There was something inside of her that was missing… it was the evil soul that had lived inside of her, no… it's not evil… not as evil as she was starting to become. Tiqvah… ever since that last day she hadn't heard from the spirit ever since. Was she alone now? How could a piece of herself just leave her like this. Why? Why?! Sophie wanted to shout, cry out for help, but it was all helpless. If she called for help a grim reaper would take her soul, Undertaker most likely. God… Sophie didn't even know where he was anymore. She was starting to forget what she was doing. All she felt was to keep moving forward, clutching her mother's wedding ring in her hand as if it was the only lifeline that kept her from becoming insane. If she kept going she'd find the light at the end of this endless tunnel… right?

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Naum jumped down from the rooftop, landing with ease onto the floor and glanced around. White walls, like the shinigami buildings, yet the structure of the building were much different and less sophisticated. He smirked. The beings that lived in this world seemed to treasure large, magnificent buildings, while in his world they could care less. As long as there was some sort of shelter the people in his world humans were happy, which made everything so much harder to find in this world. He attempted to ask humans on the street, who almost all shuffled away from his presence, until he came upon a man with a dark blue outfit and an oddly shaped hat that told him where to go. When the man asked what he was doing Naum simply replied he wanted to visit the museum, noticing that badge the man had and noticed he must have had some sort of authority in this world.

He showed up when it got dark, sneaking his way through the building and easily evading the guards. This wasn't the first time he had to sneak around, in fact Naum was very clever when it came to slipping past hoards of people without being seen. Yet the building was very large and it took the boy some time to come across what he was looking for. Sure, he sensed the presence of the dagger from a mile away, but the building was so elaborate with doors upon doors and turns upon turns that he got lost for half of the night. Finally he came upon his prize, a dagger, similar to the Dagger of Death Reha had on her person, but instead of a white bird there was a skull head on the handle with bones connecting the head of the handle to its blade. He stared through the glass case it was kept behind, seeing the same glow from its disturbingly vivid eye sockets as he would in the Dagger of Death. He shuddered, feeling something slowly luring him into its embrace, but Naum didn't have time for this. No, he had to get out before someone discovered him and the daemons let on to their plans. He pulled out specially designed gloves for this purpose, hoping that Reha was right that the gloves that worked for the Dagger of Death would work for this Dagger of Life.

Using his powers the locks on the glass case unlocked, Naum slipping his hands around the dagger and wrapping a cloth around its body till it was hidden away in the fabric. Then he tucked it into the dress coat he wore and began to sneak out, trying to find the hole he had created in the top of the building to escape. Death and Life… Life and Death… the boy slowly began to realize that the name they had given the dagger in his own world may have been false. The dagger he had didn't look to be any sort of Dagger of Life… maybe he'll have to change the names later? He didn't know, nor did he care. He just knew that the only way to get to Sophie may be through this dagger; even though he didn't know what this dagger did specifically. Did it do the same thing as the Dagger of Death? Would this dagger try to take his soul too or perhaps it'll be the same voices talking to him. Either way he knew his time was short, noticing a whistle blare in the distance as he hustled and ran into the room he had jumped down from. A light haze appeared below his feet and he levitated himself up through the hole in the ceiling, deciding it would be best to close the glass he had moved and began to jump away from the building. By the time the humans had the facility lit up Naum had disappeared into the forest outside of the city, narrowing his eyes as he felt a trail of daemons slowly gaining on his trail.

"Okay," he looked around, jumping into a field out in the middle of nowhere, but close enough to the shinigami realm that if he had to run he had an opportunity to. Taking the dagger from his side he looked at the engravings, using the glove to run a hand through the top of the skull, down the handle, and across the blade. "Dagger of Life… let's see what you can do –" He paused, a odd, sickening feeling gurgling in the pit of his stomach and slowly making its way throughout his whole body.

His hands began to shake, but he didn't know why and Naum gripped the dagger tightly to keep a strong grip on it. Even though he wore gloves Naum was starting to feel sick, a completely different feeling he felt when he had his hands on the Dagger of Death. Shuddering he reached his hand up to his mouth, unable to control himself as he pulled the glove with his teeth and slowly reached down for the dagger. "There's the Shark! There he is! Get him!..." The voices died away as Naum's hand reached down for the dagger, sweat coming down his brow as his body violently shook while he tried to gain control. He couldn't, Naum barely had any control over his body, and with his index finger ran a finger down the handle and over the blade. A shock burst through his body and he gasped in pain, a black light suddenly surrounding him as the daemons jumped out of the trees and aimed their claws at the boy.

He stood stunned, watching as the light pushed the daemons away and they let out snarls and yells as they disappeared into the dark energy. "W-wha…" Naum blinked in confusion, looking down and staring back at the dagger. It was saying anything to him, trying to get hold of him like the Dagger of Death does… it was biding its time. Yes, Naum realized it was waiting for him to touch it again and he could barely resist himself as his hand reached down to touch the dagger.

"_Wait Naum~_"

"Who's there!?" Naum gasped, gripping the dagger in his gloved hand and looking around.

All he saw was darkness, but he felt a familiar presence moving around him, tempting him to come closer. "_If you continue on with this plan~ of yours, you will end up with me again_ –"

"Damn you spirit!" Naum snarled, his eyes glowing angrily in the darkness as he tried to find the source of the voice. "Why are you always here tormenting me –"

"_I left you alone_," the rough voice huffed, "_when you sold your soul away,__ Naum Karawan Kaoboros~~. You said you never wanted me~… so I disappeared_ –"

"That's right!" Naum huffed, "I hate you! I never want to see you again! Ever since you showed up my life turned to crap! I don't see why in Ga Sophie would wish to keep her evil spirit, I don't! Why are you talking to me now?! I thought you disappeared in the dagger –"

"I did," it stated roughly, getting Naum's attention as the voice snarled at him, "_I am… but I am warning you, if you wish to never come into contact with me again, you shouldn't touch this Dagger of Death_."

"Wait." Naum paused, "I thought this was the Dagger of Life –"

"_You are mistaken~_" the voice chuckled darkly. "_This is the Dagger of Death. Can't you tell by Death's signature symbol, the skull?... You know, in the end, I am destined to destroy everything. This dagger calls upon you to do just that… that's why you are connected to this_ –"

"But… I'm not connected to you anymore!" The boy yelled in anger, "I am not! –"

"_You always~ will be_," the voice explained, "_whether you like it or not. I am a part of you as you are a part of me. Even if you wish to lock me away I am still inside of you. Your soul was chosen to house me for a reason… you can keep your humanly soul sane even while I'm~ here~~. Now it is up to you if you want to plummet into the darkness… well~, will you~~?_"

Naum paused, looking out in the thin glimmer of light he could see from the darkness. He could hear his name being called, Xaskesiel's hand reaching out for him and trying to pull him back in. He let out a deep sigh, looking back down at the dagger as he closed his eyes and tried to drown out the sounds. Naum looked up at the light and his bright silver steel and emerald eyes glared at Xaskesiel, hearing the man let out a gasp as the boy snarled, "I will," Naum said willingly. "But," he huffed at the voice, which he didn't know was not are anymore, "this isn't for you. This is for Sophie! I dragged her into this mess and I will get her out. It was my decision to call upon Time and Space for help… it was a mistake to do so and I am sorry. I just want her back, she's done so much for me and I must have her back!"

With the words the being said he gripped the blade hard with his bare hand, the glove on his other hand falling to the ground as he bowed his head and closed his eyes. He suddenly heard a scream and looked up, his eyes looking in horror as Reha reached out for him and tried to grab hold of him. Naum shied away from her hand, her eyes staring at him in shock as he embraced the darkness with open arms and disappeared into the dark light. "NAUM! DON'T LEAVE ME!" Reha cried out, falling to the ground as tears fell down her face. The dagger he had in his hand didn't fall to the ground; it disappeared along with him into the dark abyss.

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**A/N: And we end it with a cliffhanger again XD So what do you think? Yes, there's a spirit that is connected to Naum too. Now we saw a tiny glimpse of that spirit. As for Sophie… think about it like years had gone by, many years. I'm pretty broad on how much time has gone by, but still less than a whole human year. Other than that Naum is on his way, hopefully ^^; And I think that's all I have to say. SEE YOU LATER!**


	92. The Extreme Disparity

Kuroshitsuji © Yana Toboso

OCs © reaper-of-lost-souls

**A/N: I felt it was about time to post another chapter. I honestly don't have to review this story to get out of writer's block, for now, but it's been a while so here's the next chapter =D Oh! And I'm sorry if I haven't been replying to anyone's comments. I've just been busy. Homework is always getting in the way, it seems, but some of the homework I want to do so there you go ^^' Well… ENJOY!**

! #$%^&*()

There, there it was… a dying person right in front of her. Sophie's eyes lit up, hunger growing in her features as she crept closer, keeping herself hidden in the shadows. Wasn't… a shinigami supposed to show up right now? "N-no?" Sophie thought aloud, looking throughout the trees waiting for something to appear. She didn't feel any presence, except for the man lying on the ground before her. "No… s-someone will come. T-hey always do," she reassured herself, slowly retreating back into the woods until she heard a faint voice calling to her.

"H-help me…" the man laid on the ground, coughing up blood and reaching up for the sky, "H-elp m-meee…" the man said again, Sophie's breath catching in her throat as she watched the man throbbing in pain.

Should she – No she can't. She's not a shinigami. She doesn't have a death scythe. She wasn't turned. She can't even touch another soul… but… yet… the man kept asking for help. Would it be so bad to walk over to him, perhaps comfort him before death comes to grab hold of his throbbing heart? After all, if a dying body is neglected for too long they'll turn into the same thing she is… and sadly Sophie didn't really know what she was right now. Her mind told her to leave, but her heart and her stomach was telling her to go towards the man. Sophie slowly walked out of the shadows, the man barely registering what was going on till she hovered over him, looking down at him with an emotionless expression.

"Please!" he gasped, coughing up blood as he reached for her, "P-please help me. Help me! –"

"I cannot," Sophie told him, his face growing pale, "but I will wait with you –"

"Wait? I'm d-dying! What is t-there to w-w-ait for!?" the man narrowed his eyes; his body enraged as he shook violently and continued to reach for her. "Save me! Help me!"

"I-I can't –"

"I w-ill g-give you my soul, just h-he-elp me!" he snarled, Sophie's eyes widening at his words.

Give me his soul? Why? Just because of the pain of death? "W-wha –"

"D-do it! Help me!" the man cried out, his body reaching up to grab her.

She quickly moved away, her eyes widened in horror as she stared at him shocked. "N-no, I can't –"

"Help me! Help meeeee!" he screamed, grabbing for her as he shuffled towards her.

Sophie backed away, walking backward towards the trees. Yet, her body was beginning to tell her to stop. Perhaps… perhaps it wouldn't be a bad thing to help the man. Place him out of his misery, after all there was a shinigami out there neglecting his duties. The sensible thing would be to take his soul so he could rest in peace, right?

"Take… m-meeee…" tears began to stream down his eyes, the light in his eyes widening as the ghost began to walk back towards him, reaching out her hand to the man. A smile came upon her face, gesturing for him to continue to grab for her, and she reached to him, her hand coming under his and close to touching him.

"Oh god, I'm late!" Sophie heard a voice coming from the trees, her hand snapping back before the dying man could touch her.

He stared at her horrified, watching as she turned her back on him and ran as fast as she could into the forest. "Wait! Help! Help me!" he cried, a gurgle escaping his lips as a death scythe embedded itself into his back.

"Sorry for being late," the shinigami huffed, wiping his blade with a handkerchief as he stared at the body laying motionless on the ground, "but I was a bit preoccupied –" The shinigami paused, noticing the last reels of the human's cinematic record. There was a girl there; no… that's not a girl. It's a demon. "… I better tell Mr. Ness about this," he thought to himself, taking off into the forest.

! #$%^&*()

Sophie shuddered in fear, looking down at her hands in shock. They didn't look like hands anymore; the nails had lengthened into sharp points. "No… no!" she gasped in horror, running to a nearby river and looking at her reflection in the water. Her eyes widened in terror, noticing the dark red, mystical eyes staring back at her. She was slowly becoming a demon… but why? Why?! She hadn't eaten anything and it's been years now! Her stomach was killing her, but she didn't do anything wrong. "I didn't do anything!" she yelled, slamming her fists into the ground and indenting the landscape around her by a few inches. She shivered in fright, tears streaming down her face as she shook her head. "I… didn't… do anything w-wrong…"

"Perhaps you didn't," a voice ran out from the trees, Sophie's eyes looking up as she backed away and began to tremble in fright, "perhaps you _didn't~_, but only you can decide what was right and what was wrong."

She gasped, her eyes darting around looking for the voice. All she saw was a dark purple glow coming from the densest part of the trees, her eyes narrowing once Sophie had realized that it was a demon, and not just any demon… it was Dorren. "W-wha…" Sophie gulped, her voice whiny and naive to everything that was going on, "What do you mean –"

"I was like you, once," he smirked, appearing out of the shadows as he ran a hand through his short, wavy and messy hair. Parts of his hair hid his eyes, but Sophie knew exactly who he is. Yet in this world this Sophie didn't truly know; even though she saw her father died she couldn't recall the demon that had done the act. "I was frightened too. Those shinigamis, they forgot about me," he chuckled, kneeling down to her and showing off his sharp, canine teeth, "they forgot you too, didn't they?"

"Why… y-yes," Sophie nodded lightly, "but what a-re you –"

"They call me the Apep, but you many call me Dorren," he smirked, slowly walking around her as she began to tremble uncontrollably. "_Now, now~_, don't cry. _I won't hurt you~~_" he grinned deviously, reaching his black glove to her chin and running his finger over her cheek. "_My~~_… no wonder Undertaker is keeping you from us," he chuckled lightly, "because… you have those eyes… of one who has been created for death." Sophie roughly swatted his hand away, shuffling away as he laughed at her. "If you have been created for death then why hasn't Death taken you yet? Why spend your life with Sleep? You shouldn't be living as a wandering soul, you're _more~_ then just a shifted demon like myself."

"I… I don't know –"

"Well if you want any help you'll have to come with _me~_" he smirked, "if you wish to… be shown what you have now become –"

"No," Sophie answered bluntly.

"_No~~?_ –"

"No!" She yelled even louder, jumping to her feet, but falling back down as she scurried backward. "I'm not staying for you! I'm staying for mother and I'm staying for Uncle Taker! You hear me?! I'm not going with some damn demon –"

"You don't have a **choice**," he snarled, his claws growing as his teeth barred at her, "and I'm not leaving without you –"

"Undertaker! Death! Someone! Help me –"

She eyes widened, the demon grabbing her in a choke hold to keep her quiet, "Shut up," he snarled. "He's near –"

"Help!" Sophie continued to cry, tears streaming down her face, "I'll let you take me, death! I don't want to be a demon! No! Help!"

"Pesky little parasite," Dorren sneered, holding the young girl by her neck and began to walk away from the river with her in his grasp, "you're like your father. You don't know when to shut up!"

"You shut up!" she snarled back, gasping for air as his hold on her neck suddenly became tighter.

"You don't know when to quit. You know what you are. Just accept it!" Dorren growled at her, throwing her onto the ground as she let out a whine and tried to shy away from his grasp. He stomped on her chest and punched her in the face, Sophie letting out a frightened whimper as he pummeled her body. "You don't get it! You're like me! Just accept that you're a monster and be like me!" he cried out, the girl spewing out a large amount of blood as she tried to hide her face behind her hands.

"No, never!" Sophie yelled, keeping her head away from the demon as tears streamed down her face, "I'm not like you! I'll never be like you! –"

She let out a gasp, feeling her insides being ripped apart as the demon shoved his hand through her chest and squeezed at her heart. "**You. Will. Be. Like. Me.** Where you like it. **Or not!** –"

The choke hold around Sophie's neck disappeared, the girl falling and hitting the ground hard. She looked around in fright, noticing a large man suffocating the demon by gripping him around his neck. "You stay away from her Apbolos," he snarled.

"Or what?" the demon spat in his face, "What's the mighty Death God going to do to me now –"

"She is my family. You don't **ever** threaten my family –"

"If she's your kin why won't you reap her soul?" Dorren smirked, watching as the shinigami narrowed his eyes and let out a low snarl. "She's like us now –"

"You heard her loud and clear," the man huffed, "she's nothing like you –"

"Then what is she then?" Dorren tilted his head, the shinigami letting out a huff as he threw the demon to the ground and held his long silver death scythe against the man's neck. "What is she to you, Undertaker?!"

"None of your business," he snorted, stabbing his blade into the demon's neck and watching it roll onto the ground. "That's for Maurus," Undertaker spat on the decapitated creature's face, stabbing his scythe into the demon's chest and collecting the cinematic records that streamed out around him in an incredible rate. In a flash they disappeared into his scythe, the shinigami barely giving the records a fighting chance to escape as he ran a hand through his long silver hair and let out a tired sigh. He looked around; the spirit vanished before he had a chance to grab her. "Once again you've escaped Death's grip," he sighed, turning his back and walking back towards the city, "but one day I'll get you, my darling Sophia. Just you wait."

! #$%^&*()

Sophie ran till her legs gave out, falling to the ground with her head in her hands. The memories of one life and another, intertwining with each other in an attempt to confuse her. "Okay, okay," she breathed heavily, trying to wipe away the terror her body just felt. Dorren, demon, chains, torture, darkness… she had to remember this was a different world. His motives are probably obscured. The demon didn't seem as forceful as he once was; rather this was an attack on her life or attempts to avoid loneliness, not vengeance against her father or her family or any of the sorts. The demon must have had bad blood with her father, but he wasn't recognizing her as his kin. Rather as a species like himself, destined to fall as low has he fallen… the workings of a soul trying to avoid the enviable fate of falling into their own eternal hell.

Now Sophie had this problem. She was running from Death, yet she was no longer living. A ghost, wandering the world looking for a place to rest. Yet she couldn't, not yet. If her mother was still alive she would not rest… if Undertaker would not accept her then she would continue to run. If he simply gave her a reason… the poor girl had none. She roughly shook her head, a snarl escaping her lips. Sophie had to remember this wasn't her world, but even so there were so many hidden occurrences that pointed back to her real life. She simply wasn't certain on what was real anymore… if this was all one dream or her new reality. Perhaps this is the life she was supposed to have lived, tormented by her own mind with internal demons telling her to turn… become them… become a demon. Falling… that's what she was supposed to do, correct? In order for her other spirit to move towards the heavens she'd have to fall… or that's what she always thought. In her own world she simply let life live on, but here if she continues this game it will surely kill her from the inside out.

If she didn't feed on a soul soon her own soul will begin to feed upon her, slowly eating her from her innards out. Then the demons. They kept coming, smelling her as a wandering soul and a meal to be devoured. That, Sophie realized was the point to these demons. They are like vultures, wolverines, wolves, even dung beetles and maggots. They feast upon the remains of those that have been left behind like scavengers. That's what Sophie always saw them as… yet was she supposed to be this way too? After all Death picks up the pieces Life left behind. She kills every single day and barely thinks about the consequences. No wonder her own kind is considered daemons in Naum's world. It was so easy to say that… they were scavengers also. Taking the souls that are left behind, letting death come to the dying. Yet it's necessary, as everything is in these worlds. Life has to come, Death has to come, Light and Darkness has to come… some will rise and some will fall from their places in life, but it's up to Sophie to decide where she was going to go next. Will she follow the low road and eventually let herself be killed by Death or follow down the high road and become a demon like Dorren, feast on the souls of the dead, and survive for perhaps a few more years then she would as a shinigami. Both ideas… both ideas were internally ripping her apart.

She didn't know what to do… she didn't know anymore. Everything she had worked to obtain was slipping through her fingers; the sanity she would regain with Sleep was quickly leaving her whenever she was awoken from her naps. This thirst, this internal hunger for food and to survive was killing her… Sophie didn't know anymore if she should go one way or the other. Perhaps… she could create another way? One way she could go that bypassed the two paths and let her wander away from what she was supposed to be? The more she let her heart do the talking the more her mind told her to turn away. The more her mind told her to go one way her heart told her it was the wrong thing to do. She needed help, she needed someone… but there was no one who could understand her… no one… ever. Not even the Undertaker… not anymore…

Sophie chuckled lightly, realizing that she was crying. Quickly wiping her tears she stood up, looking up at the rising sun as an idea dawned on her. She was still herself. She had her natural fighting abilities; she remembered everything that she learned in her real life. She could still morph and change her appearance… she could alter her aura to become that of a shinigami. Sophie was afraid; especially the girl of this world, but it had to be done. She has to go to the shinigami realm; she has to find out what was going on. She has to find the Undertaker… she has to confront him once and for all. Before her consciousness deteriorated completely into insanity she had to confront him, ask him why he wanted her dead and why she wouldn't turn into a shinigami. She had done so before, what was so different now? She sighed, closing her eyes and wiping the blood and dirt from her knees. Her clothes slowly changed, a clean white robe clinging to her body as a large black cloak wrapped around her neck and a hood settled on her head. Rope tied around her waist, sandals appearing on her feet as the cuts and bruises disappeared from her body. This didn't mean she was still injured, but at least no one would be suspicious. Opening her eyes revealed bright shinigami green eyes as dull and unresponsive as she could make them. Once she entered the realm she would have to find one of the storage units, finding an appropriate outfit to wear before resuming her wandering. She wouldn't be able to find glasses without being caught or stealing one from another shinigami, which, if she could find a simple minded one, would be possible, but Sophie wouldn't do such a thing. Not here. No, she'll find her own or create her own. Perhaps the glasses she wore in her real life would appear to her… but it was a thought. Once everything was together the wandering spirit took off towards the shinigami realm, knowing full well that if her appearance doesn't keep up the beings will be upon her like flies on a smelly dinner plate.

! #$%^&*()

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She held a grimace demeanor, a frown upon her face as the shinigamis walked past her. They all seemed… dull, well duller than normal. She came across Ronald and he seemed tired and frustrated. William looked boring, like normal, but Sophie could tell he was starting to feel bored, bored with his job and tired of working. Alan and Eric… well she didn't know where they were. And Grell… he wasn't around the complex either. Alexander wasn't there, of course, because she didn't sense **any** sort of half breeds running around. And Veronica... she wasn't there either. Which, she guessed, made sense, but she hoped she was alright without herself to guide her in the Americas and keep her demons away from her. Everyone seemed dull… gloomy. Sort of like mindless robots that did as they were told without much thought. It was getting on her nerves, but what could she do? Start talking? There didn't seem to be many female shinigamis running around, but hey in her own world there weren't a lot. Just… it was quiet, except for the footsteps being heard down the hallways.

Still, despite the annoyance that was apparent on her face, Sophie had a mission. After changing into the proper attire she was making her way up the stairs, only to find that after a certain level she needed an ID. Stealing one from a passing shinigami she went through the door, continuing up the stairs till she came upon another locked door. Trying again the card didn't work, sighing and shaking her head as she ran a hand through her hair. "How is anyone supposed to get around this place –"

Hiding she noticed a familiar face, a woman with long dark brunette hair grumbling under her breath as she took out a card and swiped it in the machine. Changing the format on the ID on her hand to match the woman's, Sophie swiped the card against the machine and the door instantly opened. "Sometimes this is too easy," she smirked, walking through and letting the door close behind her. The set of stairs seemed to stop there, which was odd because there were usually more than fifteen levels in these shinigami buildings. Once again Sophie had to remind herself she was in a different world, but even though the walls were painted white the rooms was very gloomy. The lights were dim and the place seemed empty, yet there were voices being heard down the hallway. Secret meeting perhaps?

She slinked her way around the hallway, hiding behind the cracked door and looking inside. Her eyes widened. This was the council, sitting among a circular table conversing with each other while they seemed to be waiting for someone else to arrive. She instantly spotted the Undertaker sitting on the far side of the room, who didn't seem to notice her quite yet. "So it has been reported that there's a new demon in our mists –"

"From a ripe, un-reaped human I believe," someone else commented. "Does anyone have the records of any humans that have not been reaped yet?"

"We keep a tight schedule," one of them said, taking out a folder to prove their point, "and in the records all humans have been reaped and accounted for, as of late –"

"What about souls that were supposed to have changed into shinigamis?" a gray bearded man asked, a few of the younger shinigamis looking over at him confused as the one who was holding the folder quickly looked to confirm his suspicions.

"… There are a few," the shinigami mentioned, a few eyes looking over at the shinigami speaking, including Undertaker's eyes from behind his thin, black framed glasses. "There are a few souls that have escaped our grasps and haven't come here to become shinigamis."

"Who are they?" the old-looking shinigami asked.

"… In the last two years there was a young boy named Leonardo Ainsley," the shinigami began, "a teenage woman named Celeste Keegan… Julian Quentin of Blackpool… and a young girl who lived in the London mortuary named Sophia –"

"This is rather ridiculous," the Undertaker snorted, getting everyone's attention as he interrupted the man's useful information. "What's the reason for discussing the souls that should have been altered if we have enough shinigamis already to fill in the jobs?"

"Undertaker's right," the woman next to him nodded, Sophie instantly recognizing to be Fiona, "We have enough shingamis here with many more to spare. There is no need to change them –"

"But now they are running about causing havoc!" a shinigami interrupted her, Fiona narrowing her eyes at the shinigami as he ignored her and continued. "They're falling! They're turning into demons!"

"Are you sure about this Kurtis –"

"I am certain," he huffed. "If the souls don't turn where do they go? Nowhere. So they eventually feed and become demons."

"Not necessarily –"

"Forty nine out of every fifty wandering souls will do this," another shinigami decided to comment, "and I would think the Undertaker, of all beings, would know this –"

"Though the other ones become angels," the Undertaker explained, "and, in all honestly, if we have enough shinigamis but the other species have very little."

A few of the shinigamis stared at him in shock, but the oldest looking man in the room, though Sophie knew that didn't mean he was the oldest, looked over at the Undertaker with an emotionless expression. "… Undertaker, what are you saying? Should we let the demons repopulate themselves, even after the accursed Black Death years ago?"

"Exactly," Undertaker nodded. "Think about this. If the world is imbalanced strange accordance will happen. Perhaps a horrible disease will infect our kind and wipe us to the brink of destruction. If we are as complex and superior to other species, as many of you seem to say, then shouldn't we also have in mind all the other species? Shinigamis are the only types of death bringers in the world. There are demons, angels, shape shifters, giants, monsters, all sorts. If these souls have already fallen they have fallen. It is their destiny to do so, I suppose," the man shrugged, "and if they don't then they don't –"

"Yes, but should we truly let them disappear into the swarm of demons just because we are repopulating faster than the other supernatural beings?" Fiona decided to comment, quickly getting Undertaker's attention. "Isn't that very heartless to think like that –"

"We are beings of Death," Undertaker snorted, "and we are supposed to work levelheadedly, indifferently, heartlessly… we are only supposed to judge whether they should live or die, where they go in life once they die. That's our jobs, nothing more. If you wish to go against Death and the rules of the Universe be my guest, but I won't stay around for long if it is our own faults that this world is destroyed by your own visions and ideas." He narrowed his eyes at one man, a being sitting across from him on the other side of the room and caused that shinigami to glare back at him. "Isn't that right, Earthborn? You wish to control death, but yet you're only a human soul that was changed. You can't possibly think you can acquire this unless you were already born supernatural –"

"Undertaker," he chuckled lightly, Sophie trying to catch glimpse of this man, but was unable to because of the dim lights, "are you still against me? Even after all that I've done, after all I have acquired for our species? Huh?!" He stood up, slamming his hands on the table, glaring the man down as the others shifted slightly or narrowed their eyes at the shinigami. "I was born for Death like those souls Stephen had described and many here among us would agree. What you say is against our rules –"

"Not the rules that have been established since the beginning of time," Undertaker huffed. "Your so called _rules~_, Earthborn, have only been around for two thousand years, perhaps less if I recall. Yet the rules I talk about have been around since the beginning of Time. Do you really think Death and Life were the first created beings? Do you even **know** there are these types of beings? Probably not," he chuckled lightly, "because you're simple minded, like a human, and you only think of yourself and your own needs, like humans do."

The man sneered, a death scythe suddenly appearing in his hand. The others stood up and pulled out their scythes to defend themselves, but Undertaker slowly stood up and gave him a monotone expression, waiting for what the being would do as Earthborn growled and hissed at the being. "You… you don't understand us. You **don't**! You think you're so high and mighty, well you're not Undertaker –"

"I wasn't the one who put me on a pedestal," Undertaker snorted, "and I'm not the one who tried to control death. Death **cannot** be controlled, Earthborn… simple as that. Not even I can control him, so don't expect your pitiful self to do the same –"

"You bastard!" Earthborn narrowed his eyes. "You think you know everything, but you don't –"

"Of course not," Undertaker smirked. "How could I? I don't have infinite wisdom. The being who does disappeared from existence to make this place more _fun~_. This is all a game Earthborn, and you're close to losing, I see."

"No, oh no," the man growled. "I'm not going to lose anything, you are! Temperance, Hawk, pin him down!"

"This is mutiny!" one of the shinigamis yelled back, a swarm of shinigamis jumping upon each other to keep each other restrained. "What are you doing Earthborn?!"

"This is my place and my rules!" Earthborn snarled and turned to glare at Undertaker, who stood tall and proud as the rest of the council members began to fight around him, either on the man's side or on Undertaker's side. "I say that the Undertaker's time is done!"

"_Oh~~?_" Undertaker tilted his head to the side, making no movements to summon his scythe as he crossed his arms over his chest and gave the being as smug expression. "You plan on killing your creator Earthborn? After _all~_ I've done for you –"

"You've looked down on me since the beginning!" Earthborn growled, "And now it's time for you to disappear Undertaker! I'll kill you with my bare hands and then I won't have to listen to your crap!"

"Now _who's~_ the one that has fallen?" Undertaker smirked, Earthborn narrowing his eyes and letting out a yell. The man made no moves to pull out his weapon, Fiona letting out a startled cry to him to move as he stood firm and waited for the being to chop him in half.

His eyes went wide, unable to cut through as the Undertaker stared at the man confused and looked down. "What the –"

"What are you doing here?!" Undertaker snarled, grabbing the small soul be the back of her collared shirt and pulled her behind him. "Earthborn, back off –"

"Never!" he yelled again, his shinigami green eyes beginning to glow a bright red glimmer as he slashed at the other being. Undertaker quickly evaded, keeping the child behind him as he shoved past the others towards the door. "I'll kill you! I'll kill you and everyone who stands beside you! I'll kill you all –"

"Demon!" Undertaker snorted, his hand on the door as he glared at the turning shinigami, "You're falling Earthborn and now you're at the bottom. Go to hell and live like the demon you are! I should have never turned you into a shinigami! I knew you would end up like this, but hey it was an experiment." He chuckled lowly, causing the man to growl and run at him with as much force as he could muster, "You're just a bloody experiment!"

Laughing the Undertaker slammed the door, Sophie letting out a frightened yell as the shinigami called Earthborn smashed the blade of his scythe into the door and let out a frustrated snarl as he began to turn the knob and pull his death scythe out of the door. "You shouldn't have come," Undertaker huffed, continuing to pull Sophie by the end of her shirt as he hastily walked down the hallway to the stairs. "You shouldn't have Sophia! –"

"I wanted to know why!" Sophie began to cry, tears streaming down her face, "So now I know! You never wanted me?! Never?! You wanted me to be a demon! –"

"No my dear –"

"Yes you do!" Sophie cried out, trying to squirm free, but unable to get out of the shinigami's grasp as he shoved the door open and jumped down the spiraling stairs to the bottom. "I'm like that Earthborn! You should have changed me! Now I feel so… hungry and… cold." Undertaker paused, stopping for a few moments before shoving the door open and continuing his jump down the stairs. "I thought you cared! I thought you wanted me to be like my father –"

"Never," Undertaker huffed. "You should have let me reap you at the beginning Sophia. You don't want to end up lonely and alone like your father and I –"

"But I won't be if I'm with you!" she cried, yelping as he pulled her closer under his arm and began to dash at the bottom of the stairs and down the white colored hallways. "I just want to belong somewhere! Is that too much to ask –"

"Yes it is," he told her, causing Sophie to quickly become quiet as she stared at him baffled, the man suddenly pausing as he stopped at the large doors that led out into the world outside. Then the Undertaker began to laugh, holding his other hand up to his forehead as he stared at the ground and laughed. Sophie shivered in fright, his laughter increasing as the seconds wore on, the laugh of a madman… a shinigami that has cracked and has thrown themselves off of the line between sanity and insanity to plummet into the insane abyss below. "I don't want you to become like me! You are a brighter soul then myself! Even brighter than your father! Do you expect me to just let you stay here, let your soul become twisted because of these senseless shinigamis? No! You're mine! And I won't let you fall to my level! –"

"UNDERTAKER!" they heard from above, the man letting out a snort as Sophie began to yell and he flew through the door. He ran as fast as he could past the white shinigami buildings, out of the shinigami realm, and further into the human realm beyond.

Her vision became blurry, but all she was thinking was the words the Undertaker had spoken to her. He didn't want her to become like him?... Why not? What's so bad about being a shinigami? "… Why Uncle, why?" Sophie sniffled quietly, her face in her hands as tears streamed down her face. She couldn't control herself, she began to cry. She simply didn't understand what was happening and now she didn't want to figure it out anymore. If forty nine out of fifty unturned souls become demons then she was supposed to, right? That's what he wanted her to be… right? She wouldn't stop crying, even as the world stop spinning around her and they found themselves far away from the shinigami realm, even far away from the foggy smells of London and past the salty air of the sea. She didn't care where she was, but she knew one thing, the Undertaker was going to take her now… and she shouldn't keep running away.

She felt the grip on her collar loosen as Sophie continued to shiver in fear, her eyes widening in horror as a gloved hand lifted her chin up to stare deeply into the Undertaker's bright shinigami green and yellow eyes. Undertaker frowned, the frown on his face causing the girl to stare at him in an unsettling way as he sighed and ran a hand through her long, auburn hair. "… I didn't mean to upset you," he began softly, speaking quietly, but enough for the spirit to hear, "but… you shouldn't be here anymore –"

"Why not?" Sophie frowned, tears continuing to steam down her face as she choked back tears. "W-why not? I just… w-want to be w-ith you... Did… d-did p-apa say you should do this –"

"Don't blame your father," Undertaker shook his head, "this isn't your father's fault… it's mine." Sighing again he gently put his hand on her shoulder, standing up to look at the scenery around them. Sophie gasped, realizing where they were. They were out in the middle of nowhere, out in the sands of a cool, crisp desert. "I…" he began again, quickly getting the girl's attention, "I wanted… I didn't want you to become like me." He shook his head and sighed again, looking down at the ground as chuckles began to leave his lips. "You ask why? You saw. I turned that being, that Earthborn you saw. I was his creator… actually I was a creator to many shinigamis," he shrugged, "and I can turn you with the simple touch of my hand… but I don't want to –"

"Y-you hate me –"

"Nothing of the sort," he smiled, looking back down as he ran a hand through her hair, Sophie sniffling and looked away. She knew that if she tried to run the being would grab her, so she stood under his grasp, letting him stroke her hair, which felt so nice after being away from his touch for so long… almost twenty eight years… and yet it felt like eternity. Sophie hadn't noticed she was cuddling closer to him till it was too late, yelping when she felt her body right next to his leg and tried to move away. When she began to struggle he gripped her closer to his body, tears streaming down her face while she tried to run away. "… You have a chance to become an angel, you know," Undertaker decided to continue, tears streaming down her face while she was pinned close to the shinigami's body. "You have a chance… if you continue in this world your father will surely come back to make you pledge his oath… but… if I let you pass on… you won't have to worry about those things. You can be dead and not have to worry about the troubles… all these troubles I face because I am alive… alive but not yet dead for many years… a living dead man." Then he crouched down to her level, a smile on his face as he ran a hand through her hair to push the bangs out of her eyes. He frowned, noticing the look of anger that glimmered in her eyes, noticing how far she had already fallen after only less than a lifetime. "_Sophia~_… let me reap you. You're too perfect for this world… you don't deserve to fall like a shinigami. You shouldn't become a demon… Don't… end up as twisted … as myself –"

"N-no," Sophie sniffled, grabbing his face as she looked at him through worried eyes. "I… I want to stay with you, and if you wish for me to vanish… I'll disappear." She blinked, letting the tears in her eyes fall down her cheeks as she noticed the sadness quickly appearing in his eyes, "Uncle Taker… I love you. I love you so much that it pains me that you want me to disappear. Why do you want me to leave… w-why –"

"I just… don't want you to be around," He frowned at her, her eyes widening at his words.

"You… don't want the pain of losing me, huh?" Sophie realized, the Undertaker blinking at her waiting for her to continue. "You… think that bottling up your emotions is good for you? Huh?"

"Yes –"

"You shouldn't do that!" Sophie began to cry again, causing the man to take a step back as she stepped forward and clutched her hands tightly. "One day you'll end up imploding! You'll start crying uncontrollably and you won't be able to stop! You're start killing when you don't have to, causing people pain even when you don't want to! I know it's hard to see those you love die, but it happens! It happens Undertaker –"

"I know!" Undertaker snarled, "I know! I'm sick of this! I'm sick of seeing everyone I love die and I can't! All I got left is Fidda and you."

Sophie stared at him confused, "Fidda? –"

"But if I know you'll be fine then… then I won't worry," he chuckled lightly, his hand shaking as he held back all his emotions deep in his heart. "I can't stand to pass you on till I know you'll be happy… but… you're not letting me do this Sophia. This is **very** hard, you know… now you know…"

She blinked, wiping the tears from her eyes as she took a few steps backward. "So… are you going to kill me now –"

"Only if you wish for me to do so," he smirked. Sophie gave him a slight smile, but then looked away and shook her head.

"Uncle… I love you, but you must understand that I should stay alive," she told him, his smile waning as she continued, "and I wish you would understand this, but I guess not… We love you Undertaker. We love you. I don't know why you insist that I die, but I won't move on till you're done being lonely. Like my mother Undertaker… I won't be able to rest till I know you've passed and you've stopped your tears. That I know you've passed on and are happier… that's my wish. You should know that."

He chuckled lightly, though he held worry on his face as he gently petted her hair. "Sophia… please, let me reap you. I can't deal with this anymore. Please…"

She shook her head, taking a step back away from his hand, "N-no –"

"Sophia, please –"

"No –"

"_Pleeease~_… for me –"

"I-I don't want to die yet –"

"Come on –"

"No –"

"Sophia –"

"No! Please no!" She shook her head, her eyes widening as he reached out his hand to grab her again. Sophie let out a yelp and evaded his hand, tears falling down her face again as she clutched her chest in pain. "I don't want to die! I don't want to leave you Undertaker! –"

"There you are!" a voice came from above, a being suddenly grabbing hold of the Undertaker while he pulled out his long silver scythe to defend himself.

Sophie let out a yell, being thrown backward by the Undertaker's hand as he stood between the soul and the tainted shinigami. "Earthborn," he growled, "you shouldn't have come –"

"Die! Stay dead for once Undertaker!" he snarled, slashing his death scythe at the man, but Undertaker skillfully held back his attacks while keeping Sophie behind his back. Then the creature reached out his hand for the soul, Sophie letting out a cry as she slipped through his fingers, but Earthborn gripped hold of her necklace and snapped the chain in two. "Get back here –"

"Don't you dare touch her!" Undertaker yelled, forcing himself upon the being as Earthborn's bright green shinigami eyes widened in shock and he was forced to retreat backward. Undertaker began to move on the attack, the other being trying to block his attacks, but ended up getting slashed several times in the shoulders and along his hands.

Sophie stared from afar as she held back her cries, feeling empty without the necklace around her neck. Then something suddenly wrapped its arms around her body, the spirit looking up in shock to find a being with dark bat-like wings grabbing her tightly to his chest, his light silver-green hair falling over his eyes as he hugged her tightly. "I thought I had lost you, but I found you before it was too late," he smiled, Sophie's eyes widening in shock.

"N-naum? –"

"If we stay here you'll die," he continued, looking over at the two creatures before pulling her tightly into his arms. "It's time we leave now."

"But, but Naum –"

"This isn't your world. These events aren't real," he told her, narrowing his bright silver steel and emerald eyes at the soul as she trembled in his grasp, "Do not worry. This Undertaker isn't the real thing… this was made up by the voices. Now let's go. We must leave."

"But, no –"

"Come," he continued, pulling her tightly as a bright light shined behind him and he spread his wings out to fly backward into the beam.

"No! UNDERTAKER! HELP ME!" she reached out her hand, the shinigami looking over in shock only to get slashed in the arm by the Earthborn. Sophie gasp in horror as she watch the man stagger, tears streaming down her face as she began to disappear. "I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YOU! DON'T LET ME GO!"

)(*&^%$# !

**A/N: And… end scene! Yes, another cliffhanger =D Just so you know I haven't been writing this story for a while. I don't know. You know the feeling of working on something for too long? Yeah, I feel that way right now. So it's hard to continue with this. Plus there's other stories and I'm currently doing a 100 themes challenge on my deviantart account, also starting a new tumblr blog with an 'ask japan' type of thing… but yeah. That's why this story hasn't been updated in a while and why my other stories haven't been either. I suppose I've been working on my Hetalia stories, but not really those either… because of the theme challenge. Well I'll talk to you soon. I'll try to start commenting you guys more often and responding. I'm getting lazy in that department. Well… BYE! =3**


	93. xxMy Apologies & Excusesxx

Dear fellow readers [those that have been with me from the beginning or have come across this story and excepting for the story to continue],

I'm sorry for doing this, but I figured I should just say that I don't plan on ever finishing this story? Why? Well there are many reasons, but the main reasons is that I a, lost track of what I was writing about and where the story was going, b, I got tired of writing a long chaptered story (even though I do think in novel formats I just get lazy), and c, I have other story ideas I'd rather work on then this one. My problem is that I'd have to read the entire 90 or whatever chapters and think to myself where this story can end, but yeah. As I stated before I'm rather lazy when it comes to reviewing things, though I like to review things in case I accidently misspelled something or the sentence doesn't make sense (and sadly grammar errors and whatever always show up regardless of my efforts, but whatever. It's not like you can get _**everything~**_ ^^')

Anyways, I noticed this story keeps being 'favorite' or 'watch' and while I do like those that add this to their favorites; I figured it was about time I say that this story won't be continued. I'm always a stickler when authors are never honest and say they cannot continue their stories for this or that reason, but here I am doing the same thing. Since this is the longest story I've ever written and I worked so hard on it, I don't want to take it off of . Yet I want to say to those who are reading this story still (thanks to those that are) then I'm sorry for all the disappointments, but I honestly don't know what to do with this story. So there you go!

If you comment I may answer or not (I used to answer every single day, but now a days I just tend to forget to check so don't be angry if I don't answer your comments/messages). I am eternally grateful to all of the readers that made it to chapter… I guess this is chapter 93 XD If there are chapters I happen to find and decide to find the time to read over and post up, I will, but I doubt the story really will continue from this point. I don't know if I left it at a climactic moment or not… but yeah. I have other stories on my mind. This one was on the back burner and by now it probably fell off the stove and is sitting behind the oven, on the floor, and I just happened to find the time to clean to notice this story is still there.

Anyways, I do have other stories (mainly just on my laptop, but I have managed to post some up). If you'd like to read stories like this I have some posted on my deviantart account. I don't know if I posted one or two longer stories on this account, but yeah. Right now I've been working on this 100 challenge thing and I post some on deviantart and others on , but I made a promise to myself that I won't post up a story until I finished it. If the story isn't finished yet and I say there's more chapters at the bottom, that just means I a, forgot about finishing it, b, have my mind on other stories and haven't gotten back to reviewing that particular story so I don't lose my flow, or c, ah… I just go lazy. That's the problem, honestly. I just get lazy ^^'

Thank you to all of my readers, young and old. I'm sorry for not answering comments or messages and for not finishing this story. I always love my commentadors and I always feel bad that I don't answer back. So yeah. That's about it… Sorry about that guys, but thank you for reading this story!

_~Reaper-of-Lost-Souls _


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